Glossary

Ex ante

Latin for ‘from before’. In the context of disaster events, ex ante instruments are arranged before the event, and ex ante decisions are made at that time as well (Clarke and Dercon 2016).

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other key terms

Vulnerability

Conditions that increase how severely people or communities are affected by hazards.

Crisis protection gap

The difference between expected crisis costs and funding already arranged to cover them.

Contingent liabilities

Possible financial obligations that only become real if specific future events occur.

Anticipatory Action

Actions taken before a crisis hits to prevent or reduce potential disaster impacts prior to a shock or before acute impacts are felt.

Other official flows (OOF)

Public funding supporting development that does not meet official aid definitions.

Adaptive social protection

Social protection systems that adjust to shocks, helping vulnerable people prepare, cope and recover over time.