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Measuring Employment: Experimental Evidence from Urban Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Rachel Heath
  • Ghazala Mansuri
  • Bob Rijkers
  • William Seitz
  • Dhiraj Sharma

Abstract

Using a randomized survey experiment in urban Ghana, this paper demonstrates that the length of the reference period and the interview modality (in-person or over the phone) affect how people respond in labor surveys, with impacts varying markedly by job type. Survey participants report significantly more self-employment spells when the reference period is shorter than the traditional one week, with the impacts concentrated among those in home-based and mobile self-employment. In contrast, the reference period has no impact on the incidence of wage-employment. The wage-employed do report working fewer days and hours when confronted with a shorter reference period. Finally, interviews conducted on the phone yield lower estimates of employment, hours worked, and days worked among the self-employed who are working from home or a mobile location as compared to in-person interviews.

Suggested Citation

  • Rachel Heath & Ghazala Mansuri & Bob Rijkers & William Seitz & Dhiraj Sharma, 2021. "Measuring Employment: Experimental Evidence from Urban Ghana," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(3), pages 635-651.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:wbecrv:v:35:y:2021:i:3:p:635-651.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/wber/lhaa014
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