Quantitative data for rural development : options for improvement in AID

Institutional issues include the need to develop a data use and management policy and encourage corresponding capabilities in both AID-assisted countries and - through recruitment, training, and career advancement - within A.I.D. itself. To better coordinate data services, it is recommended either to create a unit to supervise existing data service units or to create a single Office of Information Services under the Office of the Science Advisor. Operational recommendations are that A.I.D. acquire documented micro-level data, e.g., by making access to project and research data a contractual obligation, and resolve existing data use and management problems. Other recommendations to improve A.I.D. data use and management include reviewing data collection and analysis efforts more systematically and acquiring microcomputers to decentralize data use.