Call Me Maybe: Experimental Evidence on Using Mobile Phones to Survey Microenterprises

Robert Garlick, Kate Orkin () and Simon Quinn

No 2016-14, CSAE Working Paper Series from Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford

Abstract: High-frequency data is useful to measure volatility, reduce recall bias, and measure dynamic treatment effects. We conduct the first experimental evaluation of high-frequency phone surveys in a developing country or with microenterprises. We randomly assign microenterprise owners to monthly in-person, weekly inperson, or weekly phone interviews. We find high-frequency phone surveys are useful and accurate. Phone and in-person surveys yield similar measurements, with few large or significant differences in reported outcome means or distributions. Neither interview frequency nor medium affects reported outcomes in a common in-person endline. Phone surveys reduce costs without increasing permanent attrition from the panel.

Date: 2016
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-exp and nep-pay
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