Living Standards Measurement Survey Working Paper No. 130.This document presents a set of Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) questionnaires that have been developed for use in the Russian-speaking countries of the former Soviet Union. The questionnaires are available in English and Russian, as well as in an electronic format. The document describes in detail how to modify the questionnaires for use in any specific country. The author guides the questionnaire writer through the modification process, illustrating the important aspects of LSMS surveys, the translation and field-testing procedures, and a section-by-section description of the types of modification that are likely to be required to suit particular goals and circumstances.Also available in Russian : (ISBN 0-8213-3935-4) / Stock No. 13935

As part of the restructuring of the educational system in 1989, the Vietnamese government implemented policy changes such as promoting the establishment of "people's" and community educational institutions, permitting the establishment of private institutions and transforming public institutions into private ones. Since Vietnam has only recently moved from a centrally planned to a market economy, private schools are still relatively rare in Vietnam. This paper examines the nature of private schooling in Vietnam using data from the 1992-93 Vietnam Living Standards Survey.

Albania provides a small amount of social assistance to nearly 20% of its population through a system which allows a degree of community discretion in determining distribution. This study investigates the poverty targeting of this program. It indicates that relative to other safety net programs in low income countries, social assistance in Albania is fairly well targeted to the poor.

This paper explores the impact of six noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCCDs) on Jamaicans' decisions to retire. Using the 1991 and 1992 Survey of Living Conditions database it examines the significantly negative impact that NCCDs have on people remaining in employment. Chapters present findings that suggest the need to integrate health and labor market policies; discuss health transition and the labor market in Jamaica; give data, samples, and health measures; provide an econometric model; examine NCCDs in respect to gender and other social issues; and present sensitivity analysis on the impact of physical health status on employment.

A poverty line helps focus the attention of governments and civil society on the living conditions of the poor. This paper offers a critical overview of alternative approaches to setting poverty lines. In reviewing the methods found in practice, the paper tries to throw light on, and go some way toward resolving, ongoing debates about poverty measurement, emphasizing those debates which would appear to have greatest bearing on policy discussions.

In September 2001, staff from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund met with the objective of strengthening collaboration between the two organizations in projects of civil service reform. This strengthened collaboration will have key benefits in ensuring consistency between the conflicting goals of the two organizations, establishing realistic objectives within the reform process, and maintaining a core set of wage and employment data. The principal conclusion arrived at was that World Bank and IMF staff should be engaging in collaboration earlier in the reform process. To guide the collaboration, six foundations were identified. These include: develop a medium-term fiscal framework; foster national ownership by making reforms politically feasible; focus and streamline conditionality; agree on sequencing and timing of reforms; and strengthen data collection. These principals will be tested for effectiveness in several focus countries.

The past two decades in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have been times of tremendous change, with countries undergoing rapid transformation from centrally-planned to market-oriented economies. While poverty increased during the initial years of transition, primarily on account of the sharp economic contraction, the resurgence of economic growth in the region since 1998 has resulted in a rebound in household incomes and living standards. Data from the 2006 Life in Transition Survey (LiTS) a joint initiative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank provides a unique opportunity to investigate the extent to which citizens of ECA countries are satisfied with their lives and with the performances of their governments, and to study key factors influencing their outlook in a systematic way across all countries of the region. The main objective of the LiTS was to assess the impact of transition on people, covering four main themes. First, it collected personal information on aspects of material well-being, including household expenditures, possession of consumer goods such as a car or mobile phone, and access to local public services and utilities. Second, the survey included measures of satisfaction and attitudes towards economic and political reforms as well as public service delivery. Third, the LiTS captured individual 'histories' key events and episodes that may have influenced their attitudes towards reforms, and information on family background, employment, and coping strategies. Finally, the survey also attempted to capture the extent to which crime and corruption are affecting peoples' lives, and the extent to which individuals' trust in other people and in state institutions has changed over time.

Comprehensive and informative document on the design, implementation, and use of household surveys in developing countries.