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RRA methods vs. household surveys
Q: Why use rapid appraisal methods rather than a household survey in this setting?
A: Urban household economy assessment is similar in many ways to a conventional household expenditure survey in that the focus is on detailed questions about recent patterns of expenditure. Provided the essential checks on food (adding up to roughly 2100 kcals per person per day) and on cash income (roughly equaling expenditure) can be incorporated there is no reason why the data should not be collected through a survey of individual households. If this can be complemented by a semi-structured enquiry at community level to get ‘the story’, so much the better. Community-level inquiries into local perceptions of wealth will also help in terms of dividing household survey data into meaningful wealth groups.
Using random sampling techniques to select households for interview will also help to ensure that the sample is truly representative of the population from which it is drawn.
Having said that it may not be possible to use standard techniques for drawing the sample, since these require accurate population data and a complete enumeration of households in areas selected for surveying. It is very unlikely these will be available, especially for the poorer areas of a city, where the population may be transient and with many people living in unofficial or unregistered accommodation. In this type of setting more rapid sampling techniques similar to those used in a rapid nutritional survey will usually be more appropriate.
