Investment Climate Advisory Services World Bank Group

Primary Data Collection Methods

Category
Observation

Method
Direct observation

Definition
View subjects in natural setting or through field experiment Structured or semistructured face-toface interviews with individuals

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages: minimizes response bias, can provide information which cannot be obtained otherwise Disadvantages: limited to measuring behavior, time consuming, and subject to investigator bias. Advantages: permits detailed & in-depth question and response, minimizes non-response Disadvantages: Costly, interviewer bias, investigator bias

Solicitation of Expert Opinion

Face to face Interviews

Telephone Interviews

Self-Administered Questionnaire

Group Interviews

Group Interviews: Delphi Technique

Group Interviews: Focus Groups

Structured or semistructured telephone interviews with individuals Structured interviews received via mail, internet, phone to solicit someone's opinion Development, evaluation and synthesis of experts points of view through solicitation and collation of experts judgments on a particular topic over several rounds. Brings together 8 to 15 individuals to develop, evaluate and reach conclusions on specific issues.

Advantages: Convenient, fast, relatively inexpensive, less interviewer bias than personal interview Disadvantages: Non-coverage, limited length and depth of questions and responses Advantages: Cost effective for large areas, minimizes interviewer bias, promotes accurate answers Disadvantages: low response rates, unanswered questions, incorrect answers Advantages: responses can be made at the convenience of the participant, individuals from diverse backgrounds or from remote locations can work together, it is conducive to independent thinking and gradual formulation of reliable judgments or forecasting of results Disadvantages: Information comes from a selected group of experts and may not be representative tendency to eliminate extreme positions and force consensus, more time-consuming than group process methods, requires time and participant commitment Advantages: Uses people's knowledge and experiences allowing for in depth qualitative information, Can encourage participation from those who will not speak or respond to a personal interview Disadvantages: there is no confidentiality and thus some opinions may not be expressed, social pressure,

Group Interviews: Brainstorming

Group Interviews: Nominal Group Technique

Group Interviews: Dialectic Inquiry

Solicitation of Public Opinion

Exit Interviews

(semi-structured interviews allowing group interaction) Interactive group problem identification and problem solving of 1-15 persons A possible alternative to brain storming. This technique is a structured variation of small group discussion 1 methods A structured qualitative research method. A point and counterpoint process of debate to reach a synthesis. Can be face to face or in written form

domination by an individual

Advantages: generates and clarifies many ideas so it is a source of information, inexpensive, easy to apply Disadvantages: limited when it comes to applying ideas since it only stimulate creative thinking Advantages: Prevents the domination of discussion by a single person, encourages the more passive group members to participate, results in a set of prioritized solutions or recommendations Disadvantages: opinions may not converge in the voting process, cross-fertilization of ideas may be constrained, the process may appear to be too mechanical Advantages: Many ideas can be explored, helps to understand the point of divergence, bridges irreconcilable points of view Disadvantages: consensus may be difficult to obtain

Household 2 Surveys

Organizational Assessment

Interviews with key informants

Interviews with individuals who are in a position to provide the answers for the questions under investigation

Advantages: captures the opinion right at the moment of experience, no recall bias Disadvantages: can be biased by an incident or other negative experience which has nothing to do with the research question, Hard to extrapolate if not large sample Advantages: Most people live in households so can allow for almost complete coverage of the population, households provide a convenient place where people can be contacted to be interviewed, a large number of household surveys are collected allowing for cross validation of the results, the Census collects baseline information about households which helps calibrate results Disadvantages: Willingness to provide information, memory of respondents, understanding of the questions and knowledge of the topic Advantages: Opportunity to get insider view, can provide in-depth information Disadvantages: relationship between the two parties may influence the answers;

1 2

Journal of Extension U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

Focus Groups

Brings together 8 to 15 individuals to develop, evaluate and/or reach conclusions on specific issues. (Are semistructured interviews allowing group interaction)

Advantages: Uses people's knowledge and experiences allowing for in depth qualitative information, can encourage participation from those who will not speak or respond to a personal interview Disadvantages: There is no confidentiality and thus some opinions may not be expressed, social pressure, domination by an individual

Environmental Assessment

Guided Direct Observations Stakeholder Analysis Interviews with key informants

Advantages: minimizes response bias, can provide information which cannot be obtained otherwise See Engagement Module of Toolkit Interviews with individuals who are in the position to provide the answers for the questions under investigation

Advantages: opportunity to get insider view; can provide in-depth information Disadvantages: relationship between the two parties may influence the answers;