Online Program

Practical Implementation of ACS: Tools and Steps (308022)

Keywords: Adaptive sampling, Informal enterprises

Now widely used survey management tools, including CAPI and integrated sampling management tools, allow for the implementation of more complex sampling methods in the field, in near real time. This presentation discusses the implementation of one such method, adaptive cluster sampling (ACS), using the World Bank’s CAPI/Survey Solutions platform. This method is implemented in the context of studies to measure informal business operators in their place of business. The objectives of those studies are twofold: 1) to provide population estimates of informal sector businesses in a selected urban area; and 2) to apply a long-form questionnaire to a sub-set of those businesses. Since informal sector businesses may relocate, a two-stage sampling method that requires re-visiting a primary sampling unit (PSU) is rarely feasible in this type of work; as such, long-form respondents are selected at random during the course of enumeration on-site and int real time. As practical constraints may limit the number of long-form interviews within a given budget, tools are used to limit the number of long-forms, while still preserving randomness. Additional tools, including those for sample frame generation, selection, and enumerator management will also be presented.