SOCIOECONOMIC STRATIFICATION BY WEALTH RANKING - IS IT VALID

This paper validates a Rapid Rural Appraisal wealth-ranking technique using standard socioeconomic indicators from a household survey in rur al Bangladesh. Key informants stratified 1,637 households into three w ealth groups according to a number of broad criteria and a questionnai re was subsequently administered to each household. Health, demographi c and economic variables derived from the questionnaire were found to differ significantly according to wealth group. Analysis supports the construct validity and empirical validity of the wealth-ranking techni que as a means of stratifying households by socioeconomic status. The requirements for external validity, as assessed through the comparison of findings with similar studies elsewhere in South Asia, are also sa tisfied. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.