This blog is the fourth of a series of blogs showcasing the different features of the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP).
In this segment of our video-blog series, we review PIP’s Statistics Online platform, so-called, SOL. Together with the launch of PIP, in April the World Bank released its first public version of SOL, a platform that allows the public to conduct their own computations directly on the microdata used for official World Bank poverty and inequality estimates.
While entire datasets cannot be viewed or downloaded, SOL allows users to perform summary statistics to explore and understand the dataset, perform calculations and make graphs. In addition to the official World Bank’s welfare aggregates (along with the necessary price deflation variables), individual and household variables are also included, such as age, gender, education, and access to infrastructure services, which will expand the research opportunities for SOL users.
Users should bear in mind that not all the microdata reported in PIP is available in SOL, due to data confidentiality reasons. Access is provided to the surveys that have been made publicly available by each country.
Finally, we strongly encourage all new SOL users to carefully review the Sample Notebook, located in the private workspace. This document contains practical examples from how to properly deflate welfare aggregates to replicate the poverty rates published in PIP, and more!
Make sure to check next week’s blog where we will review PIP’s API feature.
We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the UK government through the Data and Evidence for Tackling Extreme Poverty (DEEP) Research Programme. This work has also been supported by the World Bank’s Partnership Fund for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG Fund) and a World Bank trust fund with the Republic of Korea, acting through the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management (KDIS), for the KDI School Partnership for Knowledge Creation and Sharing.
Join the Conversation