Using an "Outdated" PPI

Hey Maneet, It is true that the PPI will generally be biased when applied after the last month of fieldwork of the relevant survey used in its construction. Inevitably the relationship between the indicators and poverty will change over time, to an unknown extent. Additionally, the poverty lines used in estimating poverty rates are based on prices from the time period of the survey, thus benchmarking results against current rates would not be advised. Considering the length of time that has passed since the last month of the 2005/06 EICV in Rwanda, it is likely that a considerable bias exists. In terms of whether this warrants not using the PPI, this is ultimately up to your organization and how you plan to use the tool. While we aim to keep all PPIs updated, sometimes the lack of demand, or the lack of a new national survey upon which to update the tool, prevents us from doing so. In the case of Rwanda, the most recent survey was completed in 2011, and a new one is planned to begin this year, with an estimated completion of December 2015. To date we have not yet received the interest or funding to complete an update for Rwanda, but if you are interested in discussing the update process further, please reach out to me at mwalsh@grameenfoundation.org.