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  • 2022
  • Working Paper

Understanding Rural Households' Time Use in a Developing Setting: Validating a Low-Cost Time Use Module

By: Erica M Field, Rohini Pande, Natalia Rigol, Simone G. Schaner, Elena M. Stacy and Charity M. Troyer Moore
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
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Abstract

Time use data facilitate deeper understanding of individual labor supply choices, especially for women, who are more likely to engage in unpaid care and home production. However, traditional time use data collection methods are time-consuming, expensive and susceptible to significant attrition. To address these concerns, we develop an abbreviated, low-cost time use survey module designed for low-literacy populations. It captures contextually-determined broad time use categories of interest to researchers—in our case, time allocations across market work, household labor, and leisure. Using survey experiments in the field, we show that, relative to the widely-used assisted diary approach, the new module is lower cost and relatively more accurate in capturing individuals’ average time use. Its primary shortcomings are its limited ability to capture short duration activities and simultaneous activities. Using the example of passive childcare, we show how module design can provide accurate information on multitasking for an identified category of interest.

Keywords

Time Use; Household; Rural Scope; Developing Countries and Economies; Time Management; Analytics and Data Science; Surveys

Citation

Field, Erica M., Rohini Pande, Natalia Rigol, Simone G. Schaner, Elena M. Stacy, and Charity M. Troyer Moore. "Understanding Rural Households' Time Use in a Developing Setting: Validating a Low-Cost Time Use Module." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 29671, January 2022.
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About The Author

Natalia Rigol

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • Investing in the Next Generation: The Long-Run Impacts of a Liquidity Shock By: Patrick Agte, Arielle Bernhardt, Erica M. Field, Rohini Pande and Natalia Rigol
  • Targeting High Ability Entrepreneurs Using Community Information: Mechanism Design in the Field By: Reshmaan Hussam, Natalia Rigol and Benjamin N. Roth
  • Rational Habit Formation: Experimental Evidence from Handwashing in India By: Reshmaan Hussam, Atonu Rabbani, Giovanni Reggiani and Natalia Rigol
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