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Discussion Paper Details

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Title: The Insights and Illusions of Consumption Measurements

Author(s): Erich Battistin, Michele De Nadai and Nandini Krishnan

Publication Date: May 2020

Keyword(s): Household Surveys, Measurement of Inequality and Poverty and Modes of Data Collection

Programme Area(s): Development Economics, Labour Economics and Public Economics

Abstract: While household well-being derives from long-term average rates of consumption, welfare comparisons typically rely on shorter-duration survey measurements. We develop a new strategy to identify the distribution of these long-term rates by leveraging a large-scale randomization that elicited repeated short-duration measurements from diaries and recall questions. Identification stems from diary-recall differences in reports from the same household, does not require reports to be error-free, and hinges on a research design with broad replicability. Our strategy delivers cost-effective suggestions for designing survey modules that yield the closest measurements of consumption well-being, and offers new insights to interpret and reconcile diary-recall differences in household surveys.

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Bibliographic Reference

Battistin, E, De Nadai, M and Krishnan, N. 2020. 'The Insights and Illusions of Consumption Measurements'. London, Centre for Economic Policy Research. https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=14730