Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys

Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys
Name	Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys
Established	1995
Jurisdiction	United Nations
Parent agency	UNICEF
Type	Household survey

Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys

Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys are international household survey programs designed to provide statistically robust data on the situation of children and women across countries. Initiated and coordinated by UNICEF, the surveys support national statistical offices, ministries such as Ministry of Health (Tanzania), and international partners including World Health Organization, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and UN Population Fund to inform policy, planning, and monitoring of goals like those in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The program interacts with global initiatives such as the Demographic and Health Surveys program and regional agencies like the African Union and European Commission statistical services.

Overview

The program produces standardized datasets and tabulations for indicators covering topics associated with child welfare tracked by entities like Global Partnership for Education, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Surveys are implemented by national partners such as the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain) equivalent offices, with technical support from UNICEF country offices, regional offices like UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, and global technical teams linked to institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Outputs inform reviews at forums such as the UN General Assembly and the World Health Assembly.

History and Development

Launched in the mid-1990s under the aegis of UNICEF, the program evolved through collaboration with actors including the United Nations Statistical Commission, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors like the United Kingdom Department for International Development and United States Agency for International Development. Early methodological alignment occurred alongside the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program and initiatives by the United Nations Children's Fund leading to harmonized standards reflected in manuals produced in partnership with organizations such as USAID and academic contributors from Harvard University. Periodic revisions have responded to global frameworks like the Millennium Development Goals and later the Sustainable Development Goals.

Methodology

Surveys follow probability sampling frameworks coordinated with national statistical offices and use standardized questionnaires developed with technical inputs from World Health Organization, UNICEF, and academic partners such as Columbia University and University College London. Field operations utilize clusters often defined using cartography from institutions like the United Nations Geospatial Information Section and enumeration procedures aligned with standards from the International Organization for Standardization. Data collection employs tablets and software platforms developed in collaboration with firms and research centers including Google, Open Data Kit, and The World Bank's Development Data Group. Quality assurance involves training supported by entities like the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and external survey auditors including consultants from Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Key Indicators and Modules

Questionnaires cover modules on child health tracked by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance targets (immunization), nutrition metrics referenced by the Global Nutrition Report, water and sanitation indicators promoted by World Bank Water Global Practice, and protection measures linked to agencies such as UNHCR and International Rescue Committee. Modules address topics of interest to specialized actors like UN Women for gender-disaggregated measures, UNFPA for adolescent reproductive health, and WHO for disease prevalence. Standard indicators map to monitoring frameworks used by Global Vaccine Action Plan and international compendia like the UN Common Database.

Implementation and Global Coverage

Implemented in partnership with national agencies across regions covered by organizations such as the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank, surveys have been conducted in countries from India and Nigeria to Brazil and Indonesia. Collaboration often involves donors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and technical partners such as Measure Evaluation and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. Regional workshops convene stakeholders from institutions like the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Data Use and Impact

Results have informed national strategies developed by ministries such as Ministry of Health (Ethiopia), influenced programming by international agencies including UNICEF, WHO, and Save the Children, and supported advocacy by civil society organizations like Plan International and OXFAM. Data feed into global monitoring produced by UNICEF, the World Bank, and UNDP, contributing to composite indices such as the Human Development Index and assessments by the Global Burden of Disease study. Survey outputs have been cited in reports by bodies like the UNICEF Executive Board and influenced financing decisions by entities such as the Global Fund.

Limitations and Criticisms

Critiques from researchers at institutions like London School of Economics and University of Oxford point to issues including periodicity limits noted by analysts at the International Statistical Institute, challenges in comparability raised by experts at the OECD, and concerns about undercoverage highlighted by NGOs such as Human Rights Watch. Operational constraints discussed in evaluations by donors including DFID (now Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) and USAID include sampling frame lag, response bias examined by scholars at Princeton University, and data timeliness debated in fora like the UN Statistical Commission. Efforts to address limitations have involved partnerships with academic centers such as McGill University and technology collaborations with private sector firms like Esri.

Category:Surveys