Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics
Advisory Board meeting, Paris, November 15, 2007
International Household
Survey Network (IHSN)
and
Accelerated Data Program (ADP)
Household Surveys in MAPS
2 recommendations:
• Establish the International Household
Survey Network (IHSN) to improve the
effectiveness of survey programs
• Make urgent improvements in the availability
of data to report on results  Pilot
Accelerated Data Program (ADP)
IHSN and ADP
IHSN
•
•
•
•
•
Established in September 2004
Light secretariat (DFID / PARIS21 / WB)
Management Group (7 agencies)
Members: key international survey sponsors
Core program implemented as a PARIS21
satellite program since March 2006
• DGF funding: $900K in FY06; $750K in FY07
and FY08
IHSN and ADP
IHSN Objective 1
Better use of existing data
Survey sponsors, both national authorities and donors,
have an interest in maximizing the value of the
information produced. (MAPS)
• Lots of data collected, not all exploited
• Various causes: funding, capacity, issues
of quality (reliability, comparability), but
mainly accessibility and preservation.
IHSN and ADP
IHSN Objective 2
Collecting better data
Surveys are complex undertakings. To be useful they must be
properly designed and administered [...] (MAPS)
Need more focus on quality (relevance,
comparability, reliability, periodicity, timeliness)
– Questionnaires not always aligned to priorities
– Inconsistencies across sources, over time and
across countries (sometimes for good reasons;
often as result of ad-hoc support)
– Many surveys have significant design problems
– Timing and sequencing not optimal
IHSN and ADP
IHSN activities for Objective 1
• Survey catalog: 3,300 surveys/censuses
• Microdata Management Toolkit and
guidelines for good practice in data
documentation and dissemination (DDI
standard, XML technology)
– Software available in 6 languages; widely used
• Microdata dissemination policy guidelines
• Anonymization tools and guidelines
IHSN and ADP
IHSN activities for Objective 2
• Question Bank
– A modular repository of international survey
recommendations (XML/DDI)
– New activity; quick take off (various custodians)
– Analysis > Assessment > Recommendation
• Survey Quality Assessment Framework
– With guidelines for survey managers
– Mix of DESAP and Statistics Canada Quality
Guidelines
IHSN and ADP
IHSN challenges
• No major challenge; mainly:
– Expertise in some areas difficult to find
– Small staff for a fast growing work program
– No legal status; no official mandate
– Constraints associated with DGF funding
IHSN and ADP
ADP Pilot
At the origin: launch new surveys to fill data
gaps. But IHSN experience showed that:
- Lots of data are collected; many remain
under-exploited for various reasons
- Difficult to know what's available/planned, so
difficult to identify immediate needs
- Implementing a survey program, even pilot,
would require more resources than available
from DGF
IHSN and ADP
ADP Pilot - Objectives
• Invest in quality and use of data, not (much)
in collection
– Making data more usable, relevant, accessible,
comparable
• Complements IHSN
– Use IHSN tools and guidelines
– Takes advantage of close cooperation with
network members
IHSN and ADP
ADP Pilot - Status
• Pilot ADP is a PARIS21 satellite program
• DGF funding of $2,000K per year (FY06FY08)
• Small core team (same team as IHSN)
• Implemented with partners (ESCAP, IADB,
UNICEF, interest from ESCWA)
IHSN and ADP
ADP implementation – 3 tasks
• Task 1: build national data archives
(inventory, documentation, dissemination
of existing microdata)
• Task 2: assessment of data quality, and
harmonization/improvement of methods
(national question banks)
• Task 3: data collection if crucial (no
specific type of survey; flexible approach)
IHSN and ADP
ADP implementation strategy
• Initial plan was to start Tasks 1, 2 and 3 in a few
countries.
• Revised strategy:
– Year 1: focus on Task 1
– Year 2: expand Task 1 to more countries; build
regional expertise and partnerships for scaling up
– Year 3 (starting now): continue Task 1 with partners,
but increased focus on piloting Task 2
Task 3 only if / where crucial (limited funding), to
complement other funding
IHSN and ADP
ADP progress
• Task 1: Feasibility and affordability
demonstrated (extensive use of IHSN tools)
– 25 countries; could have more (large demand)
– Alliances: MICS, CWIQ, MECOVI, Regional
Award for Innovation in Statistics, …
– Regional expertise and communities of practice
• Task 2: Will start soon (in Africa)
• Task 3: Niger, Haiti, DRC
IHSN and ADP
ADP geographic coverage
IHSN and ADP
ADP challenges
• Task 1: challenge is mainly technical: data and
metadata lost, scattered, etc. Also, requests to
expand to other sources of data (administrative)
• Task 2: still need to pilot it. Important to define
priorities. Expect some resistance to change.
• Requests for Task 3: what can ADP do?
• Constraints of DGF funding and administrative
(short-term horizon; grant and sub-grants
processing time)
IHSN and ADP
Conclusion
• IHSN and ADP: Demand growing,
resources decreasing (US$)  scaling up
or slowing down?
• ADP:
– Task 1: from pilot to full scale. Important not
only for accessibility (use), but also for quality
of future surveys
– Task 2: priority for coming year
– Task 3: feasible only if less ad-hoc funding
can be secured
IHSN and ADP