IPUMS International Team

Rodrigo Lovaton Davila

Research Scientist

lovat003@umn.edu

IPUMS Data Projects

IPUMS International

Research Interests and Project Expertise

Inequality and socio-economic status measurement, microdata harmonization, data quality and reformatting

Biography

I joined IPUMS International as a graduate research assistant while I was pursuing my Ph.D. in applied economics at the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation in 2015, I started a full-time position, focusing on data production for the project, microdata harmonization, and the assessment of data quality. In the past, I worked at different research centers based in Peru, where I gained experience on various aspects of survey design and data collection.

As part of my research, I have studied the development of a socioeconomic status measure for census microdata based on asset ownership and dwelling characteristics. I analyzed both its data requirements and alternative statistical methods to define this proxy variable. In recent work, I also collaborated on papers calculating development goals indicators using international census microdata and assessing spatial inequalities for these indicators.

Selected Works

Lovaton Davila, Rodrigo; McCarthy, Aine; Kirdruang, Phatta; Sharma, Uttam; and Dorothy Gondwe (2022). "Water, walls, and bicycles: Wealth index composition using census microdata." Journal of Demographic Economics, 88(1): 79-120.

Friedemann-Sánchez, Greta and Rodrigo Lovaton Davila (2012). "Intimate partner violence in Colombia: Who is at risk?" Social Forces, 91(2): 663-688.