Person:
Liverani, Andrea

Middle East and North Africa Sustainable Development
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Fields of Specialization
Climate Change; Social Development; Environmental Management
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Middle East and North Africa Sustainable Development
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Last updated: January 31, 2023
Biography
I'm a country sector coordinator in the Sustainable Development Department of the World Bank's Middle East and North Africa Region, working mostly on climate change, social development and environmental management. I wrote about the interplay between climate change and migration, behavioral and institutional aspects of climate policy, political economy of energy subsidy reforms, political development in North Africa, and evaluation systems in aid agencies. Before joining the Bank, I was with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. I hold a PhD and an MSc from the London School of Economics.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Publication
    Climate Change and Migration : Evidence from the Middle East and North Africa
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014-07-15) Bougnoux, Nathalie; Wodon, Quentin; Liverani, Andrea; Joseph, George; Wodon, Quentin; Liverani, Andrea; Joseph, George; Bougnoux, Nathalie
    Climate change is a major source of concern in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and migration is often understood as one of several strategies used by households to respond to changes in climate and environmental conditions, including extreme weather events. This study focuses on the link between climate change and migration. Most micro-level studies measure climate change either by the incidences of extreme weather events or by variation in temperature or rainfall. A few studies have found that formal and informal institutions as well as policies also affect migration. Institutions that make government more responsive to households (for example through public spending) discourage both international and domestic migration in the aftermath of extreme weather events. Migration is often an option of last resort after vulnerable rural populations attempting to cope with new and challenging circumstances have exhausted other options such as eating less, selling assets, or removing children from school. This study is based in large part on new data collected in 2011 in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, and the Republic of Yemen. The surveys were administered by in-country partners to a randomly selected set of 800 households per country. It is also important to emphasize that neither the household survey results nor the findings from the qualitative focus groups are meant to be representative of the five countries in which the work was carried, since only a few areas were surveyed in each country. This report is organized as follows: section one gives synthesis. Section two discusses household perceptions about climate change and extreme weather events. Section three focuses on migration as a coping mechanisms and income diversification strategy. Section four examines other coping and adaptation strategies. Section five discusses perceptions about government and community programs.
  • Publication
    Impact of Weather Shocks on MENA Households
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-07) Wodon, Quentin; Liverani, Andrea
    Do households living in climate affected areas in the MENA region believe that changes in climate patterns and their environment are taking place? Have households been affected by extreme weather events, and if so to what extent and which events have had the largest impact? What are the coping strategies that households declare having used, or could be using to cope with climate change and weather shocks? And what are the implications for policy? A new World Bank Study by Wodon et al. (2014) helps in answering these questions. It is widely recognized that MENA will be strongly affected by climate change. The frequency and severity of extreme weather shocks is expected to increase. Yet, the evidence on how households are already affected and whether they can cope and adapt to changing climatic conditions is limited. The study by Wodon et al. (2014) helps fill these knowledge gaps. It is based in large part on new household surveys and qualitative data from climate affected areas in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, and Yemen. The study provides insights on household perceptions of, and vulnerability to, extreme weather shocks.
  • Publication
    Climate Change and Migration in the MENA Region
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-07) Wodon, Quentin; Liverani, Andrea
    Climate change and climate-induced migration (Foresight, 2011) are major global concerns. This is true for the MENA region as well. Yet empirical data on how perceptions of climate change and weather shocks affect migration in the region are scarce. To what extent are perceived and actual weather shocks and changes in the environment driving temporary and permanent migration flows? Do remittances reach households living in climate poor areas, and if so, what is their impact on poverty and human development? These are some of the questions considered in a study by Wodon et al. (2014) based on various data sources including new household surveys for climate affected areas in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, and Yemen (the five country sample in this note). In a short summary note as this one, it is important to be clear at the outset about what is measured and what is not. It is sometimes said that Climate is what we expect. Weather is what we get. Simply put, climate relates to the distribution of variables such as temperature and rainfall over a long period of time. This distribution is characterized by its moments, including the mean and the variance of key climatic variables. Climate change is then used to refer to the change in the distribution of rainfall and temperature. However, it is difficult to tell if the weather experienced at a point in time is due to climate change (the overall mean and variance of rainfall and temperature) or part of an existing distribution.
  • Publication
    Climate Change and Individual Behavior : Considerations for Policy
    (2009-09-01) Liverani, Andrea
    Climate change is anthropogenic - the product of billions of acts of daily consumption. That solutions need to be anthropogenic too is well accepted. Yet, suggested solutions are normally cast in the realms of finance and technology, often neglecting the primal root of the problem: individual behavior. An emerging body of social-psychology scholarship has examined the barriers and drivers of individual behavior in relation to both adaptation and mitigation. This paper reviews some of its conclusions, and suggests policy areas that should be considered in devising appropriate interventions.
  • Publication
    Climate Change and Individual Behavior: Considerations for Policy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2010) Liverani, Andrea
    Climate change is anthropogenic - the product of billions of acts of daily consumption. That solutions need to be anthropogenic too is well accepted. Yet, suggested solutions are normally cast in the realms of finance and technology, often neglecting the primal root of the problem: individual behavior. An emerging body of social-psychology scholarship has examined the barriers and drivers of individual behavior in relation to both adaptation and mitigation. This paper reviews some of its conclusions, and suggests policy areas that should be considered in devising appropriate interventions.