The Economics of Natural Disasters in a Developing Country: The Case of Vietnam

Abstract

We examine impact of natural disasters on annual output and output growth in Vietnam. Using provincial data for primary and secondary industries in Vietnam, we employ the Blundell-Bond System GMM procedure to estimate the impact of disasters on the macro-economy. Results show that more lethal disasters result in lower output growth but that more costly disasters (in terms of destroyed capital) actually appear to boost the economy in the short-run. This result is consistent with the ‘creative destruction’ hypothesis that we outline. However we find that disasters have different macroeconomic impact in different geographical regions; and these differences are potentially related to the ability to generate transfers from the central government.Vietnam, natural disasters, growth, exogenous shocks