Nicaragua, Red de Protección Social (RPS) Evaluation Dataset, 2000-2002

The Nicaraguan Red de Protección Social (RPS), modeled after PROGRESA in Mexico, is a program designed to address both current and future poverty via cash transfers targeted to households living in poverty in rural Nicaragua. RPS comprised two phases over five years, starting in 2000. In order to assess whether the program merited expansion in the same or in an altered form, the Government of Nicaragua solicited various external evaluations of Phase I. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) conducted the quantitative impact evaluation, using a randomized community-based design. The survey sample is a stratified random-sample at the comarca level from all 42 comarcas. The data originates from three phases of the survey, as well as the census and community surveys. The evaluation data are from an annual household panel data survey implemented in both intervention and control areas of RPS before the start of the program in 2000, and in 2001 and 2002 after the program began operations. The questionnaire was a comprehensive household questionnaire based on the 1998 Nicaraguan LSMS instrument, expanded in some areas (e.g., child health and education) to ensure that all the necessary program indicators were captured, but cut in other areas (e.g., income from labor and other sources) to minimize respondent burden and ensure collection of high-quality data in a single interview. An anthropometric module for children under age 5 was implemented in 2000 and 2002, but not in 2001. In this module, height (or length), weight, and hemoglobin were measured following standard international procedures.The community questionnaire was used to assess 1) whether the community has basic infrastructure, health, educational, postal services, and sources of credit; 2) other development programs present in the communities; and 3) economic events/shocks that have occurred.尼加拉瓜社会保护网络（Red de Protección Social, RPS）效仿墨西哥PROGRESA项目设计，是一项旨在通过向尼加拉瓜农村贫困家庭发放定向现金转移支付，同时解决当前与未来贫困问题的扶贫项目。RPS于2000年启动，历时五年，分为两个实施阶段。为评估该项目是否值得以原形式或调整后形式进行推广，尼加拉瓜政府委托开展了多项针对第一阶段的外部评估。其中国际粮食政策研究所（International Food Policy Research Institute, IFPRI）采用基于社区的随机实验设计，完成了该项目的量化影响评估。本次调查的样本为来自尼加拉瓜全部42个乡区（comarca）的分层随机抽样样本，抽样层级为乡区层面。数据集来源于三轮专项调查、人口普查以及社区调查。评估数据来自于在RPS干预组与对照组区域实施的年度家户面板追踪调查，该调查分别于2000年项目启动前、以及项目运营后的2001年与2002年开展。本次调查问卷以1998年尼加拉瓜生活标准测量调查（Living Standards Measurement Study, LSMS）工具为基础，编制为综合性家户问卷：在儿童健康与教育等领域对问卷进行了扩展，以确保覆盖所有必要的项目指标；同时为减轻受访对象的作答负担、保障单次访谈即可获取高质量数据，精简了劳动收入与其他收入来源等领域的问卷内容。针对5岁以下儿童的人体测量模块仅在2000年与2002年实施，2001年未开展该模块的调研。该模块按照国际标准流程测量了儿童的身高（或身长）、体重以及血红蛋白水平。社区问卷用于评估三方面内容：1）社区是否具备基本基础设施、医疗、教育、邮政服务以及信贷来源；2）社区内已有的其他发展项目；3）社区已发生的经济事件与冲击。