The Disaster of Unequal Aid Distribution:  How The Unequal Consequences of Natural Disasters Affect Conflict

While natural disasters may be indiscriminate in their targets the subsequent damage is not divided equally across the different segments of society. Through studying trends of aid distribution we find that the ability to mitigate and recover from the harms of a natural disaster is distributed according to existing socio-economic structures favouring the privileged. By applying relative deprivation theory this study explores how horizontal inequalities of aid increase economic inequalities. Subsequently, economic inequalities can be employed to mobilise organised violence, given there is a financial opportunity presented by international development aid. A sub-national empirical analysis is conducted that includes 171 first order administrative divisions across five South East Asian countries. Using data covering the World Bank’s aid distribution from 1995- 2009 an indicator is calculated that measures the level of inequality. The binary logistic regression finds that the more...Show moreWhile natural disasters may be indiscriminate in their targets the subsequent damage is not divided equally across the different segments of society. Through studying trends of aid distribution we find that the ability to mitigate and recover from the harms of a natural disaster is distributed according to existing socio-economic structures favouring the privileged. By applying relative deprivation theory this study explores how horizontal inequalities of aid increase economic inequalities. Subsequently, economic inequalities can be employed to mobilise organised violence, given there is a financial opportunity presented by international development aid. A sub-national empirical analysis is conducted that includes 171 first order administrative divisions across five South East Asian countries. Using data covering the World Bank’s aid distribution from 1995- 2009 an indicator is calculated that measures the level of inequality. The binary logistic regression finds that the more unequal the aid distribution, the less likely organised violence is to occur.Show less

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The Disaster of Unequal Aid Distribution: How The Unequal Consequences of Natural Disasters Affect Conflict