Public Disclosure Authorized The World Bank Development Economics Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist (original) (raw)

National governments are key actors in managing the impacts of extreme weather events, yet many highly exposed developing countries—faced with exhausted tax bases, high levels of indebtedness, and limited donor assistance—have been unable to raise sufficient and timely capital to replace or repair damaged infrastructure and restore livelihoods after major disasters. Such financial vulnerability hampers development and exacerbates poverty. Based on the record of the past 30 years, this paper finds many developing countries, in particular small island states, to be highly financially vulnerable, and experiencing a resource gap (net disaster losses exceed all available financing sources) for events that occur with a probability of 2 percent or higher.

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