79215 - Planning and Design of Economic Surveys

Course contents

1. THE NON-SAMPLING ERROR

1.1. Sources of errors.

1.2. The “non-response” and its consequences.

1.3. Three types of non-response: a) errors in the list; b) total non-response; c) item non-response.

2. ERRORS IN THE LIST

2.1. Population, list and method of interview: main schemes for kind of list and method of interview.

2.2. Types of error in the lists: non-complete list; over-coverage in the list; double units in the list; list with grapes of units.

2.3. Methods to control for the errors in the list.

3. TOTAL NON-RESPONSE

3.1. Reasons for total non-response. Consequenses of total non-response.

3.2. How to prevent total non-responses or correct them during the survey.

3.3. Total non-response correct in the estimation phase: 1. Classes of adjustment for non-response; 2. Two-phase method; 3. Regression estimator; 4. Constrained-weighted estimator.

3.4. Non-response schemes and auxiliary variables selection.

4. ITEM NON-RESPONSE

4.1. Typologies of item non-response.

4.2. How to prevent the item non-responses.

4.3 Methods to deal with incomplete data: 1. Methods only based on respondents; 2. Weighting Methods; 3. Imputation Methods (Deductive Imputation; Imputation of the mean; Imputation from donator).

4.4. Imputation Methods for longitudinal surveys.

4.5. Comparative Analysis among imputation methods.

4.6. Multiple Imputation.

5. Examples of application in official surveys: Banca D’Italia sample survey on Italian households income; ISTAT sample survey on small and medium firms.

6. Introduction to the small area estimation problem.

SAS PROGRAMMING ON REAL OR SIMULATED DATASET.

 

REQUIRED BACKGROUND: properties of the probaility, random variables, estimators and their properties, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, regression model.

Readings/Bibliography

Slides.

G. Nicolini; D. Marasini; G.E. Montanari; M. Pratesi; M.G. Ranalli; E. Rocco (2013). Metodi di stima in presenza di errori non campionari. Milano: Springer-Verlag Italia. Chapters 4, 5 and 6.

Teaching methods

Lectures and laboratory exercises using the SAS software.

As concerns the teaching methods of this course unit, all students must attend Module 1, 2 [https://www.unibo.it/en/services-and-opportunities/health-and-assistance/health-and-safety/online-course-on-health-and-safety-in-study-and-internship-areas] on Health and Safety online.

Assessment methods

Laboratory SAS exam (using esclusively a PC of the laboratory) with eligibility, preparatory to the oral exam with a mark.  SAS and oral exams must be taken in the same exam call.

The exam is aimed at verifying: the level of understanding and in-depth analysis of the topics, the ability to perform the relative logical-deductive connections, the knowledge of the basic vocabulary.

The time available for carrying out the laboratory exam is one hour, to which the time for the operations of recognition, positioning of the students in the workstations and communication of the instructions must be added.

Possibility of refusing the vote: 1 time.

Office hours

See the website of Silvia Pacei