Informal land transactions and demolition of houses in Cameroon

Abstract

The objective of the study is to assess the impact of informal land transactions on the risk of house demolitions. A combination of theoretical and empirical tools as well as data obtained from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS, Enquêtes Démographiques et de Santé. Cameroun, 2011), have made it possible to arrive at two significant conclusions: (i) the completion of an informal land transaction increases by 9.4% the risk of the demolition of housing and (ii) the risks of house demolitions are higher in urban areas within poor households with a low level of education, with the tendency towards informal land transactions on average increase by 49%. These results suggest the implementation of inclusive public policies in terms of land supply and housing. They also suggest placing the problem of informal land transactions in a more global perspective including income, enlightenment on land matters and employment policies to reduce the vulnerability of the disadvantaged strata.