The authors analyze the subjective perceptions of poverty in Madagascar in 2001 and their relationship to objective poverty indicators. They base their analysis on survey responses to a series of subjective perception questions. The authors extend the existing empirical methodology for...

In theory, a poverty line can be defined as the cost of a common (inter-personally comparable) utility level across a population. But how can one know if this holds in practice? For groups sharing common consumption needs but facing different prices, the theory of revealed preference can be used...

We argue that the welfare inferences drawn from answers to subjective-qualitative survey questions are clouded by concerns over the structure of measurement errors and how latent psychological factors influence observed respondent characteristics. We propose a panel data model that allows more...

This paper estimates average and marginal returns to schooling in Indonesia using a non-parametric selection model. Identification of the model is given by exogenous geographic variation in access to upper secondary schools. We find that the return to upper secondary schooling varies widely...

This paper compares asymptotic and finite sample properties of linear IV and bivariate probit in models with an endogenous binary treatment and binary outcome. The results provide guidance on the choice of model specification and help to explain large differences in the estimates depending on...

This paper combines longitudinal household and community level survey data to evaluate the effect of infrastructure rehabilitation projects on household well-being in rural Georgia. The panel structure of the data is utilized in an empirical approach to control for time-invariant unobservable...