Impact de la crise économique en République Centrafricaine: Analyse quantitative et qualitative[Impact of the Economic Crisis in the Central African Republic:Quantitative and Qualitative analyses]

This article analyses the impact of the economic crisis (including the increase in food prices) on the well-being of household in the Central African Republic, relying on both a quantitative analysis of the latest household survey available and a qualitative analysis through focus groups. Three main conclusions emerge from the quantitative analysis. First, the impact of the increase in international food prices may have been more limited for most households due to the fact that a large share of the population does not consume imported foods or immediate substitutes. Second, a majority of households are affected by a wide variety of shocks. Third, the mechanisms of solidarity on which household can rely to cope with such shocks are limited. The qualitative analysis suggests a slightly different picture since participants in focus groups suggest that the crisis had a strong negative impact on them. This is especially the case for public sector workers, those in export industries and craftsmen and retailers. Poor climatic conditions also played a role in the deterioration of living standards. The focus groups confirm the lack of sufficient mechanisms of solidarity to help households cope with shocks. Thus, if the impact of the crisis on the population may have been smaller than in other countries owing to the relative isolation of the CAR from world markets, for those households that were affected by the crisis, the negative impact was still significant.