Role of social protection in coping strategies for floods in poor households: A case study on the impact of Program Keluarga Harapan on labor households in Indonesia

Abstract

Limited access to capital influences how the poor define coping strategies, while dealing with disaster impacts. A synergizing intervention needs to consider improving the adaptation process, as well as protecting the poor from slipping deeper into poverty. The intervention of social protection programs, such as Program Keluarga Harapan (PKH), could help poor households arrange coping strategies in dealing with natural disasters. PKH is a conditional cash program for poor households, and includes traditional labor in the coastal city of Pekalongan, Indonesia. This research attempted to explore the relationship between PKH and coping strategies, when dealing with natural disasters through livelihood capital. The first objective of this research was to confirm whether PKH can influence coping strategies. The second was to discover how PKH can improve ex-ante and ex-post strategies, including the key factors for improvement. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, we found a connection between the PKH intervention and coping strategies. The effect of PKH intervention on coping strategies was based on a two-time scheme: before the flood (ex-ante) and after the flood (ex-post). The two models revealed that PKH encourages ex-ante and ex-post coping strategies for floods through livelihood capital. PKH has the potential to play an additional role in disaster risk reduction for low-income households and finding social/financial capital, thereby encouraging ex-ante and ex-post strategies. Another finding was that incorporating PKH into disaster risk reduction and linking it to human and physical capital will improve its efficiency. This research provides the initial and basic arguments on integrating the poverty reduction and disaster risk reduction approaches, and strategizing an inclusive and efficient way of developing the livelihood resilience of poor people.