2005年-世界发展银行全球_MECOVI___Improving_the_Survey_and_Measurement_of_Living_Conditions_in_Latin_America_and_the_Caribbean_4页_341kb

MECOVI: Improving the Survey and Measurement of Living Conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean

Core Content

The MECOVI (Program for the Improvement of Household Surveys and the Measurement of Living Conditions) program was launched in 1996 by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-ECLAC). It aimed to enhance the statistical knowledge base on poverty and living conditions at the household level across the region.

Main Objectives

MECOVI's primary objectives were to:

• Improve the quality, relevance, and timeliness of household survey data.
• Broaden access to information and promote poverty research and analysis.
• Strengthen national statistical capacities and foster collaboration among institutions.

Key Strategies

To achieve these objectives, MECOVI implemented the following strategies:

• Establish a multi-year program to ensure continuity and sustainability.
• Strengthen institutional capacities of National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
• Target problem areas with specific interventions.
• Align donor support with the capacities and comparative advantages of countries.
• Ensure coordination among sponsors and close collaboration with users and producers.

Program Activities and Results

MECOVI supported NSOs in several ways:

• Provided capacity-building resources for technical assistance, IT upgrades, and training.
• Organized 14 workshops and 12 training courses at the regional level.
• Created a regional database with 320 micro-data sets from household surveys.
• Supported the regularization and institutionalization of household surveys in participating countries.
• Introduced new survey modules such as ethnic group, household hazards, and governance.
• Implemented automated data processing and open data dissemination policies.

As of 2004, 11 countries in Latin America had benefited from the MECOVI program, including Argentina, El Salvador, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. Two projects were also underway to improve household surveys in the Caribbean.

Lessons Learned

MECOVI provided valuable lessons for future statistical programs:

1. Close consultation between sponsors and beneficiaries fosters country ownership.
2. Building on existing capacities is more effective than starting from scratch.
3. Improving survey design and execution is as important as improving survey instruments.
4. Collaboration between statisticians and users enhances the long-term feasibility of projects.
5. Democratization of information is essential for trust and confidence in official statistics.
6. High-quality statistics improve credibility and usability.
7. Workshops and training are vital for strengthening technical skills and creating networks.
8. Horizontal cooperation among countries is practical and cost-effective.
9. Close coordination among sponsors helps prioritize tasks.

Challenges for Regional Household Surveys

Despite its successes, MECOVI identified several ongoing challenges:

• Meeting new data demands at the household level.
• Achieving broad geographical coverage at lower administrative levels.
• Adopting flexible strategies tailored to each country's capacity.
• Securing resources for recurrent costs.
• Ensuring coherence between household surveys and other statistical activities.
• Improving the capacity to measure trends through continuous surveys and panel data.
• Strengthening the link between surveys and monitoring/evaluation processes.
• Promoting methodological research.
• Enhancing training for producers and users.
• Improving database organization and documentation.
• Enhancing access and dissemination of survey data.
• Fostering relationships between producers and users.
• Encouraging qualitative studies to complement quantitative surveys.

MECOVI and Regional Statistical Capacity

MECOVI focused on NSO capacities, but recognized the need to integrate these efforts within National Statistical Systems (NSS) to maximize developmental impact. Future actions will involve:

• Supporting the development of National Strategies for Statistical Development (NSDS).
• Aligning with PARIS 21 and the Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics.
• Assisting in the revision of legal frameworks, methodologies, and technological development.
• Promoting systematization of databases and improved dissemination.

About the Authors

• Haeduck Lee is a Senior Economist in the Poverty Sector, Latin America and Caribbean Region, World Bank.
• Gilberto Moncada is a Consultant in the same group.

Summary Table of Participating Countries

Notes

• MECOVI stands for “Programa para el Mejorimiento de las Encuestas de Hogares y la Medicion de Condiciones de Vida”.
• The program is supported by various bilateral donors and foundations.
• The Consortium Partnership in Statistics for the 21st Century (PARIS 21) is a key international initiative related to statistical development.