Degree Name

Department

Economics

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Defense Date

2022-02-25

Publication Date

2022-03-14

First Faculty Advisor

Mark Showalter

First Faculty Reader

Jim Kearl

Honors Coordinator

John Stovall

Keywords

non-profit, impact evaluation, cyclone, development

Abstract

My research is primarily an impact evaluation of the cyclone recovery efforts of the non- profit organization Care For Life, based in Beira, Mozambique. I determine the causal effects of this program on business creation and several inputs to health (serious sickness, improved latrines, meals per day, and access to a vegetable garden). The treatment intervention consists of Care For Life workers providing mosquito nets, water purification, and soap, improving available latrines, and providing gardening materials (seeds, fertilizer, hoes, and watering cans). I analyze the effect of this treatment on five different outcome variables chosen because they are deeply affected by cyclones. To reinforce my selection of covariates in my regression analysis I use two supervised machine learning techniques. I find that Care For Life’s intervention has no statistically significant effect on any of the key outcome variables I measure.