Data Watch: The World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study Household Surveys Margaret E. Grosh and Paul Glewwe

Abstract

Since 1985, the World Bank has been collecting household survey data in developing countries that provide a rich source of information for assessing household welfare, understanding household behavior, and evaluating the impact of government policies. This article describes these household surveys, known as Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) surveys, and explains how to obtain their data. LSMS surveys have been implemented in over twenty developing countries and have been used to analyze poverty, labor markets, health and education pricing policies, determinants of school performance, savings and consumption smoothing, health and nutrition policies, and gender and fertility issues.