Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks

While formal insurance is widespread in much of the developed world, households in lower-income countries continue to rely heavily on informal risk-sharing networks when faced with unexpected shocks. Kin networks of non-coresident family members may play an important role by providing each other wit...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Herskowitz, Sylvan, Kleemans, Marieke, Pulido, Cristhian
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143379
_version_ 1855522539527208960
author Herskowitz, Sylvan
Kleemans, Marieke
Pulido, Cristhian
author_browse Herskowitz, Sylvan
Kleemans, Marieke
Pulido, Cristhian
author_facet Herskowitz, Sylvan
Kleemans, Marieke
Pulido, Cristhian
author_sort Herskowitz, Sylvan
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description While formal insurance is widespread in much of the developed world, households in lower-income countries continue to rely heavily on informal risk-sharing networks when faced with unexpected shocks. Kin networks of non-coresident family members may play an important role by providing each other with informal social protection, sharing resources in response to correlated production shocks (rainfall) or idiosyncratic household shocks (sickness and death). Using detailed panel data from Indonesia, we examine how inter-household transfers within a household’s kin network respond to different types of shocks and whether they are able to reduce household vulnerability. We find that households are exposed to meaningful risk from variations in local rainfall in the form of both income and household consumption. Rainfall substantially increases both transfers sent and received by households, suggesting that household and local supply effects dominate demand effects resulting from rainfall fluctuation. Finally, we find modest evidence that transfers reduce vulnerability of consumption to rainfall fluctuations by up to 11%, but do not find strong evidence on the efficacy of formal social protection programs.
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace143379
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2021
publishDateRange 2021
publishDateSort 2021
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1433792025-12-02T21:02:52Z Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks Herskowitz, Sylvan Kleemans, Marieke Pulido, Cristhian insurance income rain social networks shock households social protection risk social safety nets household consumption While formal insurance is widespread in much of the developed world, households in lower-income countries continue to rely heavily on informal risk-sharing networks when faced with unexpected shocks. Kin networks of non-coresident family members may play an important role by providing each other with informal social protection, sharing resources in response to correlated production shocks (rainfall) or idiosyncratic household shocks (sickness and death). Using detailed panel data from Indonesia, we examine how inter-household transfers within a household’s kin network respond to different types of shocks and whether they are able to reduce household vulnerability. We find that households are exposed to meaningful risk from variations in local rainfall in the form of both income and household consumption. Rainfall substantially increases both transfers sent and received by households, suggesting that household and local supply effects dominate demand effects resulting from rainfall fluctuation. Finally, we find modest evidence that transfers reduce vulnerability of consumption to rainfall fluctuations by up to 11%, but do not find strong evidence on the efficacy of formal social protection programs. 2021-12-31 2024-05-22T12:13:43Z 2024-05-22T12:13:43Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143379 en https://pim.cgiar.org/2021/11/21/family-transfers-as-informal-insurance-and-liquidity-source/ Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Herskowitz, Sylvan; Kleemans, Marieke; and Pulido, Cristhian. 2021. Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2097. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134964.
spellingShingle insurance
income
rain
social networks
shock
households
social protection
risk
social safety nets
household consumption
Herskowitz, Sylvan
Kleemans, Marieke
Pulido, Cristhian
Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks
title Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks
title_full Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks
title_fullStr Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks
title_full_unstemmed Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks
title_short Kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks
title_sort kin transfers as safety nets in response to idiosyncratic and correlated shocks
topic insurance
income
rain
social networks
shock
households
social protection
risk
social safety nets
household consumption
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143379
work_keys_str_mv AT herskowitzsylvan kintransfersassafetynetsinresponsetoidiosyncraticandcorrelatedshocks
AT kleemansmarieke kintransfersassafetynetsinresponsetoidiosyncraticandcorrelatedshocks
AT pulidocristhian kintransfersassafetynetsinresponsetoidiosyncraticandcorrelatedshocks