Impact of Equivalence Scales on the Spatial Distribution of Poverty in Cameroon : A Dynamic Approach (Impact Des Échelles D'Équivalence Sur La Répartition Spatiale De La Pauvreté Au Cameroun : Une Approche Dynamique)

The purpose of the study is to investigate the integration of the relative cost of children to parents and of economies of scales in the context of the evaluation of household welfare. Results derived with empirically-estimated scales show that households headed by women are poorer than those headed by men. Poverty is also found to be more prevalent in rural areas, in households whose heads are illiterate, and in households whose heads works in the informal sector. As for poverty dynamics, the results show that poverty increased in Cameroon between 1996 and 2001. Despite the fact that some results are the same with those derived from the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) scales used by Cameroon's National Institute of Statistics, many stand in stark contrast to these. The results of the present study are used to recommend specific policies in favour of poverty alleviation