Published at International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/9750/

In Impact Assessment of Disaster Microinsurance for Pro-Poor Risk Management: Evidence from South Asia, Sharma, Hochrainer-Stigler, and Mechler (2011) present one of the first large empirical evaluations of how microinsurance schemes serve disaster-prone, low-income populations in South Asia.

The study focuses on Afat Vimo, a pioneering disaster microinsurance initiative developed and implemented by the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), which provides coverage for life, property, and livelihood losses from disasters to poor and vulnerable households.

Emerging from the Regional Risk Transfer Initiative (RRTI), led by AIDMI in partnership with ProVention and IIASA, the report uses extensive field data from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to analyze client satisfaction, awareness, coping mechanisms, and delivery models.

Findings reveal both the potential and challenges of disaster microinsurance — showing that while schemes like Afat Vimo can enhance financial security and resilience, issues such as limited coverage and claim delays need to be addressed to strengthen their impact among the poorest communities.