Using mobile phones to collect panel data in developing countries

Abstract

Abstract. The rapid spread of mobile telephony throughout the developing world offers researchers a new and exciting means of data collection. This paper describes and analyzes the experience of a research project that used mobile phones to collect high frequency, quantitative economic data from households in rural Tanzania. I discuss the research design, highlight some of the mistakes made and lessons learned, and speculate on the applicability of this method in other settings. (JEL O13, Q11, B41) * I am grateful to

Call Me Maybe: Experimental Evidence on Using Mobile Phones to Survey Microenterprises

“…In contrast, a Tanzanian high-frequency household survey with farmers in remote rural areas spent US$97 per in-person baseline interview and US$7 per phone follow-up survey (Dillon, 2012).…”

“…Researchers have also used mobile phones to conduct rapid data collection in areas affected by conflict (van der Windt and Humphreys, 2013;Bauer et al, 2013) or disease outbreaks (Turay et al, 2015). Croke et al (2014) and Dillon (2012) both show that mobile phone follow-up surveys are substantially cheaper than in-person baseline surveys, particularly in the rural setting Dillon studies. We can directly compare the cost of mobile phone and in-person surveys.…”

Digital Revolutions in Public Finance

“…Yet beyond the use of big data for targeting, mobile phones can also be used to collect remote and more frequent data for social protection or other development programs (Dillon 2012;Aker 2011). For example, mobile phones can be used to collect more frequent data from households, either as a complement or substitute for in-person surveys, which often occur annually (Dillon 2012).…”

“…For example, mobile phones can be used to collect more frequent data from households, either as a complement or substitute for in-person surveys, which often occur annually (Dillon 2012).…”

Suggesting a new paradigm for agricultural extension policy: the case of West African Countries

“…Still the potential is substantial. ICT-based extension can enhance accountability of extension agents to farmers (Duflo, Hanna & Ryan, 2007;Dillon, 2012). It can facilitate credit and savings to farmers (Foster & Rosenzweig, 2010), access by farmers to private information (Baye, Morgan, & Scholten, 2006;Aker, 2010), and the capacity of farmers to manage input and output supply chains (Aker, 2011).…”