Working with Data A Guide for Students Eduard Joseph D.P. Robleza 02 July 2009.

Working with DataA Guide for Students

Eduard Joseph D.P. Robleza02 July 2009

Preliminaries Prepare your research question and review

the literature on your topic before thinking about your approach to collecting data.

Your research dictates the type of data—and hence the methods—that you will use.Qualitative vs. QuantitativePrimary vs. Secondary

The quality of your analysis is only as good as that of your data.

Two types of data Primary data

Data you’ll have to collect and process yourselfUsually via surveys, interviews, focused group

discussions, etc.

Secondary dataData that’s been processed and ready to useWidely available through various published or

online resources

Tips

Using Secondary Data Sources:

paper-based sources – books, journals, periodicals, abstracts, indexes, directories, research reports, conference papers, annual company reports, newspapers and magazines, government/official statistics, etc.

electronic sources– CD-ROMs, on-line databases, Internet, videos and broadcasts, etc.

Tips

Using Secondary Data Secondary data may have been collected for

an entirely different purpose than yours:Where did the data come from? Is it current or outdated?Can it be combined or compared with other data

sets? Are they expressed in the same units?How are abbreviations and descriptions defined?

(e.g., What does GRDP stand for? How do the authors define “small” when they describe “small enterprises”?)

Tips

Using Secondary Data Data collected by others can contribute to

your findings considerably:They may be on a much broader scale than you

could hope to collect yourself.Use them in your introduction or review of related

literature (RRL) as support or evidence for your case.

Analyze or re-interpret the data to suit your own purpose (i.e., do comparisons, run correlations, etc.).

Cite your sources properly.

Tips

Using Primary Data Methods of collection:

Surveys/questionnaires – a popular means, but may be difficult and costly to design and implement.

Interviews – usually with key informants; used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons or motivations for attitudes, behavior, or preferences.

Focused group discussions – usually conducted by a trained moderator in a non-structured manner; used to gain insights by listening to respondents from the appropriate target group talk about specific issues of interest.

Tips

Using Primary Data Questionnaires:

Advantages A method in its own right or as basis for interviews Can cover a large number of respondents Avoids embarrassment on the part of the respondent (possible

anonymity) and bias on the part of the interviewer May be relatively cheap, especially if emailed or faxed

Disadvantages Low response rate and incomplete questionnaires Time delays Loss of control over who actually completes the form Design problems (e.g., simplicity and objectivity of questions,

length of questionnaire, coding and encoding, etc.)

Tips

Using Primary Data Questionnaires:

Key considerations: Sampling: Which groups? What size? Types of questions: Closed, open, attitude/preference questions Testing/Pilot survey – also considers rewrites and refinements Distribution and return Encoding

Tips

Using Primary Data Interviews:

Advantages Usually yields more accurate information and good response rates Entails immediate completion Gives opportunities to ask complex, probing questions Can be used to investigate motives, feelings, preferences

Disadvantages Limited by geography, availability of respondents, etc. Normally requires a fixed set of questions May involve respondent bias or embarrassment Requires transcription and interviewer training

Tips

Using Primary Data Interviews:

Key considerations: Interview respondents: purposively selected Appointment: time and venue Props and recording equipment Structured or unstructured (aka in-depth) interviews Tokens for interviewees

Tips

Using Primary Data Keep in mind that you collect the data

yourself, so consider your available time and resources.

The data you collect will be unique to you and your research.

Selected Data Sources

Selected Data Sources

Financial & Monetary Variables Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

(http://www.bsp.gov.ph) Money supply indicators (Total Liquidity, M1, M3, etc.) Banking & financial system indicators (Total loans and

assets, non-performing loans ratios, etc.) Selected domestic and foreign interest rates (Policy rates,

reserve requirements, T-bill rates, SIBOR, LIBOR, etc.)

Others: Stock index: PSEi (Philippine Stock Exchange) US Interest Rates (US Federal Reserve)

Selected Data Sources

Fiscal Indicators Bureau of the Treasury

(http://www.treasury.gov.ph) National government cash operations:

Total revenue Tax revenues Total expenditure Interest payments Net cash position (deficit/surplus) Primary surplus

Outstanding debt: Foreign debt Domestic debt Total debt

Selected Data Sources

External Variables Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

(http://www.bsp.gov.ph) Exchange rates

Nominal (Php:$, Php:Euro, etc.) Nominal and Real effective exchange rates

Balance-of-payments accounts (Capital and current) International reserves

National Statistics Office (http://www.census.gov.ph) Trade: Merchandise exports and imports OFW remittances (OFW Deployment from POEA)

Selected Data Sources

Prices National Statistics Office

(http://www.census.gov.ph) Core and headline inflation rates Consumer and producer price indices

Others (Commodity prices) Oil: Spot prices, Dubai, Brent, etc. (World Bank) Domestic gasoline, diesel, LPG prices (National Statistical

Coordination Board: http://www.nscb.gov.ph) Minerals: Gold, Silver, Tin, etc. (BSP)

Selected Data Sources

Real Sector & Industries National Statistical Coordination Board

(http://www.nscb.gov.ph) GDP, GNP, growth rates – real and nominal

Disaggregated into either production side (Industries) or demand side (demand: C + I + G + NX)

Industry-specific data: (Economic Indicators) Car, appliance, energy sales Mining production and prices Tourist arrivals

Others (Commodity prices) Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries – NSO Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Statistics

(http://www.bas.gov.ph)

Working with DataA Guide for Students