The 1995/1996 Household Income, Expenditure - (PDF, 101 mb ...

eradicating a boot sector virus which infected CAPMAS computers. This virus
spread to computers outside of CAPMAS before being detected and eradicated
by F-PROT software.
Other simple hardware problems were recurrent and avoidable, such as
dirty tape heads (and no access to cleaner cartridges), overheating of the
servers from piling materials on them, communication cables being too close to
electrical wires, and people tinkering with PC settings in Windows, or
accidently kicking plugs out of sockets. Eventually we kept the LAN free of
major problems with climate controlled air conditioning, and simple rules
against the entry and exit of copied electronic data.
The procurement contract did not include technical support for LAN
maintenance, and CAPMAS was ill-prepared to address LAN difficulties.
1.D.13 Evaluation Recommendations
1.27
Efficiency and productivity in large-scale survey data collection come about
from standardization, agreement and coordination of survey aspects; sample
selection, data processing, and subject-matter concerns. The institution
avoids duplication and omission of functions by encouraging open and full
communication among and between all partners in the chain of survey
responsibility. Problems confound, aggregate, and accumulate when one
section is not aware about what another section is doing.
Documentation is an integral aspect in the development of a program of
household surveys. For the long-run administrative and institutional
development of CAPMAS, HIECS staff should have formalized much more their
contributions and experiences in writing. Tangible survey materials, especially
sample selection procedures and worksheets, camera-ready questionnaire
pages, data entry screens, training manuals, catalogues of specific problems
encountered, information about geographic differences in Egypt (languages,
access problems, nomadic ethnic groups), were surprisingly sparse given the
number of surveys CAPMAS undertakes. It is strongly recommended that
CAPMAS make every effort to save copies of related survey material from the
1995/1996 HIECS,and it is hoped that this paper, with its associated appendix,
will contribute to the overall documentation effort.
One great opportunity for survey development within CAPMAS which did
not attain the full measure of its potential was the development of an analysis
round-table. Such a group was proposed and met in December, 1995, to
brainstorm, to propose various analysis hypotheses which would address the
data user requirements of the Egyptian Ministries, to suggest longer-term
analysis plans and nurture a capacity to undertake local research into
household expenditures and incomes. This initiative was proposed by the
survey manager, who believed that the final measure of institutional success
would be the eventual removal of the need for technical assistance from
outside of the organization. The analysis plan was usually responsive to
Egypt's policy context generally, but the explicit mechanisms for supporting
uniquely Egyptian policy change were never truly voiced. It was felt that if
a local research capacity were to take root, the host country would have to be
responsible initially for preparing the questions which analysis would address.
The one time the group met resulted in valuable suggestions for HIECS
tabulation, but a host of factors conspired against following up.