Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/230505 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
LICOS Discussion Paper No. 418
Publisher: 
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, Leuven
Abstract: 
This review covers a nascent literature that experiments with survey design to measure whether the way in which we collect socio-economic data in developing countries influences the data and affects the results of subsequent analyses. We start by showing that survey methods matter and the size of the effects can be nothing short of staggering, affecting basic stylized facts of development (such as country rankings by poverty levels) and conclusions drawn from econometric analyses (such as what the returns to education are or whether small farm plots are more productive than large ones). We describe some of the emerging best-practices for conducting survey experiments, including benchmarking against the truth, delving into the error-generating mechanisms, and documenting the costs of different survey approaches.
Subjects: 
Experiments
Measurement error
Socio-economic surveys
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.