Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa

As countries design climate change adaptation policies, it is important to understand how workers alter behavior in response to changes in temperature. Nonetheless, the impact of temperature on labor markets is poorly documented, especially in Africa. We address this gap by analyzing panel surveys o...

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Autores principales: Dou, Xiaoya, Gray, Clark, Mueller, Valerie, Sheriff, Glenn
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147932
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author Dou, Xiaoya
Gray, Clark
Mueller, Valerie
Sheriff, Glenn
author_browse Dou, Xiaoya
Gray, Clark
Mueller, Valerie
Sheriff, Glenn
author_facet Dou, Xiaoya
Gray, Clark
Mueller, Valerie
Sheriff, Glenn
author_sort Dou, Xiaoya
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description As countries design climate change adaptation policies, it is important to understand how workers alter behavior in response to changes in temperature. Nonetheless, the impact of temperature on labor markets is poorly documented, especially in Africa. We address this gap by analyzing panel surveys of labor choices by sector, contractual arrangement, and migration status in four East African countries. Merging survey information with high-resolution climate data, we assess how workers shift employment in response to temperature anomalies. Results suggest important distinctions between rural and urban areas. In urban areas, only agricultural self-employment and migration are responsive to temperature, with participation in both activities decreasing at high extremes. Urban out-migration is used as a tool to increase incomes in “good” years rather than an adaptation mechanism during bad years. In contrast, out-migration appears to be a means of adapting to high temperatures in rural areas, especially among households with relatively little agricultural land. The combined impact of these forces suggests that a 2 standard deviation increase in temperature results in a 7 percent increase in urban unemployment and no significant impact on rural unemployment.
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spelling CGSpace1479322025-11-06T07:24:06Z Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa Dou, Xiaoya Gray, Clark Mueller, Valerie Sheriff, Glenn economic development urban areas labour time allocation natural resources management climate change adaptation migration rural areas climate change As countries design climate change adaptation policies, it is important to understand how workers alter behavior in response to changes in temperature. Nonetheless, the impact of temperature on labor markets is poorly documented, especially in Africa. We address this gap by analyzing panel surveys of labor choices by sector, contractual arrangement, and migration status in four East African countries. Merging survey information with high-resolution climate data, we assess how workers shift employment in response to temperature anomalies. Results suggest important distinctions between rural and urban areas. In urban areas, only agricultural self-employment and migration are responsive to temperature, with participation in both activities decreasing at high extremes. Urban out-migration is used as a tool to increase incomes in “good” years rather than an adaptation mechanism during bad years. In contrast, out-migration appears to be a means of adapting to high temperatures in rural areas, especially among households with relatively little agricultural land. The combined impact of these forces suggests that a 2 standard deviation increase in temperature results in a 7 percent increase in urban unemployment and no significant impact on rural unemployment. 2016-06-17 2024-06-21T09:23:31Z 2024-06-21T09:23:31Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147932 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147931 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153852 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/151432 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Dou, Xiaoya; Gray, Clark; Mueller, Valerie; and Sheriff, Glen. 2016. Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1537. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147932
spellingShingle economic development
urban areas
labour
time allocation
natural resources management
climate change adaptation
migration
rural areas
climate change
Dou, Xiaoya
Gray, Clark
Mueller, Valerie
Sheriff, Glenn
Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa
title Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa
title_full Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa
title_fullStr Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa
title_full_unstemmed Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa
title_short Labor adaptation to climate variability in Eastern Africa
title_sort labor adaptation to climate variability in eastern africa
topic economic development
urban areas
labour
time allocation
natural resources management
climate change adaptation
migration
rural areas
climate change
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147932
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