International Household Survey Network

International Household Survey Network
Name	International Household Survey Network
Abbreviation	IHSN
Formation	2002
Type	International partnership
Region	Global
Headquarters	Washington, D.C., Paris
Parent organization	World Bank, United Nations Development Programme

Contents

International Household Survey Network The International Household Survey Network is a global partnership that coordinated statistical household survey activities among international institutions such as the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children's Fund, International Monetary Fund, and regional bodies like the African Development Bank and Asian Development Bank. It supported national statistical offices including Statistics South Africa, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and facilitated collaboration with programs like the Millennium Development Goals monitoring, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Living Standards Measurement Study and the Demographic and Health Survey. The network linked donors such as the United Kingdom Department for International Development, the United States Agency for International Development, and the European Commission with technical partners including the International Labour Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and academic centers like Harvard University and the University of Oxford.

Overview

IHSN was formed through initiatives led by the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme with technical inputs from the United Nations Statistics Division, International Labour Organization, and donor coordination from the European Commission, United Kingdom Department for International Development and United States Agency for International Development. Early collaborations involved datasets and metadata standards influenced by projects at Harvard University and the London School of Economics, and operational links with national offices like Statistics Canada, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain). The Network evolved alongside global efforts such as the Millennium Development Goals review and the transition toward the Sustainable Development Goals, aligning with methodological work at institutions like OECD and UNICEF.

The Network aimed to improve coordination among stakeholders including World Bank, IMF, ADB, AfDB and national agencies such as Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Ghana Statistical Service, Philippine Statistics Authority by promoting standards drawn from the International Labour Organization, UNSD, OECD and academic guidance from Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Michigan. Activities included developing metadata registries similar to initiatives at the Data Documentation Initiative, training workshops with partners like USAID, DFID and UNICEF, producing tools for survey design used by programs such as the Demographic and Health Survey and the Living Standards Measurement Study, and supporting capacity building in countries like Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda through collaborations with African Development Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Governance involved steering committees with representation from World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children's Fund, International Labour Organization, and donor agencies including European Commission, USAID, DFID. Members comprised national statistical offices such as Statistics South Africa, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Ecuador), Central Bureau of Statistics (Tanzania), research centers like INDEPTH Network, LSHTM, and implementers of major survey programs including the Demographic and Health Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. The Network coordinated with standards bodies like the UN Statistical Commission and workshops organized at venues such as World Bank HQ, UNICEF House and university centers at London School of Economics.

IHSN promoted methodological harmonization drawing on frameworks from the International Labour Organization, United Nations Statistics Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and technical guidance used in the Demographic and Health Survey and Living Standards Measurement Study. It advanced metadata standards influenced by the Data Documentation Initiative, supported coding schemes like the International Classification of Diseases and integrated household modules common to surveys run by World Health Organization, UNFPA and UNICEF. Training materials and toolkits were developed in collaboration with academic partners including University of Cambridge, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley and technical agencies such as the International Monetary Fund and Inter-American Development Bank.

The Network contributed to improved survey coordination across national offices such as Statistics South Africa, Ghana Statistical Service, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and multilateral initiatives like the Millennium Development Goals monitoring and the Sustainable Development Goals reporting mechanisms. It influenced metadata practices used by repositories inspired by the Data Documentation Initiative and helped standardize modules deployed by the Demographic and Health Survey, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and the Living Standards Measurement Study, supporting research at institutions like Harvard University, London School of Economics, University of Oxford and informing policy dialogues in forums including the UN Statistical Commission and World Bank conferences. Its legacy persists in national capacity building efforts supported by donors such as USAID, DFID and regional banks like the African Development Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Category:International statistical organizations