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Improving the Quality of Data and Impact-Evaluation Studies in Developing Countries

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  • Guy Stecklov
  • Alex Weinreb
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    Abstract

    While the science of program evaluation has come a tremendous distance in the past couple of decades, measurement error remains a serious concern and its implications are often poorly understood by both data collectors and data analysts. The primary aim here is to offer a type of "back-to-basics" approach to minimizing error in developing country settings, particularly in relation to impactevaluation studies. Overall, the report calls for a two-stage approach to dealing with mismeasurement. In the first stage, researchers should attempt to minimize mismeasurement during data collection, but also incorporate elements into the study that allow them to estimate its overall dimensions and effects on analysis with more confidence. Econometric fixes for mismeasurement¿whose purview is limited to a smaller subset of errors¿then serve as a secondary line of defense. Such a complementary strategy can help to ensure that decisions are made based on the most accurate empirical evaluations.

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    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by Inter-American Development Bank in its series IDB Publications with number 8468.

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    Date of creation: May 2010
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    Handle: RePEc:idb:brikps:8468

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    Related research

    Keywords: Environment & Natural Resources; Social Development :: Poverty; Social Development; development effectiveness; impact evaluation; randomization; survey design; measurement error; evaluation design; evaluation process; approaches to error; bias and variance; survey nonresponse problems; mismeasurement effects; survey administration;

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    1. Grosh, Margaret E & Glewwe, Paul, 1996. "Household Survey Data from Developing Countries: Progress and Prospects," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(2), pages 15-19, May.
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    Cited by:
    1. Paul Winters & Lina Salazar & Alessandro Maffioli, 2010. "Designing Impact Evaluations for Agricultural Projects," SPD Working Papers 1007, Inter-American Development Bank, Office of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness (SPD).

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