For more details on the methodology, see Annex 14.
Additionally, LIRNEasia has also entered into a collaboration with the Nanyang Technological University (NTU,
Singapore, under Prof. Rich Ling’s charge), to conduct further analyses of the Myanmar data collected on
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information and communication needs among low income urban micro-enterprises by LIRNEasia in 2014 ,
toward academic papers. One such paper has been co-authored with Prof. Rich Ling and others from NTU, and
submitted to Information, Communication & Society for consideration.
Discussions are also currently underway with the /mobile vulnerability analysis and mapping (m-Vam) team of
the United Nations World Food Programme to share the data from the baseline survey. The data is to be used to
understand relationships between food security and mobile phone usage, and to produce weights for their
mobile phone based surveys
4.1.1.2 Impact analysis
The conceptualization and initial socioeconomic impact analysis of the data collected at baseline was led by Jorge
Garcia Hombrados, who has substantive expertise in impact analysis as a former researcher at J-PAL and 3ie. Due
to his time constraints however, the latter stage of the analysis will be carried by LIRNEasia researchers under his
supervision.
The analysis so far has been aimed at establishing an empirical strategy as to how to measure and calculate the
impacts given the data at hand. The insufficient proportion of wards and villages with no mobile network at
baseline necessitated the collection of mobile signal strength data, such that the impacts of improving signal
strength between baseline and follow-up could be assessed (as opposed to the provision of mobile networks,
where none previously existed). The empirical design being proposed will exploit the large variation in signal
strength across wards and villages at baseline, such that an instrumental variable approach can be used to
measure socioeconomic impacts. The approach is still being tested, and once the researchers are satisfied with
the approach, the actual calculations of impacts can commence.
4.1.2 Demand side research: Qualitative
4.1.2.1 Gender and ICTs
91 respondents aged 18-65 were interviewed for this qualitative study to analyze the reasons for differences in
mobile ownership between men and women. Gender and their locality (urban vs rural) were key factors used
when selecting respondents.
The sample table for the research is given below.
Focus group
discussions
Home visits
Female
Urban
(Yangon)
Male
Total
Protocols
Rural
(Pantanaw)
Urban
(Yangon)
Rural
(Pantanaw)
Participants
4
4
1
2
11
66
10
10
3
2
25
25
91
Mobile owners and non owners of of varying ages and socioeconomic categories were interviewed.
LIRNEasia took part in the selection of the research vendor (Myanmar Survey Research, MSR) with GSMA,
designed the sample and research instruments. Nilusha Kapugama (Former Senior Research Manager, LIRNEasia)
and Chiranthi Rajapakse (Senior Researcher, LIRNEasia) participated in some of the early protocols, conducting
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Facilitated through IDRC project number 107077-001