DDI_SLV_2008_MCC-RE_v01_M Millennium Challenge Corporation 2014-09 NADA Version 1 (2014-8-7) Version 1.1 (2014-9-30) - Evaluator updated some field activities detail Version 2.0 (May 2015). Edited version based on Version 01 (DDI-MCC-SLV-IE-ENERGY-2014-v1) that was done by Millennium Challenge Corporation. Rural Electrification 2008-2014 Impact MCC-RE 2008-14 SLV_2008_MCC-RE_v01_M Social Impact NADA Millennium Challenge Corporation Monitoring & Evaluation Division Independent Impact Evaluation El Salvador impact evaluation propensity score matching random assignment vouchers energy El Salvador impact evaluation energy propensity score matching random assignment vouchers The impact evaluation seeks to determine the impact of electrification on the cost of energy, energy consumption, time allocation, and household income. Because the new electric lines will come from the existing power grid, an experimental design is not feasible for the overall impact evaluation. Therefore, the evaluators will combine two parallel approaches. The first approach to evaluate the overall impact of the project will use a non-experimental design taking advantage of the timeline of the rollout of the project and using propensity score matching to identify treatment (households that receive the new electrical service) and control groups (households that do not receive new service). Using specialized household surveys for both the household head and his/her spouse and with an intra-household time allocation module, the evaluators will estimate the differences in energy consumption, household income, and time use between the treatment and control groups. A difference-in-difference estimation method will control for changes in non-observable variables, and instrumental variables estimation will control for any remaining potential sources of selection bias. The second approach will focus on the first set of households to be connected to the electricity grid, i.e. a subsample of towns and households from the full sample being evaluated. From this sub-sample of households we will select randomly an additional control and treatment group. The treatment group will be randomly assigned vouchers for 20% and 50% of the cost of the installation of the connection that the households/business will need to pay in order access the electricity once the cable reaches their household/business (the average cost is around 120 US$). Vouchers will be assigned randomly to 400 eligible survey respondents. The vouchers would not only encourage a sufficient level of demand for electricity access in the early stages of intervention, but would also provide a basis for experimental evaluation of accessibility to electricity by serving as an instrumental variable for electricity access. The randomly selected control towns and households will serve as an appropriate control group given that they will receive no vouchers. El Salvador The study includes only two departments, Chalatenango and San Miguel. These departments are proposed because they include the largest numbers of cantons that will benefit from the electrification program. In addition, these districts include a number of cantons that will be benefited from the road improvement and the electrification programs. Although rather modest, these districts will play a key role in the study of complementarities between road improvement and electrification. individuals, households, community The evaluation will use household surveys and community surveys. To identify the households to be sampled, a census of the selected areas was implemented and a sample framework was developed which include a variable that identified if the household had access to electricity or not. From the sample framework a stratified random sample was selected within the household which did not have access to electricity at the moment of the pre-census. The household survey will interview approximately 1,532 households especifically for the electricity sub-activity impact evaluation. Sample survey data [ssd] Dirección General de Estadísticas y Censos The evaluation will use household surveys and community surveys. To identify the households to be sampled, a census of the selected areas was implemented and a sample framework was developed which include a variable that identified if the household had access to electricity or not. From the sample framework a stratified random sample was selected within the household which did not have access to electricity at the moment of the pre-census. The household survey will interview approximately 1,532 households. The household questionnaire includes two sections - one that will be answered by the primary male household representative (including household income and agricultural productivity) and will be administered by a male enumerator, and the second which will be answered by the primary female representative in the household (including household demographics, time allocation, and expenses) and administered by a female enumerator. The survey has detailed sections for each of the outcomes to be evaluated, both intermediate and final outcomes. In addition, and to be able to control for accessibility to markets, each of the survey households was geo-referenced. If both persons are not present at the time of the first visit, enumerators will attempt to make an appointment and return again to interview the appropriate person, provided that this return visit is possible within the time that the survey team will be in the area. When possible, a second adult can also be included in the interview process, particularly for the questions related to work and agricultural output. The survey is designed to take between 1 and 1 ½ hours for each questionnaire (i.e. male and female). In follow-up years the survey instrument consists of shorter questionaire that is administered to the person in the households that is best informed for each section. The community survey will be applied to communities where selected households live. This survey will gather information about the local economy; price levels for food, basic commodities, and water and sanitation related expenditures; community infrastructure and access key markets and social services. The goal of the surveys is to provide some context for the information gathered in the household surveys, to track community-level changes that may affect outcomes, and to reduce the required length of the household survey questionnaire. Interviewing was conducted by teams of interviewers. Each interviewing team comprised of 3-4 interviewers, and a supervisor, and a driver. The role of the supervisor was to coordinate field data collection activities, including management of the field teams, supplies and equipment, finances, maps and listings, coordinate with local authorities concerning the survey plan and make arrangements for accommodation and travel. Additionally, a chief field supervisor assigned the work to the supervisors/interviewers, spot checked work, maintained field control documents, and sent completed questionnaires and progress reports to the central office. The team 2 coordinators for data entry and quality control that were responsible for managing the headquarter team reviewing each questionnaire, checking for missed questions, skip errors, fields incorrectly completed, and checking for inconsistencies in the data. For the follow-up surveys electronic devices where specifically programmed for the survey that automatically performed checks of the data in the field. Millennium Challenge Corporation Millennium Challenge Corporation http://data.mcc.gov/evaluations/index.php/catalog/111 Cost: None