Housing and wellbeing : evidence from the informal settlements of Buenos Aires

Abstract

Abstract: This paper uses data from a household survey carried out by TECHO and UCA to describe the socioeconomic characteristics, housing conditions and wellbeing of the poorest households living in the informal settlements of GBA. The comparison of the characteristics of the surveyed households with other sources of data highlights the extreme level of deprivation and the heterogeneity in living conditions across settlements. We then analyze the relationship between the size and quality of housing and six dimensions of individual and household wellbeing (privacy, sleep quality, physical and psychological health, security and interpersonal relationships) and then use the Alkire-Foster (2008) method to construct a multidimensional poverty measure.