World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study

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World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study The World Bank's flagship household survey program; generating and analyzing high-quality data.

The Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) is a household survey program established by the World Bank in 1980. The program is housed within the World Bank Development Data Group and provides technical assistance to national statistical offices (NSOs) in the design and implementation of multi-topic household surveys. Since its inception, the LSMS has worked with dozens of statistics offices around the world: generating high-quality data, incorporating innovative technologies and improved survey methods, and building technical capacity. The LSMS maintains a methodological research program focused on the development and validation of improved survey methods and also provides technical support across the World Bank in the design and implementation of household surveys.

⏰ One week left to submit!The deadline to submit your abstract or paper for the Better Data for Better Lives: Innovation...
10/08/2026

⏰ One week left to submit!

The deadline to submit your abstract or paper for the Better Data for Better Lives: Innovations in Survey Measurement in the Age of AI conference is October 15, 2026 β€” that's just 7 days away!

The second edition of this conference will take place on December 8–9, 2026, and we're looking for papers or extended abstracts on innovations in the design, implementation, or analysis of surveys and measurement tools.

Topics include AI and machine learning, questionnaire design, sampling, interviewer behavior, data quality, alternative data sources, and more.

Organized by the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) β€” the World Bank Group's flagship household survey program β€” in collaboration with Northwestern University's Global Poverty Research Lab, and supported by the WBG Community of Practice on Surveys and Measurement and the World Bank Data Academy.

This is your chance to connect with top experts from academia, think tanks, and international organizations shaping the future of survey measurement in low- and middle-income countries. Don't miss it!

πŸ“„ Submit your extended abstract (max. 800 words) or full working draft here: πŸ‘‰ https://shorturl.at/RyOKh

09/25/2026

πŸ“£ Save the date!

πŸ“Œ Measuring Women’s Agency: New Tools, Takeaways, and What Comes Next

🀝 Organized by IFPRI and the World Bank Group

πŸ“† September 30, 2026, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm (US/Eastern)

This half-day forum, hosted by the Measures for Advancing Gender Equality (MAGNET) initiative, will share new findings about measuring women’s agency across three dimensionsβ€”control over assets, goal-setting and decision-making, and sense of control and efficacyβ€”drawing on a novel set of survey tools developed and tested across 18 countries through the initiative.

πŸ—¨οΈ Speakers include Iffath A. Sharif (World Bank Group), Cheryl Doss (Tufts University), Krista Jacobs (Landesa), Aletheia Donald (World Bank Group), Shelton Kanyanda (National Statistical Office of Malawi), Hazel Malapit (IFPRI), Jona Repishti (Digital Green), Megan O’Donnell (Gates Foundation), Jamie Walsh (Agency Fund), Talip Kilic (World Bank), Caren Grown (The Brookings Institution), and Claudia Ringler (IFPRI).

🎫 Register here: https://on.cgiar.org/4ydFpwa

CGIAR

πŸ“’ Submissions are open!The second edition of the conference Better Data for Better Lives: Innovations in Survey Measurem...
09/21/2026

πŸ“’ Submissions are open!


The second edition of the conference Better Data for Better Lives: Innovations in Survey Measurement in the Age of AI will take place on December 8-9, 2026, and we’re looking for papers or abstracts on innovations in the design, implementation or analysis of surveys and measurement tools.


Topics include AI and machine learning, questionnaire design, sampling, interviewer behavior, data quality, alternative data sources and more.


This conference has been organized by the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) – the World Bank Group’s flagship household survey program - in collaboration with Northwestern University’s Global Poverty Research Lab and supported by the WBG Community of Practice on Surveys and Measurement, and the World Bank Data Academy.


It’ll bring together top experts from academia, think tanks and international organizations to explore the future of survey measurement in low- and middle-income countries.


πŸ“…Submit your extended abstract (max. 800 words) or full working draft by October 15, 2026, using this link -> https://shorturl.at/RyOKh

What if how you communicate matters more than what you say?πŸ—£οΈA striking finding from recent research on online labor mar...
09/04/2026

What if how you communicate matters more than what you say?

πŸ—£οΈA striking finding from recent research on online labor marketplaces using large language model (LLMs) for analysis indicates that the way collaborators communicate can predict match success more powerfully than the content of their conversations.

So, what does this tell us about the insights we might be missing?

πŸ€–Join us for a hybrid seminar exploring how LLMs are opening new possibilities for research and measurement. We will also be discussing how generative AI can strengthen surveys and qualitative research, supporting everything from instrument design and adaptive interviewing to coding and synthesis.

The discussion brings together the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS), the World Bank Group Community of Practice on Surveys and Measurement, and the World Bank Data Academy, alongside researchers working on the responsible application of AI to real-world data and research challenges.
πŸ“… September 14, 2026
⏰ 10-11.30 AM (ET)

πŸ”—Register ➑️ https://shorturl.at/g9oir

AI and new data sources are changing what’s possible.So, what should the next generation of survey measurement look like...
08/24/2026

AI and new data sources are changing what’s possible.

So, what should the next generation of survey measurement look like?

If you’ve done research on this area, we want to hear from you.

Send us your paper or abstract to participate in the Better Data for Better Lives: Innovations in Survey Measurement in the Age of AI conference, on December 8-9, 2026.

We’re looking for ideas that challenge conventional approaches, test new methods, solve practical problems, or explore how AI can improve the survey process.

This conference is organized by the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) – the World Bank Group’s flagship household survey program - in collaboration with Northwestern University’s Global Poverty Research Lab and supported by the WBG Community of Practice on Surveys and Measurement, and the World Bank Data Academy.

Submit an extended abstract (max. 800 words) or full working draft by October 15, 2026, here -> https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=wP6iMWsmZ0y1bieW2PWcNj8vbB6jI-VHneLQnp4yfkVURFBCUjlORUlRVTYzNlVXQzdWSkwxMlBJVi4u&route=shorturl

This conference is hybrid, to participate – in person or online - register here -> https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=wP6iMWsmZ0y1bieW2PWcNsSLiyE-cd1LovJqEqRlfOJUMzlFQ09ENjJKWVFOWkdQSUlUSEcyUFRGMy4u

08/11/2026

πŸ“³During the COVID-19 pandemic, phone surveys emerged as a critical data collection tool in low- and middle-income countries. What began as a response to the pandemic has since become a lasting part of the data landscape.

🌍The Living Standards Measurement Study High-Frequency Phone Surveys (LSMS–HFPS) is one of the longest-running and largest longitudinal phone survey initiatives of its kind. And since April 2020, it has supported continuous monitoring across six African countries.

πŸ“ŠAfter more than 120 phone survey rounds and more than 200,000 interviews alongside in-person surveys, the LSMS–HFPS’s experience demonstrates that integrated survey systems can deliver reliable, timely, high-frequency data at substantially lower cost than in-person surveys alone.

But there are challenges…
Swipe through to see three of them, and what the LSMS–HFPS initiative shows about addressing them.

For further details about the research, read the full paper here ->
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099525308052699064/pdf/IDU-4ad4127c-a5b1-4f90-a324-a548b375bb42.pdf

CALL FOR PROPOSALS! The second edition of the Better Data for Better Lives: Innovations in Survey Measurement in the Age...
08/03/2026

CALL FOR PROPOSALS!

The second edition of the Better Data for Better Lives: Innovations in Survey Measurement in the Age of AI conference will be on December 8-9, 2026, and we are looking for papers or extended abstracts focused on innovations, challenges, or empirical findings related to the design, implementation, or analysis of surveys, including:

β€’ Questionnaire design and testing
β€’ Survey experiments
β€’ Sampling and weighting
β€’ Interviewer behavior
β€’ Data quality assessment
β€’ Data harmonization
β€’ Integration of new and alternative data sources
β€’ Use of AI in surveys and measurement
β€’ Meta-analysis

Research on any development topic is welcome.

This hybrid conference will be held at the World Bank Group HQ, in Washington, D.C., and is organized by the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) – the World Bank Group’s flagship household survey program - in collaboration with Northwestern University’s Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) and supported by the WBG Community of Practice on Surveys and Measurement, and the World Bank Data Academy.

β€’ Submit your extended abstract (max. 800 words) or full working draft by October 15, 2026, here: https://forms.office.com/r/z1UEwdAsTY

β€’ Register to participate – in person or online - here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=wP6iMWsmZ0y1bieW2PWcNsSLiyE-cd1LovJqEqRlfOJUMzlFQ09ENjJKWVFOWkdQSUlUSEcyUFRGMy4u

05/08/2026

Advances in AI, machine learning and geospatial tools are transforming how we collect and analyze data on jobs, poverty and livelihoods across low- and middle-income countries. Yet, even in this rapidly evolving landscape, household surveys remain critical for development data and are the foundation for better policy, stronger institutions and better lives.

This discussion was at the center of the inaugural π΅π‘’π‘‘π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ π·π‘Žπ‘‘π‘Ž π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π΅π‘’π‘‘π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ π½π‘œπ‘π‘  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠: πΌπ‘›π‘›π‘œπ‘£π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›π‘  𝑖𝑛 π‘†π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘£π‘’π‘¦ π‘€π‘’π‘Žπ‘ π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘šπ‘’π‘›π‘‘ 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ 𝐴𝑔𝑒 π‘œπ‘“ 𝐴𝐼 conference, organized by the Survey Unit’s Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) – the World Bank’s flagship household survey program - and the Global Poverty Research Lab, Northwestern University, in collaboration with the World Bank Data Academy.


The conversation continues, and we are pleased to announce that the next conference will take place on πƒπžπœπžπ¦π›πžπ« πŸ–-πŸ—, πŸπŸŽπŸπŸ”.


In the meantime, read the blog below and explore the carousel for six key takeaways from the inaugural conference:

➑️ https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/impactevaluations/the-future-of-surveys--six-takeaways-from-the-inaugural-conferen

04/21/2026

A few weeks ago, our team, the World Bank Development Data Group’s Survey Unit (DECSU), delivered the first internal training in a series of five, β€œDesigning and Implementing Household Surveys from a Gender and Jobs Perspective”, in partnership with the World Bank Gender Group and the Data Academy.


A significant team effort went into making this happen - from content development to delivery and organization - but the effort was absolutely worth it. Participants were very engaged throughout the sessions and brought in diverse perspectives that made the sessions richer.


In the slides below, we are sharing the views of some attendees.

04/06/2026

In El Salvador, a safer commute can get more women to work.

A recently published paper, authored by some of our team’s researchers, looks at how non-wage features shape job preferences among women in rural and peri-urban areas in El Salvador.

Some of the insights show that:

β€’ Women value a safe commute and childcare the most. They are willing to give up part of their salary for jobs that guarantee these elements.
β€’ Entry barriers matter: Jobs that do not require prior work experience are more attractive than those than do, while having a formal contract plays a smaller role, especially in highly informal settings.
β€’ Job attribute preferences vary by women’s preferences and characteristics: Women in rural areas and those who are more risk averse place especially high value on safety and childcare, while younger women are more sensitive to experience requirements and potential stigma related to disclosing home address.

For policymakers, the study highlights why efforts to expand women’s employment need to look beyond pay to the importance of safety, childcare and hiring barriers.

Read more ⬇️

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