Download or read book Sovereign Natural Disaster Insurance for Developing Countries A Paradigm Shift in Catastrophe Risk Financing written by Francis Ghesquiere and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2007 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Economic theory suggests that countries should ignore uncertainty for public investment and behave as if indifferent to risk because they can pool risks to a much greater extent than private investors can. This paper discusses the general economic theory in the case of developing countries. The analysis identifies several cases where the government's risk-neutral assumption does not hold, thus making rational the use of ex ante risk financing instruments, including sovereign insurance. The paper discusses the optimal level of sovereign insurance. It argues that, because sovereign insurance is usually more expensive than post-disaster financing, it should mainly cover immediate needs, while long-term expenditures should be financed through post-disaster financing (including ex post borrowing and tax increases). In other words, sovereign insurance should not aim at financing the long-term resource gap, but only the short-term liquidity need.

Download or read book Sovereign Natural Disaster Insurance for Developing Countries written by Olivier Mahul and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economic theory suggests that countries should ignore uncertainty for public investment and behave as if indifferent to risk because they can pool risks to a much greater extent than private investors can. This paper discusses the general economic theory in the case of developing countries. The analysis identifies several cases where the government's risk-neutral assumption does not hold, thus making rational the use of ex ante risk financing instruments, including sovereign insurance. The paper discusses the optimal level of sovereign insurance. It argues that, because sovereign insurance is usually more expensive than post-disaster financing, it should mainly cover immediate needs, while long-term expenditures should be financed through post-disaster financing (including ex post borrowing and tax increases). In other words, sovereign insurance should not aim at financing the long-term resource gap, but only the short-term liquidity need.

Download or read book Catastrophe Risk Financing in Developing Countries written by J. David Cummins and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2009 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Catastrophe Risk Financing in Developing Countries' provides a detailed analysis of the imperfections and inefficiencies that impede the emergence of competitive catastrophe risk markets in developing countries. The book demonstrates how donors and international financial institutions can assist governments in middle- and low-income countries in promoting effective and affordable catastrophe risk financing solutions. The authors present guiding principles on how and when governments, with assistance from donors and international financial institutions, should intervene in catastrophe insurance markets. They also identify key activities to be undertaken by donors and institutions that would allow middle- and low-income countries to develop competitive and cost-effective catastrophe risk financing strategies at both the macro (government) and micro (household) levels. These principles and activities are expected to inform good practices and ensure desirable results in catastrophe insurance projects. 'Catastrophe Risk Financing in Developing Countries' offers valuable advice and guidelines to policy makers and insurance practitioners involved in the development of catastrophe insurance programs in developing countries.

Download or read book Innovation in Disaster Risk Financing for Developing Countries written by Weltbank and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report aims to advance the dialogue on creative, forward-looking solutions for developing countries by presenting recent innovations on disaster risk financing and insurance developed by the private markets as well as the international donor community, from the macro (government) level down to the micro (household) level. It discusses how these innovations can be adapted and implemented in developing countries to better protect efficiently those countries against the financial consequences of natural disasters. Section one provides an introduction to the economic and fiscal impacts of natural disasters on developing countries. Section two examines examples of innovation in the private insurance and capital markets that may have applications in sovereign disaster risk financing for developing countries. Section three examines how innovations coming out of mature property catastrophe risk insurance (PCRI) markets could serve in low and middle-income countries. Section four considers how innovation is taking seed in creative disaster micro insurance programs in low- and middle-income countries. Section five wraps up the report with brief concluding remarks.

Download or read book Sovereign Natural Disaster Insurance for Developing Countries A Paradigm Shift in Catastrophe Risk Financing written by Francis Ghesquiere and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2012 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economic theory suggests that countries should ignore uncertainty for public investment and behave as if indifferent to risk because they can pool risks to a much greater extent than private investors can. This paper discusses the general economic theory in the case of developing countries. The analysis identifies several cases where the government's risk-neutral assumption does not hold, thus making rational the use of ex ante risk financing instruments, including sovereign insurance. The paper discusses the optimal level of sovereign insurance. It argues that, because sovereign insurance is usually more expensive than post-disaster financing, it should mainly cover immediate needs, while long-term expenditures should be financed through post-disaster financing (including ex post borrowing and tax increases). In other words, sovereign insurance should not aim at financing the long-term resource gap, but only the short-term liquidity need.

Download or read book Natural Disaster Insurance for Sovereigns Issues Challenges and Optimality written by Aliona Cebotari and published by . This book was released on 2020-01-17 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural disasters are a source of economic risks in many countries, especially in smaller and lower-income states, and ex-ante preparedness is needed to manage the risks. The paper discusses sovereign experience with disaster insurance as a key instrument to mitigate the risks; proposes ways to judge the adequacy of insurance; and considers ways to enhance its use by vulnerable countries. The paper especially aims to inform policy decisions on disaster insurance. Through simulations of natural disasters and various insurance options, we find that sovereign decisions on optimal risk transfer involve balancing trade-offs between growth and debt, based on government risk preferences and country risk exposure. The choice of optimal insurance for smaller countries turns out to be more constrained by cost considerations due to their higher exposure, likely resulting in underinsurance; donor grants could help them achieve a more optimal protection. We also find that optimal insurance packages are those that are least costly relative to expected payouts (i.e. have the lowest insurance multiple), which are also the packages that insure less severe (more frequent) disasters.

Download or read book Governance Risk and Financial Impact of Mega Disasters written by Akiko Kamesaka and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-11-23 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses researchers, practitioners, and policy makers interested in understanding the financial implications of mega-disaster risks as well as in seeking possible solutions with regard to governance, the allocation of financial risk, and resilience. The first part of this book takes the example of Japan and studies the impact of mega earthquakes on government finance, debt positions of private household and businesses, capital markets, and investor behavior by way of economic modeling as well as case studies from recent major disasters. In Japan, the probability of a mega earthquake hitting dense agglomerations is very high. Like other large-scale natural disasters, such events carry systemic risks, i.e., they can trigger disruptions endangering the stability of the social, economic, and political order. The second part looks at the experience of the Japanese government as a provider of disaster-risk finance and an active partner in international collaboration. It concludes with an analysis of the general characteristics of systemic risk and approaches to improve resilience.

Download or read book Policy Issues in Insurance Catastrophic Risks and Insurance written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2005-07-06 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These conference proceedings present academic analysis, country reports, and financial/insurance company assessments on how to handle losses caused by large-scale catastrophes including terrorism and atmospheric perils.

Download or read book Assessing the Enabling Environment for Disaster Risk Financing written by Asian Development Bank and published by Asian Development Bank. This book was released on 2020-06-01 with total page 93 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Disasters damage and destroy infrastructure and disrupt economic activities and services, potentially delaying long-term development and hampering efforts to reduce poverty in the region. Countries require a strong enabling environment for disaster risk financing to ensure the timely availability of post-disaster funding. This report presents a comprehensive diagnostics tool kit that countries can apply to assess the financial management of disaster risk. The framework examines the state of the enabling environment and provides a basis to enhance financial resilience with insurance and other risk transfer instruments. It incorporates lessons from the country diagnostics assessments for Fiji, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka that made use of the tool kit and methodology.

Download or read book The Macro Financing of Natural Hazards in Developing Countries written by Olivier Mahul and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors propose a financial model to address the design of efficient risk financing strategies against natural disasters at the country level. It is simple enough to shed analytical light on some of the key issues but flexible and realistic enough to provide some quantitative guidance on the ex ante financing of catastrophic losses. The risk financing problem is decomposed into two steps. First, the resource gap, defined as the difference between losses and available ex-post resources (such as post-disaster aid), is identified. It determines the losses to be financed by ex ante financial instruments (reserves, catastrophe insurance, and contingent debt). Second, the cost-minimizing financial arrangements are derived from the marginal costs of the financial instruments. The model is solved through a series of graphical analyses that make this complex financial problem easier to apprehend. This model captures and explains the main impacts of financial parameters (such as insurance premium, cost of capital) on efficient risk financing structures.

Download or read book Insuring Public Finances Against Natural Disasters written by David Hofman and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2006-08 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural disasters can put severe strain on public finances, in particular in developing and small countries. But catastrophe insurance markets increasingly offer opportunities for the transfer of such risks. Thus far, developing countries have only tepidly begun to tap these opportunities. More frequent and intensive use of insurance markets may be desirable because it could help introduce an important element of predictability in the post-disaster public finances of disaster-prone developing countries. Against this background, the paper surveys the various available insurance modalities and reviews recent initiatives in developing and emerging market countries. It also identifies some key challenges for the insurance community, donors, and international financial institutions (IFIs).

Download or read book Rapid Onset Natural Disasters written by Eugene Gurenko and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gurenko and Lester provide a conceptual framework for designing a comprehensive risk management strategy for rapid onset natural disasters at the country level, with a particular emphasis on the role of catastrophe loss funding. The authors discuss the key policy and technical issues involved in building financially sustainable catastrophe risk transfer and funding programs in disaster prone countries and their links to risk mitigation. They also deal with the cognitive and political economy issues that are likely to arise and ways to accommodate them. This paper--a product of the Financial Sector Operations and Policy Department--is part of a larger effort in the department to develop modern risk management approaches at the country level.

Download or read book Building Resilience in Developing Countries Vulnerable to Large Natural Disasters written by International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, & Review Department and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-06-19 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper discusses how countries vulnerable to natural disasters can reduce the associated human and economic cost. Building on earlier work by IMF staff, the paper views disaster risk management through the lens of a three-pillar strategy for building structural, financial, and post-disaster (including social) resilience. A coherent disaster resilience strategy, based on a diagnostic of risks and cost-effective responses, can provide a road map for how to tackle disaster related vulnerabilities. It can also help mobilize much-needed support from the international community.

Download or read book Natural Catastrophe Risk Insurance Mechanisms for Asia and the Pacific written by Asian Development Bank and published by Asian Development Bank. This book was released on 2015-01-01 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural catastrophes are a major threat to sustainable development, especially in Asia and the Pacific. The developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are particularly vulnerable. Catastrophe risk could be transferred through a regional public-private insurance partnership. This is the key finding of the ADB Conference on Natural Catastrophe Risk Insurance Mechanisms for Asia and the Pacific held in Tokyo in November 2008. This report answers questions on disaster risk management and how ADB can ease access to catastrophe risk transfer mechanisms. It suggests a regional approach as an appropriate mechanism to unlock resources needed to better manage risk.

Download or read book Natural Disasters and Climate Change written by Juan José Durante and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a technical approach to promoting the development of disaster and climate change risk financing and transfer strategies, and discusses several practical issues, chiefly focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean. Innovative risk financing and insurance mechanisms are vital for governments around the world, in order to provide financial protection and reduce the economic costs and social and developmental impacts of natural disasters and climate change. The book’s main content is complemented by a wealth of graphics, diagrams and tables that illustrate the concepts discussed and make the text accessible for practitioners and non-practitioners alike. The book offers proven, creative and innovative ideas on how to tackle risk financing and management for natural disasters and climate change. Strategic topics such as sovereign disaster risk financing, property catastrophe risk insurance, and agricultural insurance are also discussed.

Download or read book Unbreakable written by Stephane Hallegatte and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2016-11-24 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Economic losses from natural disasters totaled $92 billion in 2015.' Such statements, all too commonplace, assess the severity of disasters by no other measure than the damage inflicted on buildings, infrastructure, and agricultural production. But $1 in losses does not mean the same thing to a rich person that it does to a poor person; the gravity of a $92 billion loss depends on who experiences it. By focusing on aggregate losses—the traditional approach to disaster risk—we restrict our consideration to how disasters affect those wealthy enough to have assets to lose in the first place, and largely ignore the plight of poor people. This report moves beyond asset and production losses and shifts its attention to how natural disasters affect people’s well-being. Disasters are far greater threats to well-being than traditional estimates suggest. This approach provides a more nuanced view of natural disasters than usual reporting, and a perspective that takes fuller account of poor people’s vulnerabilities. Poor people suffer only a fraction of economic losses caused by disasters, but they bear the brunt of their consequences. Understanding the disproportionate vulnerability of poor people also makes the case for setting new intervention priorities to lessen the impact of natural disasters on the world’s poor, such as expanding financial inclusion, disaster risk and health insurance, social protection and adaptive safety nets, contingent finance and reserve funds, and universal access to early warning systems. Efforts to reduce disaster risk and poverty go hand in hand. Because disasters impoverish so many, disaster risk management is inseparable from poverty reduction policy, and vice versa. As climate change magnifies natural hazards, and because protection infrastructure alone cannot eliminate risk, a more resilient population has never been more critical to breaking the cycle of disaster-induced poverty.

Download or read book Quantifying Through Ex Post Assessments the Micro Level Impacts of Sovereign Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Programs written by Alain de Janvry and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Uninsured natural disasters can have devastating effects on human welfare and economic growth, particularly in developing countries where large segments of the population are in poverty and government resources and capacity to assist in relief, recovery, and reconstruction are limited. Therefore there is interest in exploring how these countries can design and implement disaster relief financing and insurance programs. This paper discusses four aspects of the microeconomics of disaster relief financing and insurance programs that are important for the ex post impact evaluation of such programs: (1) use of game setups to analyze the private willingness-to-pay for disaster protection through risk transfer or risk retention instruments; (2) use of ex post analysis of existing disaster relief financing and insurance schemes (such as Mexico?s programs) to analyze the willingness to provide political support to such schemes; (3) use of ex post analysis of existing schemes to analyze not only ex post coping with shock, but also the ex ante risk management impact of disaster relief financing and insurance schemes, with the expectation that the latter can have a large effects on growth; and (4) use of mainly global data to do ex post impact analysis of natural disasters and the resilience-enhancing value of disaster relief financing and insurance schemes (examples exist for the disaster-impact relationship that can be extended to the role of disaster relief financing and insurance in risk reduction, coping with shock, and risk management). The paper proposes concrete research projects to pursue the analysis of these four dimensions of micro-level impacts of disaster relief financing and insurance.