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

<p>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.
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<p>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.
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尼加拉瓜社会保护网络（Red de Protección Social, 简称RPS）借鉴墨西哥PROGRESA项目模式，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，同时解决当前贫困与未来返贫风险的社会救助项目。RPS项目周期为五年，分为两个阶段，于2000年正式启动。为评估该项目是否值得以原形式或改良版本进行推广，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，完成了本次项目的量化影响评估。

本次调查样本为从该国全部42个县（comarca）中抽取的、以县为分层单位的分层随机样本。数据集来源于三轮调查、人口普查及社区调查。评估数据来自年度家庭追踪调查：该调查分别在2000年项目启动前，以及项目实施后的2001年、2002年，于RPS的干预组区域与对照组区域同步开展。调查问卷以1998年尼加拉瓜生活标准测量调查（Living Standards Measurement Study, LSMS）工具为基础框架进行设计，部分模块（如儿童健康与教育模块）进行了扩充，以确保覆盖所有必要的项目观测指标；同时为降低受访者负担、保障单次访谈的数据质量，对部分模块（如劳动收入与其他收入来源模块）进行了精简。2000年与2002年的调查中增设了针对5岁以下儿童的人体测量模块，但2001年未实施该模块。该模块按照国际标准流程测量了儿童的身高（或身长）、体重与血红蛋白水平。社区调查问卷则用于调研三方面内容：1）社区是否具备基本基础设施、医疗、教育、邮政服务及信贷渠道；2）社区内开展的其他发展项目；3）当地发生的经济事件与冲击。