Panel data sets are useful to inequality and poverty researchers because panel studies track the same unit (e.g., persons/households) over different time periods. Panel data can therefore be used to study dynamic phenomena that cannot be investigated using cross sections. For example, with panel data one can describe movement into and out of poverty, rather than just static poverty rates. These features of panel data and how they can be used effectively were workshopped with early career researchers by a team from ACEIR South Africa. It was part of capacity building sessions hosted by ARUA’s centres of excellence during its 2023 biennial conference.
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