COPING DECISION, STRATEGIES AND RURAL HOUSEHOLDS WELFARE IN COTE D'IVOIRE

Abstract

Shocks are ubiquitous in the daily life of rural people in Cote d'Ivoire, like many other developing countries. These shocked households have to choose between coping or not. With data from the Household Standard of Living Survey in Cote d'Ivoire (ENV2015), we use a probit model to analyze the factors influencing the decision of rural households to cope or not and then we identify the dominant strategies of these households facing shocks. A logit model allows us to understand the impact of the strategic choices made by these households on their well-being. We find that only health shocks have a positive influence on household’s coping decision. Also, for these various shocks (health shocks, natural shocks, economic shocks and shocks related to conflicts / crimes), the dominant strategies are the reduction of consumption, then the receipt of donations and borrowing. However, it is the reduction of food consumption, borrowing and the sale of assets that have a positive impact on these households welfare approximated by their poverty status.