Increasing the Effectiveness of Household Surveys Eric Swanson, Program Manager for Global Monitoring Development Data Group World Bank

Better Household Surveys International Household Survey Network A partnership of international agencies and other organizations Secretariat at World Bank; implemented through PARIS21 Fulfills a commitment of the Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics (MAPS)

International Household Survey Network Better coordination of international survey programs and sharing of best practices Harmonized technical and methodological guidelines Tools for documentation, dissemination, and preservation of metadata Online inventory of surveys and censuses More information at

IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit The Metadata Editor documents data in accordance with international metadata standards (DDI and Dublin Core). The Explorer is a free reader for files generated by the Metadata Editor. View metadata and export data into common formats (Stata, SPSS, etc). The CD-ROM Builder generates user- friendly outputs (CD-ROM, website) for dissemination and archiving.

IHSN Central Survey Catalog The Central Survey Catalog provides non-confidential and non-copyrighted metadata. When available, information on each survey's data access policy and contact information of the official depositor are provided. Links to national and international survey databanks giving access to survey or census microdata are also provided.

IHSN Survey Program Coordination Calendar of ongoing and planned surveys and censuses available online currently has 96 entries Cross-listing of important MDG indicators updated from surveys or censuses Maintenance undertaken by UN Statistics Division

Building Country Capacity Accelerated Data Program A new initiative supported by the MAPS Advisory Board Uses IHSN tools and guidelines to improve access to and dissemination of micro datasets Funded through the World Bank’s Development Grant Facility and implemented as a PARIS21 Satellite Program

Improving results from household surveys Household surveys: crucially important for measuring indicators and understanding policy impact, but… –Data are not always accessible, easy to use, and of good quality –Indicators are not always relevant for policy needs –Timing is not always optimal: too many surveys, or not enough –Indicators are not always comparable, over time and between countries

CWIQ 2003 DHS 2003 CENSUS 2000 GLSS 1998 Measuring access to improved water sources in Ghana Inconsistent surveys Inconsistent indicators

Household survey coverage can be improved Health survey in 5 year period ( ) 97 % of population Poverty survey in 5 year period ( ) 62 % of population Not enough household surveys Except for health (DHS/MICS) Available Not conducted /unavailable Non-IDA country

ADP Implementation The Accelerated Data Program is designed to produce rapid improvements in the management of micro data Task 1: Document and disseminate existing micro datasets Task 2: Assess survey quality and analyze data Task 3: Improve survey design and data collection methods

ADP Expected results More accessible and useful social statistics Survey programs of countries better aligned to needs (eg policy impact, global monitoring) Improved household survey capacity and more efficient and better methods More information at

ADP pilot phase focus on Task 1 Good progress: Ethiopia, Mozambique, Niger, Mali, Uganda Slower progress: Ghana, Madagascar, DRC Request to join: Cameroon, The Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria Pilot (DGF) Direct training for clients: Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe Partnerships: AFRISTAT (regional training) UNICEF (MICS survey documentation) Other

Accessible, documented datasets Quick results: Nigeria

ADP beyond the pilot A plan for Task 1 in all countries has been developed: Task 1 is “doable” and leads to clear improvements There is demand for Task 2 and 3 as well, particularly from country users Going beyond the pilot needs additional resources: DGF money is not enough