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Collecting high frequency panel data in Africa using mobile phone interviews

Author

Listed:
  • Croke, Kevin
  • Dabalen, Andrew
  • Demombynes, Gabriel
  • Giugale, Marcelo
  • Hoogeveen, Johannes

Abstract

As mobile phone ownership rates have risen in Africa, there is increased interest in using mobile telephony as a data collection platform. This paper draws on two pilot projects that use mobile phone interviews for data collection in Tanzania and South Sudan. The experience was largely a success. High frequency panel data have been collected on a wide range of topics in a manner that is cost effective, flexible (questions can be changed over time) and rapid. And once households respond to the mobile phone interviews, they tend not to drop out: even after 33 rounds of interviews in the Tanzania survey, respondent fatigue proved not to be an issue. Attrition and non-response have been an issue in the Tanzania survey, but in ways that are related to the way this survey was originally set up and that are fixable. Data and reports from the Tanzania survey are available online and can be downloaded from: www.listeningtodar.org.

Suggested Citation

  • Croke, Kevin & Dabalen, Andrew & Demombynes, Gabriel & Giugale, Marcelo & Hoogeveen, Johannes, 2012. "Collecting high frequency panel data in Africa using mobile phone interviews," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6097, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:6097
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Anubhab Gupta & Heng Zhu & Miki Khanh Doan & Aleksandr Michuda & Binoy Majumder, 2021. "Economic Impacts of the COVID−19 Lockdown in a Remittance‐Dependent Region," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 466-485, March.
    4. Elisa M. Maffioli, 2020. "Collecting Data During an Epidemic: A Novel Mobile Phone Research Method," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(8), pages 1231-1255, November.
    5. Demombynes, Gabriel & Gubbins, Paul & Romeo, Alessandro, 2013. "Challenges and opportunities of mobile phone-based data collection : evidence from South Sudan," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6321, The World Bank.
    6. Atamanov, Aziz & Tandon, Sharad & Lopez-Acevedo, Gladys & Vergara Bahena, Mexico Alberto, 2020. "Measuring Monetary Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: Data Gaps and Different Options to Address Them," IZA Discussion Papers 13363, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Gabrielle Wills & Servaas van der Berg & Leila Patel & Bokang Mpeta, 2020. "Household resource flows and food poverty during South Africa’s lockdown: Short-term policy implications for three channels of social protection," Working Papers 22/2020, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    8. Martin C. Parlasca, 2021. "A vital technology: Review of the literature on mobile phone use among pastoralists," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 780-799, May.
    9. Croke,Kevin & Dabalen, Andrew & Demombynes, Gabriel & Giugale, Marcelo & Hoogeveen, Johannes, 2013. "Collecting High-Frequency Data Using Mobile Phones: Do Timely Data Lead to Accountability?," World Bank - Economic Premise, The World Bank, issue 102, pages 1-5, January.
    10. Ambel, Alemayehu & McGee, Kevin & Tsegay, Asmelash, 2021. "Reducing Bias in Phone Survey Samples: Effectiveness of Reweighting Techniques Using Face-to-Face Surveys As Frames," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315301, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Johanna Choumert-Nkolo & Pascale Phelinas, 2018. "New paradigms for household surveys in low and middle income countries [Nouveaux paradigmes d'élaboration des enquêtes ménages dans les pays du Sud]," Working Papers halshs-01888609, HAL.
    12. Heath,Rachel & Mansuri,Ghazala & Rijkers,Bob & Seitz,William Hutchins & Sharma,Dhiraj, 2020. "Measuring Employment : Experimental Evidence from Urban Ghana," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9263, The World Bank.
    13. Kevin Croke & Andrew Dabalen & Gabriel Demombynes & Marcelo Giugale & Johannes Hoogeveen, 2013. "Collecting High-Frequency Data Using Mobile Phones : Do Timely Data Lead to Accountability?," World Bank Publications - Reports 17046, The World Bank Group.
    14. Etang Ndip,Alvin & Hoogeveen,Johannes G. & Lendorfer,Julia, 2015. "Socioeconomic impact of the crisis in north Mali on displaced people," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7253, The World Bank.
    15. Andrew Dabalen & Alvin Etang & Johannes Hoogeveen & Elvis Mushi & Youdi Schipper & Johannes von Engelhardt, 2016. "Mobile Phone Panel Surveys in Developing Countries," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 24595.
    16. Sangeetha Madhavan & Donatien Beguy & Shelley Clark, 2018. "Measuring extended families over time in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya: Retention and data consistency in a two-round survey," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(44), pages 1339-1358.

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    Keywords

    E-Business; Social Analysis; Social Accountability; E-Government; Participations and Civic Engagement;
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