Do floods increase material poverty? Evidence from Cameroon using an endogenous switching regression approach

Purpose Floods can affect material poverty through physical quality, amenities and the dynamic and intertemporal effects of housing. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the direct effects of flooding on household material poverty in Cameroon. Design/methodology/approach Data comes from the fourth Cameroonian household survey (FCHS), constructs the material poverty index with factor analysis (FA) and measures the effects of flooding on material poverty using the switching regression method with endogenous selection. Findings The main result shows that exposure to floods is associated with a slight average reduction in the material poverty index. However, material poverty is strongly influenced by the place of residence, household size and education level. Globally, the flood regime is more heavily influenced by contextual and institutional elements, whereas the non-flood regime is more sensitive to individual traits. Practical implications The findings imply that the experienced turn out to be consequences of systemic economic poverty which must be addressed. Second, the emphasis must be on flood-related adaptation and mitigation measures. Originality/value Although Cameroon is considered as a country highly vulnerable to climate change, only a few studies have examined the effects of climate change on the economy and the literature examining the effects of climate change on poverty often use monetary indicators of poverty. This paper uses material poverty index with the aim of addressing these limitations and implementing a direct approach to poverty measurement.