Mind the Gap: Analyzing the Impact of Data Gap in Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs) Indicators on the Progress toward MDGs

Arun Jacob

World Development, 2017, vol. 93, issue C, 260-278

Abstract: This paper analyzes the impact of data gap in Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs) performance indicators on actual performance success of MDGs. Performance success, within the MDG framework, is quantified using six different ways proposed in the existing literature, including both absolute and relative performance and deviation from historical transition paths of MDG indicators. The empirical analysis clearly shows that the data gap in performance measurement is a significant predictor of poor MDG performance in terms of any of the six progress measures. Larger the data gap or weaker the performance measurement system, lesser is the probability of MDG performance success. The empirical methodology used in the paper combines a Heckman correction and instrumental variable estimation strategies to simultaneously account for potential endogeneity of the key data gap variable and bias due to sample selection. This result holds true even after controlling for overall national statistical capacity and a variety of socioeconomic factors. The paper underlines the need to strengthen the performance measurement system attached to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper is the first attempt at empirically evaluating the value of data in the context of international development goals and gives empirical evidence for the need to harness the “data revolution” for sustainable development.

Keywords: MDG; SDGs; value of data; performance measurement; monitoring and evaluation; goal setting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15310433
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
Working Paper: Mind the Gap: Analyzing the impact of data gap in Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs) indicators on the progress towards MDGs (2016)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:93:y:2017:i:c:p:260-278

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.12.016

Access Statistics for this article

World Development is currently edited by O. T. Coomes

More articles in World Development from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().