Sujet : La centralité du loyer dans les arbitrages budgétaires des ménages à revenus instables à Abidjan: Une approche des dynamiques de précarité et de survie économique

This study highlights the effects of economic insecurity and housing conditions on households with unstable incomes in Abidjan, particularly those in the informal sector. Using a mixed methodology combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, with a sample of 100 informal workers and 50 institutional actors, the analysis focuses on the relationship between housing costs, food, educational, and healthcare insecurity, and the survival strategies adopted by these households. The results reveal that rent consumes an disproportionate share of income, between 40 and 60%, far above the 30% threshold recommended by UN-Habitat, forcing households to make harsh trade-offs that affect their access to essential goods and services such as food, education, and healthcare.Adaptation strategies primarily include diversifying sources of income, with 85% of households engaged in informal activities. Informal debt and community support networks (interpersonal solidarity) have become crucial mechanisms for managing precarity. Furthermore, residential mobility that leads some households to move to cheaper but poorly serviced peripheral neighborhoods exposes the processes of marginalization and spatial relegation of vulnerable populations. This dynamic of relegation exacerbates social exclusion and reinforces socio-economic inequalities by limiting access to critical resources such as education, health, and transportation.The study advocates for a reform of public policies to effectively integrate informal workers into formal social protection systems. Keywords: Economic insecurity, Housing, Informal work, Adaptation, Social inequalities, Public policies.