A Client-Oriented Model for Evaluating Urban Housing Services in Developing Countries

This study develops a model for gauging the extent to which housing goods/services in developing countries conform to consumer preferences. The model comprises two principal components: a ‘satisfaction scale’ and an ‘algebraic element’. Actual data on housing services from selected urban centres in Cameroon are employed to illustrate how the model, facilitated by simple spreadsheet programmes, can be used by researchers and practitioners in the field. The model is premised on the fact that efforts to improve the quality of public goods/services have a better chance of succeeding if they incorporate consumer views and preferences.