Household Income And Expenditure Survey Research Articles

Labour Force Participation by Women and Inclusive Growth

This article examines the recent trends of opportunities available for women in Sri Lanka in accessing the labour force by using the Social Opportunity Function presented by Ali and Son (2007). Opportunity curves were constructed for women and men separately to assess the equity-impacts of access opportunities to be in the labour force across different expenditure groups. Opportunity index (OI) (average opportunities available to the population) and the Equity Index of Opportunity (EIO) (how opportunities are shared or distributed among the population) calculated for both sexes to quantify the precise magnitude of the change. Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data produced by the Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka was the main data source. Construction of Opportunity Curves revealed that opportunities for women in accessing labour force have declined over time across all expenditure groups. But it is more remarkable for women in the lower expenditure deciles. In the case of men, mixed results could be observed for different expenditure deciles. Regardless of the sex, average opportunities to access the labour force, OI and EIO have deteriorated over the time period considered.

Urban-rural differences in disability-free life expectancy in Bangladesh using the 2010 HIES data.

BackgroundResearch on health expectancy has been carried out in Bangladesh but none of it has examined the differences in Disability-Free Life Expectancy (DFLE) between urban and rural setting in context of rapid urbanization of Bangladesh in past decades.ObjectivesThe present study aims to estimate DFLE for people of all ages living in urban and rural areas in Bangladesh, and to examine the differences in DFLE between these two areas.MethodsData from the Sample Vital Registration System 2010 and the Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2010 were used in this study. The Sullivan method was applied to estimate DFLE in Bangladesh.ResultsHigher rates of mortality and disability were observed in rural areas compared to urban areas with few exceptions. Statistically significant differences in DFLE were revealed from birth to age 15 years for both sexes between urban and rural areas. Urban males had a longer life expectancy (LE), longer DFLE and shorter LE with disability both in number and proportion when compared to rural males. Rural females at age 20+ years had a longer LE than urban females but urban females had a longer DFLE and a shorter LE with disability in both number and proportion at all ages than did rural females.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that there were clear inequalities in LE, DFLE and LE with disability between rural and urban areas of Bangladesh along with age-specific differences as well. These findings may serve as useful and benchmark for intervention and policy implications for reducing the gap in health outcomes.

An Overview of Food Patterns and Diet Quality in Qatar: Findings from the National Household Income Expenditure Survey.

IntroductionAvailability of accurate data pertaining to a population’s dietary patterns and associated health outcomes is critical for proper development and implementation of related policies. This article is a first attempt to share the food patterns, amounts and diet quality among households (HH) in Qatar.MethodsData from the 2012-2013 Qatar National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) was used. This cross-sectional survey included 3723 HH (1826 Qatari HH and 1897 non-Qatari HH). Dietary data on monthly amounts food items available at HH according to the nationality was used. The food items were expressed in terms of grams per capita per day and aggregated into groups to examine the food patterns, energy, and adequacy.ResultsThe overall average amount of purchased food at HH in Qatar was 1885 g/capita/day. Qatari HH purchased more food (2118 g/capita/day) versus non-Qataris (1373 g/capita/day); however, the percentages of the amounts purchased by food types were similar among both nationalities. Average daily energy (kcal) per capita was almost double among Qatari HH (4275 kcal) vs. non-Qatari HH (2424 kcal). The food items under subsidy program for Qatari citizens provided 1753 kcal/capita/day and accounted for 41% of total daily energy. Proteins (29.2), fats (39.2), sodium (3.3), and vitamin C (32.5) had higher than recommended levels of nutrient density (grams per 1000 kcal). Calcium (227), vitamin A (302.3), fiber (2.0), and carbohydrates (132.6) had lower than recommended levels of nutrient energy density (g/1000 kcal).ConclusionsThe study predicts unhealthy dietary habits among HH in Qatar and provides useful information for policy makers and healthcare community.

The relationship between education and income inequality (the case of Pakistan)

The Income Inequality refers to the unequal distribution of family or individual wealth among the inhabitants of a particular economy. It is often determined by the percentage of income to a percentage of population. Like 50% of Pakistan’s income is controlled by the highest 20% population. It is generally thought of as “unjust," if the major share of a country’s income goes to the rich. Many researches have been done to find the level of Income Inequality in Pakistan, but these researches are not comparable because of differences in techniques, selection of welfare determinant, choice of data (individual or family incomes) and difference in indices for inequality measurement. It is also observed that two studies give contradictory results for the same period. This research tries to fill the gap by measuringthe impact of education on unequal distribution of income in Pakistan. The study uses Gini Coefficient method to measure Income Inequality in Pakistan by taking data available at the websites of PSLM (Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey), HIES (Household Income and Expenditure Survey) and MDG’s (Pakistan Millennium Development Goals).This This paper tries to determine the effects of various components of education on Income Inequality. Progress in education is judged by assessing three indicators: Primary Enrolment Rate, Completion Rate (grades 1-5) and Adult Literacy Rate. In this research, we define Adult Literacy Rate as Tertiary Rate as it includes population of ages 15 years and older. The pooled cross sectionaldata considered in this study is for the periods 2004/05, 2007/08 and 2010/11 The results of regression are as expected, which shows an unambiguously negative association between Primary Enrolment Rate andIncome inequality, however, as concluded by Barro (1996), it is validated that inequality increases with higher education. Therefore, an increase in schooling helps distributes income justifiably.

Updating poverty estimates in the absence of regular and comparable consumption data: methods and illustration with reference to a middle-income country

Monitoring poverty trends on a timely and consistent basis is a priority for policymakers. These objectives are difficult to achieve in practice when household consumption (income) data are neither frequently collected, nor collected using consistent criteria. This paper develops and applies a simple framework for survey-to-survey poverty imputation in an attempt to overcome these obstacles. The framework introduced here imposes few restrictive assumptions, works with simple variance formulas, provides general guidance on the selection of control variables for model building, and can be applied to imputation involving surveys with either the same, or differing, sampling designs. Results from combining Jordan's Household Expenditure and Income Survey (HEIS) with its Unemployment and Employment Survey (LFS) are quite encouraging, with imputation-based poverty estimates closely tracking direct estimates of poverty.

Fiscal Policy, Inequality and Poverty in Iran: Assessing the Impact and Effectiveness of Taxes and Transfers the Poor in the Developing World

Using the Iranian Household Expenditure and Income Survey (HEIS) for 2011/12, we apply the marginal contribution approach to determine the impact and effectiveness of each fiscal intervention, and the fiscal system as a whole, on inequality and poverty. Net direct and indirect taxes combined reduce the Gini coefficient by 0.0644 points and the headcount ratio by 61 percent. When the monetized value of in-kind benefits in education and health are included, the reduction in inequality is 0.0919 Gini points. Based on the magnitudes of the marginal contributions, we find that the main driver of these reductions is the Targeted Subsidy Program, a universal cash transfer program implemented in 2010 to compensate individuals for the elimination of energy subsidies. The main reduction in poverty occurs in rural areas, where the headcount ratio declines from 44 to 23 percent. In urban areas, fiscally-induced poverty reduction is more modest: the headcount ratio declines from 13 to 5 percent. Taxes and transfers are similar in their effectiveness in achieving their inequality-reducing potential. By achieving 40 percent of its inequality-reducing potential, the income tax is the most effective intervention on the revenue side. On the spending side, Social Assistance transfers are the most effective and they achieve 45 percent of their potential. Taxes are especially effective in raising revenue without causing poverty to rise, indicating that the poor are largely spared from being taxed. In contrast, since the bulk of transfers are not targeted to the poor, they are not very effective: the most effective ones achieve 20 percent of their poverty reduction potential. The effectiveness of the Targeted Subsidy Program could be improved by eliminating the transfer to top deciles and re-allocating the freed funds to the poor.

RISING OR FALLING INEQUALITY IN KOREA? POPULATION AGING AND GENERATIONAL TRENDS

Using 30 years of the South Korean household income and expenditure surveys (HIES) from 1982 to 2011, this paper argues that Korea experienced significantly differing generational trends in consumption and income inequality when taking demographic changes related to population aging into account. While income inequality stagnated or slightly rose over the past two generations, consumption inequality in fact declined. These antagonistic trends are likely due to better access of poorer households to financial markets as well as the gradual expansion of the welfare state. In the absence of appropriate policies, rapid population aging will substantially increase overall inequality in the future.

Jackknife Variance Estimation from Complex Survey Designs

Large scale surveys very often involve multi-stage sampling design, where the first-stage units are selected with varying probability sampling without replacement method and the second and subsequent stages units are selected with varying or equal probability sampling schemes. It is well known (vide Chaudhuri and Arnab (1982)) that for such sampling designs it impossible to find an unbiased estimator of the variance of the estimator of the population total (or mean) as a homogeneous quadratic function of the estimators of the totals (means) of second-stage units without estimating variances of the estimators of the totals (means) of the second and sub-sequent stages of sampling. Wolter (1985) has shown that the Jackknife estimators of the population total based on unequal probability sampling overestimates the variance. In this paper we have proposed an alternative Jackknife estimator after reduction of bias from the original Jackknife estimator. The performances of the proposed Jackknife estimator and the original estimator are compared through simulation studies using Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2002/03 data collected by CSO, Botswana. The simulation studies reveal that the proposed estimator fares better than the original Jackknife estimator in terms of relative bias and mean-square error.

Determinants of Household Welfare and Poverty in Botswana, 2002/03 and 2009/10

This paper investigates household determinants of welfare and poverty in Botswana. Using the 2002/03 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) and the 2009/10 Botswana Core Welfare Indicator Survey (BCWIS), and employing regression analysis, we identify education level and employment status of the household head, as some of the key determinants of household welfare and poverty in Botswana. Moreover, we find that residing in rural areas increases the likelihood of being poor and negatively relates to welfare. Therefore, public policy must continue to emphasize on education and job creation amongst the strategies for poverty reduction in Botswana. Still, initiatives for rural development are also critical for poverty reduction.

The impact of the 2005–2010 rice price increase on consumption in rural Bangladesh

AbstractThis article studies the impact of the rice price increase between 2005 and 2010 on consumption in rural Bangladesh. Using the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data, we compare net rice buyers and sellers to self‐sufficient households. To identify the effect of rice price changes on household consumption of rice, nonrice food and nonfood items, we employ a difference‐in‐differences (DiD) technique. Our findings indicate that the surge in domestic rice prices between 2005 and 2010 reduced the nonrice food consumption of net rice buyer households by 7%, compared to the households who are self‐sufficient in rice production. However, it did neither affect their rice nor their nonfood consumption. In contrast, while we find no significant effect of rice price increases on the rice consumption of net rice sellers, we observe a 9% increase in their nonrice food consumption. In such situation, a subsidy on low‐quality rice may be effective in fulfilling the nutritional requirement of low‐income households.

Stagnant Stunting Rate despite Rapid Economic Growth-An Analysis of Cross Sectional Survey Data of Undernutrition among Children under Five in Papua New Guinea.

BackgroundMaternal and child under-nutrition is a pervasive and detrimental condition in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Despite the rapid economic growth during the past decade, the stunting rate for children under 5 has remained at 46 percent in PNG.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to analyze the association between the demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related factors with undernutrition for children less than five years old in PNG.Data and MethodThe study used the 2009–2010 PNG Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES). The final sample included 3057 children under 5 years old. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the odds of stunting, wasting and underweight. Odds ratios were adjusted for independent variables at household and individual levels. Statistical analyses were done with Stata (version 14).FindingsLogistic regression analysis showed household wealth was a significant predictor of stunting: children in the richest wealth quintile were 28.9% (0.711 [0.53–0.95]) less likely to be stunted than were children in the poorest wealth quintile. Other factors also associated with stunting include geographic locations, household head education and incidence of malaria. Similar results were found when wasting and underweight were dependent variables.

Macro determinants of Iranian provincial healthcare expenditures from 2006 to 2013: evidence from panel data.

IntroductionDuring the last few decades, healthcare expenditures (HCEs) have increased significantly in Iran and throughout the world. Understanding the determinants of such increases is essential to health policymakers in finding the best policies to manage healthcare costs. This study aimed to determine the impact of some of the key explanatory variables on household healthcare expenditures across the provinces of Iran.MethodsA panel data econometric model was used to determine the main factors that affected household healthcare expenditures (HHCEs) across the provinces of Iran from March 21, 2006 to February 19, 2013. The data on household healthcare expenditures per capita, number of physicians per 10,000 population, the degree of urbanization, the proportion of the population that was 65 or older, household income per capita, and literacy rate were obtained from the Household Expenditure and Income Survey (HEIS) data in the Statistical Center of Iran. F-Limer and Hausman tests were used to choose the panel data, and Stata V.12 was used to analyze the data.ResultsOur findings indicated that income per capita, physicians per 10,000 population, and the degree of urbanization had significant impacts on healthcare expenditures. Also, the results of the study showed the elasticity of income, physicians, urbanization, proportion of the population 65 or older, and the literacy rate were 0.25 (p < 0.002), 0.37 (p < 0.001), 5.01 (p < 0.001), −0.1 (p < 0.73), and −1.02 (p < 0.082), respectively.ConclusionThe results of the study indicated that the income elasticity of healthcare expenditures was less than 1; health expenditures were considered to be a “necessity good” across the provinces of Iran during the period that was studied. In addition, there were some other factors that affected healthcare expenditures that were not considered in the study, such as the advancement of new technology and the costs of dying. However, it is recommended that future research examine the effect of these factors on HCEs in Iran.

Analyzing Citizen Profiles for Sri Lanka: A Review

Lifestyle is the key in determining citizen profiles of any country including Sri Lanka. Life style describes the way of living of individuals with in households on day-to-day life. According to literature, both Asian and European lifestyles mainly focus on areas such as income, education, health, communication and transportation. Sri Lanka also considers these areas as important fields in describing their citizen’s lifestyles according to its main financial reports and socio-economic indicators. As a developing country Sri Lankan Government must set appropriate future development plans to uplift the citizen’s life quality by analyzing socio-economic factors carefully. Furthermore socio-economic segmentation should be analyzed by paying attention to find out hidden pattern behind lifestyle data. On the other hand it is necessary to reveal issues and mismatches of current economic development programs for the development of the country. To achieve these objectives Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) dataset can be analyzed deeply as it cover core fields in Sri Lankan lifestyles. Furthermore, data mining is identified as a methodology to find out hidden patterns within the household dataset as it has the capability of handling huge set of data and finding correlations among dozens of fields.

Strengthening the contribution of aquaculture to food and nutrition security: The potential of a vitamin A-rich, small fish in Bangladesh

BackgroundSince 1961, global per capita fish consumption has nearly doubled. Much of the increase has been due to aquaculture. Bangladesh, the world's eighth largest fish producing country, has been part of this transformation. Despite having vitamin A supplementation and fortification programs, the prevalence of inadequate vitamin A intake (IVAI) in Bangladesh is very high, estimated to be 60%. The promotion of a small indigenous fish, high in vitamin A – mola carplet – offers a promising food-based approach to improving vitamin A status of the 98% of Bangladeshis who eat fish. The objective of this paper was to conduct a benefit–cost analysis of a national household pond Mola Promotion Program (MPP) in Bangladesh. MethodsUsing the 2005 Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) and nutrition and health statistics, we developed baseline estimates of usual vitamin A intake, the prevalence of IVAI and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Drawing on a WorldFish project and HIES data, we designed and modeled the implementation of a MPP, and calculated the additional vitamin A intake it would provide, calculated new incidence rates of VAD-related health outcomes and estimated MPP-attributable annual changes in DALYs. The MPP's total health benefits were calculated over the program's 11-year phase-in as the annual sum of DALYs saved. The MPP's costs were estimated as the sum of the costs of a small fish program of the Fisheries Development Program plus the costs of mola brood stock, other inputs and additional farmer training-related costs. Program costs and benefits were combined to produce estimates of the cost-effectiveness of the program. ResultsAn 11-year, $23 million project would increase average daily vitamin A intakes by 7μg retinol activity equivalent (RAE), reduce the prevalence of IVAI by 1.1 percentage points, and save 3000 lives and 100,000 DALYs, at a cost of $194 per DALY saved. The MPP's impact would be concentrated among homestead pond-fishing households that would consume 60% of the additional mola produced. Among these, it would reduce IVAI prevalence by 7 percentage points. If the MPP was implemented for at least 20years, it would dominate – have higher health benefits and lower total costs – than a national vitamin A wheat flour fortification program. ConclusionBy World Bank and World Health Organization criteria, the MPP is a cost-effective approach to reduce the burden of micronutrient malnutrition in Bangladesh.

Editors’ Note

As the editors of Vidyodaya Journal of Management (VJM), it is our pleasure and privilege topresent the inaugural issue of the journal to the academic community and the wider readershipacross the globe. VJM, a double blind peer-reviewed journal, is the official journal of theFaculty of Management Studies and Commerce of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura,Sri Lanka. It aims at disseminating innovative and high-quality research articles that enhanceconceptual and empirical knowledge in the broad areas of Management and OrganizationStudies. The journal welcomes articles of interdisciplinary nature. And it encourages differentmethodologies and theoretico-philosophical traditions which give new insights into the issuesin Management and Organization. As the editors, it is our understanding that the inauguralissue, though contains only four articles by the members of our own faculty, exemplifies theseegalitarian aspirations of the journal.We are leading the inaugural issue with the article, entitled “Place of Women in SriLankan Society: Measures for Their Empowerment for Development and Good Governance”,by H.M.A. Herath. In this article, Herath explores socio-economic, cultural and politicalprocesses that affect the status and progress of women in Sri Lanka. With a view ofempowering Sri Lankan women, he emphasises the importance of attitudinal change of policymakers. The second article, “Waiting Times and Defining Customer Satisfaction” by T.M.B.Palawatta, revisits the notion of satisfaction in the marketing literature. Palawatta argues thatdefining satisfaction/dissatisfaction as disconfirmation between expectation and perception isprobably the most appropriate definition of satisfaction in the context of service marketing.The third article of the inaugural issue, entitled “The Employment Status of the Elderlyin Sri Lanka: Emerging Patterns and Determinants”, co-authored by W.G.T.S. Senanayakaand M.H.A. Sisira Kumara, addresses some issues related to the employment status of theSri Lankan elderly. Senanayaka and Sisira Kumara use the Sri Lanka Household Income andExpenditure Surveys to examine the patterns and the determinants of employment status ofthe elderly. Based on a rigorous statistical analysis they explain what causes the employabilityof the Sri Lankan elderly. Our last article, “Marketing Culture and Corporate SocialResponsibility: A Case in Service Firms in Sri Lanka” by B.N.F. Warnakulasooriya, raisesan important empirical question: whether the marketing culture has a measurable impact oncorporate social responsibility in service organizations. By aptly analysing survey data from service firms in Sri Lanka, Warnakulasooriya shows the strong association that exists between marketing culture and corporate social responsibility.The inaugural issue of VJM, as we believe, marks another milestone of the long historyof the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce. We put all our efforts to establishthe culture of a true peer-reviewed journal, although it was a difficult and time-consumingjourney. Once we reflect on this journey and the globally competitive knowledge-productionindustry, it is our understating that, other than necessary infrastructure, courage, patience andcommitment of all interested parties are critical to establish a culture of a true peer-reviewedjournal. In this context, while inviting researchers and scholars across the globe to send theiroriginal research articles to the journal, we sincerely hope that VJM is a little step towardsthat direction.Finally, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all authors for their patience andkeeping their faith on us, reviewers and language editorial team for their unpaid academiclabour, Sandun Madhawa Kalugampitiya for helping us to develop the cover page of thejournal and Vasana Kaushalya for her (voluntary) role as the editorial assistant. Saman Yapa, P.D. Nimal and Dhammika JayawardenaUniversity of Sri Jayewardenepura

The effect of children on female labor force participation in urban Iran

This paper estimates the effect of having children on labor force participation of mothers in urban Iranian areas. I exploit sex composition of children as an exogenous source of variation in family size to account for endogeneity of fertility. Using information from the Iranian Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) over three samples, namely, households with one and more, two and more, and three and more children, I find no significant effect of fertility on female labor force participation in Iran. JEL codes: J13, J22

Scale-up potentialities of some social safety net programmes to climate change shocks in Bangladesh

Although Bangladesh is quite advanced in terms of setting up systems of social safety net (SSN) but the services in dealing climate change has gained little attention. On the other hand some specific public SSN programmes (SSNPs) like Vulnerable Group Development (VGD), Food-For-Work (FFW), Rural Employment and Road Maintenance Programme (RERMP) and Chars Livelihood Programme (CLP) through which most distressed and right less poor especially vulnerable rural women are benefitted, not yet tested whether the programmes promoted as climate proofed. Therefore the study was conducted for adapting those four SSNPs in dealing with climate change shocks like cyclone, flood, drought, water logging and salinity for escaping climate vulnerable poor from chronic poverty. Quantitative analysis has been made using the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2010 data set. Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) session and Case Studies were performed for addressing current SSNPs with their weaknesses or effectiveness and scale up potentialities to explore better livelihood and food security options for climate poor. Relevant stakeholders in government and NGO programmes have been consulted to assess the feasibility of options for further strengthening of aforesaid SSNPs. It is found that the SSN intervention with VGD, FFW and RERMP have minimum scope in dealing with climate change although the said tools are important especially to disadvantaged rural women for creating their employment opportunity as well as poverty alleviation. The VGD beneficiaries can properly be engaged to sustainable income generation and microfinance activities for future saving to promote adaptive capacity which would enhance their resiliencies to cope with climate change. The dead or silted-up rivers, canals or ponds and irrigation channels can be excavated or re-excavated by operating the major workfare SSNPs like FFW and the excavated soil can be utilized for creating, maintaining or elevating rural roads, embankment and other infrastructures which are quite crucial for mitigating the flood, storm surge, water logging or salinity issues. The canals or ponds can additionally be utilized for enough harvesting of monsoon rain or flood water thus salinity and drought problems would be minimized for a better agricultural intervention in the affected areas. The RERMP beneficiaries can be engaged to maintain embankments and tree plantation at pond periphery or at barren land with their proper nursing, compost preparation etc. The CLP is found as a concrete example for achieving climate change adaptation to uplift the socio-economic status of chronic poor char dwellers to recurrent floods in Jamuna and Brahmaputra basins. This programme can be extended from an 18-month to a two-year period and should have to spread-up to the chars of other vulnerable flood prone areas of Bangladesh. A good agricultural marketing system is also essential for proper and timely marketing of CLP-products in the locality.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijssm.v2i2.11618 Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-2, issue-2: 78-92

Determinants of Earnings and Selection into Labor Market by Controlling Selection Bias in Bangladesh

This paper uses the data of Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2005 to estimate the determinants of earnings and selection into labor market in Bangladesh. We deal with the selection bias in earnings by using a maximum likelihood system of equations, and a multinomial selection approach is used modeling for selection into the labor market. By instrumenting years of schooling in both the multinomial selection approach and the earnings equations, we deal with reverse causality between educational attainment and earnings. We find that the estimated parameters of the earnings equation under multinomial selection approach differs from ordinary least square (OLS) estimates and a binomial selection procedure. The estimated parameters that vary the most with those related variables have the strongest impact on multinomial selection into the different labor-market statuses. We also find that workers with higher educational attainment are more likely to search out a salaried employees’ job, which non-salaried work is as another to inactivity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dujs.v62i1.21953 Dhaka Univ. J. Sci. 62(1): 11-16, 2014 (January)

Juxtaposing Nutrient Intake Estimates from 24-Hour Recall, 7-Day Recall, and Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES): Comparing Bangladesh’s Integrated Household Survey (BIHS 2011-12) and Its Income and Expenditure Survey (2010 HIES)

Juxtaposing Nutrient Intake Estimates from 24-Hour Recall, 7-Day Recall, and Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES): Comparing Bangladesh’s Integrated Household Survey (BIHS 2011-12) and Its Income and Expenditure Survey (2010 HIES)

A novel application of the VIKOR method for investigating the effect of education on housing choice

While almost all studies on housing choice in the literature use econometric methods, the present paper applies the Vlsekriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. The VIKOR introduces the multi-attribute ranking indices based on a particular measure of closeness to the ideal solution. This method was applied using the household income and expenditure survey (HIES) for urban regions of the Hamedan province in Iran. The best dwelling units for three groups of decision makers (household heads) with different levels of education were identified. The results showed that the level of education has a direct effect on housing choice in the study area.