世界发展银行-LSMS+-Program---Overview-and-Recommendations-for-Improving-Individual-Disaggregated-Data-on-Asset-Ownership-and-Labor-Outcomes_86页_2mb

LSMS+ Program Summary

Overview

The Living Standards Measurement Study-Plus (LSMS+) program, launched in 2016 by the World Bank, aims to improve the availability and quality of individual-disaggregated survey data in low- and middle-income countries. This data is essential for understanding the economic opportunities and welfare of men and women, particularly in relation to asset ownership, labor outcomes, and entrepreneurship. The program supports national statistical offices (NSOs) in implementing international best practices in survey design and data collection to ensure more accurate and nuanced insights into intra-household dynamics.

Core Objectives

• To enhance the accuracy of individual-level data on economic opportunities and welfare.
• To address methodological shortcomings in traditional household surveys that often overlook gender-specific roles and asset ownership.
• To support the collection of self-reported data from individuals, rather than relying on proxy respondents.
• To align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those related to gender equality, poverty reduction, employment, and economic inclusion.

Key Challenges in Traditional Surveys

• Proxy reporting is commonly used, leading to potential biases and inaccuracies in capturing individual-level data.
• Standard questionnaire design fails to distinguish between exclusive and joint ownership of assets.
• Interviews are often conducted in the presence of other household members, which may affect the truthfulness of self-reported data, especially for women whose roles may be influenced by social norms.
• Underrepresentation of unpaid and informal labor in labor outcome data.
• Limited focus on non-farm enterprises and entrepreneurship, which are crucial for understanding economic diversification and growth.

LSMS+ Recommendations

1. Respondent Selection and Questionnaire Content

• Individual interviews should be conducted with household members aged 18 and older, ideally in private settings.
• Gender match between interviewers and respondents is encouraged to improve comfort and data accuracy.
• Self-reporting is preferred over proxy reporting to ensure individual-level insights.

2. Questionnaire Modules

a. Asset Ownership and Rights

• Modules should include questions on:
  • Land (dwelling and agricultural)
  • Financial accounts
  • Mobile phones
  • Additional asset classes may vary by country (e.g., livestock, consumer durables, apartments/condos)

b. Education, Health, Labor, and Non-Farm Enterprises

• Individual-level modules on:

  • Education
  • Health
  • Labor (including unpaid work, wage and self-employment)
  • Non-farm enterprises (focus on enterprise managers)

• Labor modules are updated to align with the Women's Work and Employment Partnership (WWEP) guidelines, ensuring comprehensive capture of women's work and employment.

Interview Flow and Implementation

• Interview flow is designed to capture multiple individual interviews per household, reflecting intra-household labor and economic dynamics.
• Fieldwork implementation protocols emphasize:
  • Conducting interviews in private to reduce social pressure.
  • Scheduling interviews simultaneously across different household members if feasible.
  • Using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) for efficient data entry and quality control.
  • Implementing data quality control (DQC) measures to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Supporting Methodological Research

• LSMS+ supports methodological research to improve the foundations of individual-disaggregated data collection.
• It draws on international guidelines and experiments such as:
  • Methodological Experiment on Measuring Asset Ownership from a Gender Perspective (MEXA) in Uganda.
  • EDGE Project (Evidence on Data and Gender Equality) for developing gender-sensitive data collection methods.
  • ICLS recommendations, particularly the 19th and 20th editions, which emphasize capturing unpaid work, entrepreneurship, and non-standard employment arrangements.

LSMS+ Supported Countries

Conclusion

The LSMS+ program plays a critical role in enhancing the quality and representativeness of individual-level data in household surveys. By promoting self-reporting, gender-sensitive questionnaires, and private interviews, it supports more accurate analysis of economic opportunities and welfare for both men and women. This is essential for targeted policy development, especially in areas such as gender equality, employment, and entrepreneurship, and for monitoring progress toward SDG targets. The program also emphasizes cross-country comparability through standardized modules and international collaboration.