Frequent but untimely
data in LAC
Joao Pedro Azevedo
LCSPP
4/20/2011
Are we in trouble?
1
The Context
• Heterogeneous region
– High capacity middle income countries
– Low capacity IDA countries
• Multiple stakeholders
– Demand and Supply
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Are we in trouble?
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Yes, there is frequent data in the region…
Summary statistics of Household survey years from the LAC region:
Country
Mean
Avg. Min Avg. Max
N
Latin America
Subtotal
2000.1
1989.8
2008.1
238
1999.7
1999.7
1996.7
1991.5
2001.8
2006.5
25
263
The Caribbean
Subtotal
Total
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Are we in trouble?
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… and it is getting better.
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And this is happening not just in terms
of the standard household survey…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Population census
Agriculture census
Labor Force Surveys
Living Standard Surveys
Income and Expenditure Surveys
Administrative records
Market research data
Tailored made surveys for specific programs
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But this is still not good enough, when the crisis hit, several countries did not
know what was happening to their population…
Country
Mean
Min
Max
N
Bolivia
Mexico
Nicaragua
El Salvador
Bahamas
Belice
Dominican R.
Haiti
Jamaica
Suriname
2000.4
1999.5
1999.3
2001.1
2001.0
1996.2
2003.2
2001.0
1997.6
1999.0
1992
1989
1993
1991
2001
1993
1996
2001
1990
1999
2007
2008
2005
2008
2001
1999
2009
2001
2002
1999
8
11
4
14
1
5
12
1
5
1
Just to name the ones in which there are data delays… several Caribbean
islands still do not have regular surveys
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MEXICO - Labor Income Poverty Index (LIPI)
(U$ 2.5 a day)
Q1 2005 – Q4 2010
1.30
LIPI (Q1 2007 = 1)
1.20
1.10
1.00
0.90
0.80
0.70
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
0.60
2005
2006
2007
Rural
20 April 2011
Urban
Are we in trouble?
2008
2009
2010
Total
7
Some challenges…
• Coordination (internal and external)
• Documentation and Access
• Harmonization and Comparability
– Ex-ante
– Ex-post
• Not enough rigorous designs to improve
survey instruments in the region
• Little data to understand mobility in the
region
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Are we in trouble?
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How the next two weeks can help…
• Improvements in data collection (i.e.
continuous household surveys)
• Exploring alternative always to use existing
data (i.e. LIPI and imputation methods)
• New ways of collecting data (i.e. mobile
phone)
• Better ways to manage data
• Coordination initiatives (i.e. poverty
committees)
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LAC Team for
Statistical Development
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LAC Data Portal
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Microdata Harmonization
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… But make no mistake.
IT TAKES TIME AND RESOURCES
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