Often we find that in participatory processes, robust statistical analysis finds little support. No wonder econometricians are rarely seen in a workshop drawing on flip charts or assigning values to people and things with coloured pebbles. However, new work on how statistical methods and participatory approaches can be integrated is increasingly available. Barahona and Levy's paper is based on participatory surveys used to evaluate free agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers in Malawi. The paper describes a methodology that integrated statistical principles into the design of the participatory tools to be used in the workshops at the village level.

In a similar study, Kanbur, Chambers, Petesch and Uphoff, consider the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative methods to consider possible integrations between them. The qualitative approach, in their view, offers a richer definition of poverty and its causes as well as more accuracy and depth in analysis. Quantitative methods, on the other hand, provide credibility before policymakers and allow for cross-sectional comparisons.

To integrate them, the authors suggest 1) the creation of mixed quantitative/qualitative teams to address specific poverty issues and 2) multiplex surveys and panel data focusing on the same households as a way of triangulating methods and information.