Longitudinal data for labour market analysis: NIDS and NIDS-CRAM
Prof. Vimal Ranchhod (SALDRU) provides an introduction to longitudinal (panel) data and its value for labour-market analysis, drawing on the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS, five waves 2008 to 2017) and NIDS-CRAM (the COVID-era rapid mobile study, 2020 to 2021). Ranchhod showed how tracking the same individuals over time, unlike cross-sectional surveys, lets researchers measure dynamic flows such as job-finding, migration and dropout, using examples on informality and youth employment to show why this matters for planning and policy evaluation.
Presented at the 2026 Public Economics Conference.
