The Analysis of Household Surveys: A Microeconometric Approach to Development Policy (World Bank) [Paperback]

Angus S. Deaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0801852544 | ISBN-13: 978-0801852541

Over the past 15 years, the availability of cheap and convenient microcomputers has changed the collection methods and analysis of household survey data in developing countries, making the data available within months, rather than years. Simultaneously, analysts have become more interested in exploring ways in which such data may be used to inform and improve the steps involved in policymaking. This book reviews the analysis of household survey data, including the construction of household surveys, the econometric tools that are the most useful for such analysis, and a range of problems in development policy for which the econometric analysis of household surveys is useful and informative. The author's approach remains close to the data, relying on transparent econometric and graphical techniques to present the data so that policy and academic debates are clearly informed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: World Bank Publications (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801852544
• ISBN-13: 978-0801852541
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #757,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece, March 30, 2004

By 

Sabad One - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Analysis of Household Surveys: A Microeconometric Approach to Development Policy (World Bank) (Paperback)

This book is a masterpiece. In practice, it deserves to become the "Holy Bible" of Microeconometrics applied to (but not only to) Development Economics. It is beautifully written by an amazingly knowledgeble economist, who has actually worked for years (and still does) on most of the issues this book deals with. It is no easy reading, and it would be worth spending a day for every single page, but it's excellent even if you don't want to go through the details, and you just need an intuition about the issues covered. The first chapter introduces the reader to many important aspects of the contruction and use of household surveys. The second chapter masterfully reviews many concepts of applied econometrics. Chapter 3 is about poverty and inequality measurement. Chapter 4 is about "Nutrition, children, and intrahousehold allocation", Chapter 5 deals with prices and tax reforms, and Chapter 6 with saving and consumption smoothing. The book also contains many useful Stata codes the author wrote and used for his many papers. Again, this is not a trivial reading, but if you are interested in applied economics you will find reading this book extremely rewarding, and often almost entertaining, because Deaton is one of the very few economists around able to write about technical stuff in a brilliant and intuitive way.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deaton is the man !, March 21, 2000

By 

Andres Peri (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Analysis of Household Surveys: A Microeconometric Approach to Development Policy (World Bank) (Paperback)

This is an excelent manual for anyone interested in studying consumption or welfare in developing countries. Profesor Deaton is certainly one of the experts in the field. His book is well written and flows easily from theory to practice. Really enjoy it !

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent "user's manual" for applied development economists, July 23, 2009

By 

E. Kandpal (IL, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Analysis of Household Surveys: A Microeconometric Approach to Development Policy (World Bank) (Paperback)

This book is my go-to reference for all things practical. I am particularly a fan of the code appendix, which makes replicating (and therefore understanding) Deaton's results very easy. Through its exhaustive content (both theoretical and empirical), this book helps the reader get a full grasp of the many issues involved in using household surveys from the developing world. I recommend starting with the first chapter and working your way to the end. The section on survey design is very helpful to anyone interested in fieldwork. A must-buy for all applied economists, particularly those in development.