Making ends meet in refugee camps: Food distribution cycles, consumption and undernutrition
利用乍得南部三个难民营的数据，研究发现难民家庭在两次粮食援助之间日均热量摄入下降1.1%至1.5%，五岁以下儿童短期营养状况也随分配周期恶化，表明家庭无法平滑消费，面临周期性食物短缺。
• Using primary data collected among protracted refugees in camps and an exogenous variation in the time lapse between the food transfer and the interview date, we investigate whether refugee’s food consumption responds to the timing of the distribution of food aid. • Refugee households experience an average decline of 1.1 to 1.5 percent per day in their daily caloric intake between distributions of food aid. • Short-term nutritional status of children under five, as measured by mid-upper arm circumference for height z-score, also declines over time over the distribution cycle. Years after the initial settlement, food aid remains an essential component of humanitarian assistance for protracted refugees in managed camps. From data collected among refugee households in three camps in southern Chad and an exogenous variation of time between the latest food distribution and households’ interviews, we draw the time path of household’s consumption. Consistent with the literature on intertemporal choices in high-income countries, refugee households experience an average decline of 1.1 to 1.5 percent per day in their daily caloric intake between distributions. The short-term nutritional status of children under five also responds to the distance from food aid distribution and confirms the existence of food distribution cycles. Our results suggest that households don’t smooth consumption during the interval of time between two distributions, and face regular and frequent cycles of food shortage resulting in detrimental consequences on children’s health.