Economic Growth under Threat: The Effects of Natural Disasters and Terrorism in Six ASEAN Countries

Authors

  • Dwi Mahroji Universitas Mitra Bangsa
  • Rita Yuni Mulyanti Universitas Teknologi Muhammadiyah Jakarta
  • Setia Dharma Universitas Teknologi Muhammadiyah Jakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v5i8.287

Keywords:

Economic Growth, Natural Disasters, Terrorism, Panel Data Analysis, ASEAN

Abstract

This study examines the effects of natural disasters and terrorism on economic growth in six ASEAN countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Cambodia—during 2010–2024. Using balanced panel data and the Fixed Effect Model, the study analyzes whether environmental and security shocks influence subsequent economic performance. Natural disasters and terrorism are measured with a one-period lag to capture their delayed economic effects. The results indicate negative relationships between both natural disasters and terrorism and economic growth. The estimated coefficients are −0.0138664 for natural disasters and −0.0787206 for terrorism, suggesting that both shocks constrain economic performance, with terrorism showing a relatively stronger negative association. The findings highlight the importance of disaster resilience and regional security policies for sustaining economic growth in ASEAN.

References

Abadie, A., & Gardeazabal, J. (2003). The economic costs of conflict: A case study of the Basque Country. American Economic Review, 93(1), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1257/000282803321455188

Abdulah, R., Sugiharti, R. R., Rahmayani, D., & Asmarani, T. E. (2025). The effect of natural disasters at the rural level on economic growth: Evidence from Indonesia. Jurnal Ekonomi Pembangunan: Kajian Masalah Ekonomi dan Pembangunan, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.23917/jep.v26i1.10819

Cavallo, E., & Noy, I. (2011). Natural disasters and the economy—A survey. International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, 5(1), 63–102. https://doi.org/10.1561/101.00000039

Cavallo, E. A., Galiani, S., Noy, I., & Pantano, J. (2013). Catastrophic natural disasters and economic growth. Review of Economics and Statistics, 95(5), 1549–1561. https://doi.org/10.1162/REST_a_00413

Chenini, T., Hamida, A., & Lassoued, T. (2024). Direct effect of terrorism on economic growth. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(3), 1867–1878. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i3.3518

Felbermayr, G., & Gröschl, J. (2014). Naturally negative: The growth effects of natural disasters. Journal of Development Economics, 111, 92–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.07.004

Institute for Economics & Peace. (2024). Global terrorism index 2024: Measuring the impact of terrorism. Institute for Economics & Peace.

Klomp, J., & Valckx, K. (2014). Natural disasters and economic growth: A meta-analysis. Global Environmental Change, 26, 183–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.02.006

Loayza, N. V., Olaberría, E., Rigolini, J., & Christiaensen, L. (2012). Natural disasters and growth: Going beyond the averages. World Development, 40(7), 1317–1336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2012.03.002

Noy, I. (2009). The macroeconomic consequences of disasters. Journal of Development Economics, 88(2), 221–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2008.02.005

Noy, I., & Vu, T. B. (2010). The economics of natural disasters in a developing country: The case of Vietnam. Journal of Asian Economics, 21(4), 345–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2010.03.002

Okuyama, Y. (2016). Long-run effect of a disaster: Case study of the Kobe earthquake. The Singapore Economic Review, 61(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217590816400099

Panwar, V., & Sen, S. (2019). Economic impact of natural disasters: An empirical re-examination. Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, 13(1), 109–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973801018800087

Park, Y., & Woo, B.-D. (2024). Terrorism and economic growth: A comprehensive analysis of the adverse macroeconomic effect of terrorism, 1970–2020. Journal of International and Area Studies, 31(1), 121–143. https://doi.org/10.23071/jias.2024.31.1.121

Parida, Y., Saini, S., & Chowdhury, J. (2021). Economic growth in the aftermath of floods in Indian states. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23, 535–561. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00595-3

Pessela, M., & Saksono, E. H. (2022). Terrorism on ASEAN's economic growth, does it matter? Jurnal Inovasi Ekonomi, 7(1), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.22219/jiko.v7i01.19034

Qureshi, M. I., Yusoff, R. M., Hishan, S. S., Alam, A. F., Zaman, K., & Rasli, A. (2019). Natural disasters and Malaysian economic growth: Policy reforms for disaster management. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26, 15496–15509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04771-1

Romer, P. M. (1986). Increasing returns and long-run growth. Journal of Political Economy, 94(5), 1002–1037. https://doi.org/10.1086/261420

Romer, P. M. (1990). Endogenous technological change. Journal of Political Economy, 98(5), S71–S102. https://doi.org/10.1086/261725

Rotimi, M. E., Naphtali, J. W., & Irefin, D. (2024). Terrorism and economic growth in Nigeria. ABUAD Journal of Social and Management Sciences, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.53982/ajsms.2024.0502.08-j

Solow, R. M. (1956). A contribution to the theory of economic growth. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 70(1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.2307/1884513

UNDRR. (2023). Global assessment report on disaster risk reduction 2023: Our world at risk: Transforming governance for a resilient future. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Published

2026-08-29

Issue

Section

Articles