Improved Early Action through Precise Targeting, Timely Cash, and Early Warning to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Shocks

The project evaluates a targeted risk-informed early action pilot in response to floods in Bangladesh, testing efficacy of early warning messaging, timing of cash transfers, and data-driven innovations in targeting approaches. Through a randomized evaluation, researchers will target 10,400 households, with some households receiving unconditional cash transfers ahead of or after a flood event. Researchers will address two critical knowledge gaps that impede adopting early actions at scale. First, they will explore the optimal timing for delivering assistance: they will evaluate when best to act by examining how households use assistance before, during, or after a disaster. Second, researchers will evaluate the accuracy of data-driven approaches in targeting the most vulnerable households and the trade-offs thus incurred vis-a-vis timing.