The Center for Development Data at the World Bank Development Institute conducted an advanced course titled "Measuring Wealth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries" from July 1 to 5, 2024. This event was held at the Automation School for Bank Executives (S.A.Di.Ba.), operated by the Bank of Italy, in Perugia, Italy. The course catered to experts and researchers from national statistics offices or ministries involved in statistics production, as well as staff from training and research centers providing technical assistance to national statistics offices.
Participants were expected to have previous experience working with household survey data and a background in elaborating household survey statistics using STATA. The course detailed the entire process of measuring wealth in household surveys in Low- and Middle-Income countries, from data collection to data analysis. It included practical sessions focused on analyzing questionnaires and conducting data elaborations in groups.
The course was structured into nine sections, each addressing critical aspects of wealth measurement in household surveys:
- The course started with a general framework for the measurement of wealth in household surveys, highlighting its importance from a vulnerability perspective.
- The operational definition of household wealth was provided along with a practical example from a well-known international survey.
- The course covered specificities characteristic of Low- and Middle-Income countries, such as informality and common property. An example of a questionnaire for collecting wealth data in both basic and extended forms was discussed. Participants reviewed a survey showing the wealth items currently collected in major household surveys worldwide, identifying the main gaps to achieve homogeneous estimates. This included an exercise on identifying missing items in specific survey questionnaires.
- Main sampling techniques were discussed to obtain adequate estimates for rare or hard-to-sample populations relevant to vulnerability. The session also covered the distribution of wealth within households, describing techniques for data collection and analysis.
- Several useful frameworks for analyzing wealth data were described, followed by practical exercises using real data in Stata.
- Quality issues affecting wealth data were addressed, along with guidance on handling these issues and methods for obtaining robust measures of wealth inequality.
- Further examples of using wealth data in Stata were provided.
- The course discussed financial inclusion, literacy, and fragility, providing guidance on disseminating data and findings.
- Participants presented the exercises conducted throughout the week.
The course offered participants the opportunity to connect with international experts who could provide technical assistance in implementing the guidelines into national surveys. There was also potential for developing partnerships to adapt the guidelines to specific contexts through field pilot tests.
Instructors for the course were drawn from the World Bank (DECLS), the Italian National Statistical Office (Istat), the Bank of Italy, and academia. By the end of the course, participants were equipped to implement data collection of wealth items in national household surveys, build main items and indicators based on the collected data, and design analyses and reports using wealth data.
The five-day course took place at the residential facility of S.A.Di.Ba. in Perugia, Italy. This setting allowed for hosting lessons and fostering interactions among instructors and participants, providing an excellent opportunity for networking with other professionals interested in wealth measurement in household surveys.