Costing a Data Revolution - Working Paper 383

Gabriel Demombynes
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Justin Sandefur

No 383, Working Papers from Center for Global Development

Abstract: AThe lack of reliable development statistics for many poor countries has led the U.N. to call for a “data revolution” (United Nations, 2013). One fairly narrow but widespread interpretation of this revolution is for international aid donors to fund a coordinated wave of household surveys across the developing world, tracking progress on a new round of post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. We use data from the International Household Survey Network (IHSN) to show (i) the supply of household surveys has accelerated dramatically over the past 30 years and that (ii) demand for survey data appears to be higher in democracies and more aid-dependent countries. We also show that given existing international survey programs, the cost to international aid donors of filling remaining survey gaps is manageable--on the order of $300 million per year. We argue that any aid-financed expansion of household surveys should be complemented with (a) increased access to data through open data protocols, and (b) simultaneous support for the broader statistical system, including routine administrative data systems.

Keywords: household surveys; national statistics; open data; aid; Sustainable Development goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C82 F35 O10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 12 pages
Date: 2014-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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