Threats to Data Quality in Developing Country Settings

Abstract

The development of computer-based information management systems as an aid to planning and policy formulation in developing countries has received considerable attention both in the literature and in recent U.S.sponsored international development projects.' However, attention to the implementation and use of computer-based information management systems has often been focused on clarifying the policy issues to which information applies, developing more sensitive and faster analyses of the data, and presenting the data to decision makers in relevant and interpretable formats. Frequently overlooked is any serious attention to the quality of the underlying data that go into the analysis. Without ensuring the quality of the data, the implementation of information management systems may only provide a systematic procedure for making random decisions. The apparent sophistication of the analysis or the output may mask underlying problems with the meaningfulness or trustworthiness of the data.