Resources

Summary

Natural disasters occur and affect people’s lives and livelihoods in almost all parts of the world. Some populations are more vulnerable than others and disparity exists between nations and communities within a country. Furthermore, within communities, different households may be affected differently, and even within households, the vulnerability of individual household members may vary. This study empirically assessed the relative importance of socioeconomic factors associated with differential community vulnerability to floods and landslides in Nepal. In this context, the specific research question was to assess the relative importance of different dimensions of socioeconomic status and in particular to try to differentiate between the effects of education and income/wealth. The reason for this effort in the unpacking of socioeconomic status (SES) was that these two dimensions of SES imply quite different policy priorities for reducing household vulnerability: either investing more in education or strengthening the economic aspects of livelihood.