Call detail records (CDRs) from mobile phone metadata are a promising data source for mapping poverty indicators in low- and middle-income countries. This study utilizes CDR data from Namibia, Nepal, and Bangladesh to map poverty and wealth patterns. Five metrics of user mobility and call behavior explain 50-65% of the variance in socioeconomic status nationally across these countries, demonstrating the generalizability of these metrics for poverty estimation. The study highlights the importance of ancillary data and local context in understanding model outputs for targeted poverty alleviation strategies.
Publisher
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
Published On
Nov 22, 2021
Authors
Jessica E. Steele, Carla Pezzulo, Maximilian Albert, Christopher J. Brooks, Elisabeth zu Erbach-Schoenberg, Siobhán B. O'Connor, Pål R. Sundsøy, Kenth Engø-Monsen, Kristine Nilsen, Bonita Graupe, Rajesh Lal Nyachhyon, Pradeep Silpakar, Andrew J. Tatem
Tags
call detail records
poverty indicators
socioeconomic status
mobile phone metadata
Namibia
Nepal
Bangladesh
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