PNADCperiods
Identify Reference Periods in Brazil's PNADC Survey Data
Identifies reference periods (months, fortnights, and weeks) in Brazil's quarterly PNADC (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicilios Continua) survey data and computes calibrated weights for sub-quarterly analysis. The core algorithm uses IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica) 'Parada Tecnica' (technical break) rules combined with respondent birthdates to determine which temporal period each survey observation refers to. Period identification follows a nested hierarchy enforced by construction: fortnights require months, weeks require fortnights. Achieves approximately 97% monthly determination rate with the full series (2012-2025). Strict fortnight and week rates are approximately 9% and 3% respectively, as they cannot leverage cross-quarter panel aggregation. Experimental strategies (probabilistic assignment and UPA (Primary Sampling Unit) aggregation) further improve these determination rates. The package provides adaptive hierarchical weight calibration (4/2/1 cell levels for month/fortnight/week) with period-specific smoothing to produce survey weights calibrated to SIDRA (Sistema IBGE de Recuperacao Automatica) population totals. Also includes a SIDRA mensalization module that converts 86+ official rolling quarter series from the IBGE SIDRA API (Application Programming Interface) into exact monthly estimates, without requiring access to microdata. Hecksher and Barbosa (2026) < https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/fra5u_v1>.
PNADCperiods
Convert Brazil's quarterly PNADC survey data into sub-quarterly time series (monthly, fortnightly, weekly) and mensalize IBGE SIDRA aggregate series.
Installation
Install the released version from CRAN:
install.packages("PNADCperiods")
Or the development version from the dev branch on GitHub:
# install.packages("remotes")
remotes::install_github("antrologos/PNADCperiods", ref = "dev")
Main Features
- Microdata mensalization: Identify reference months, fortnights, and weeks in PNADC microdata
- SIDRA mensalization: Convert 86+ rolling quarterly IBGE series to exact monthly values
- Weight calibration: Hierarchical raking to IBGE population totals
- ~97% monthly determination with full data stacking; experimental strategies improve fortnight/week rates further
Interactive Dashboard
Explore 86+ official PNADC series with an interactive dashboard -- no R required:
https://antrologos.shinyapps.io/PNADCperiods-dashboard/
The dashboard is built on top of this package and lets you visualize mensalized series, compare strategies, and download monthly time-series as CSV.
Basic Usage
Microdata Mensalization
library(PNADCperiods)
# Build crosswalk identifying reference periods
crosswalk <- pnadc_identify_periods(pnadc_stacked)
# Apply to data with weight calibration
result <- pnadc_apply_periods(pnadc, crosswalk, weight_var = "V1028", anchor = "quarter")
SIDRA Series Mensalization
# Fetch rolling quarterly data from SIDRA
rolling <- fetch_sidra_rolling_quarters(theme = "labor_market")
# Convert to exact monthly series
monthly <- mensalize_sidra_series(rolling)
Key Functions
Microdata
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
pnadc_identify_periods() |
Build crosswalk: identify months/fortnights/weeks |
pnadc_apply_periods() |
Apply crosswalk + calibrate weights |
pnadc_experimental_periods() |
Boost rates with probabilistic strategies |
validate_pnadc() |
Validate input columns |
SIDRA Series
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
get_sidra_series_metadata() |
List 86+ available PNADC series |
fetch_sidra_rolling_quarters() |
Download rolling quarter data from SIDRA |
mensalize_sidra_series() |
Convert rolling quarters to exact monthly |
fetch_monthly_population() |
Fetch population totals from SIDRA |
Documentation
Authors
- Rogerio J. Barbosa (Ceres-IESP/UERJ) -- R package, dashboard, and website
- Marcos Hecksher (Ipea) -- Mensalization methodology
Credits
Original PNADC data is collected by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The mensalization methodology was developed by Marcos Hecksher (Ipea) and is described in full in Hecksher & Barbosa (2026), SocArXiv preprint. Earlier formulations of the methodology were published in Hecksher (2020, IPEA Nota Tecnica Disoc n. 62 and n. 87; Carta de Conjuntura v. 47). The R package, interactive dashboard, and documentation website were developed by Rogerio J. Barbosa at the Center for the Study of Wealth and Social Stratification (Ceres - IESP/UERJ).
Citation:
Barbosa, Rogerio J; Hecksher, Marcos. (2026). PNADCperiods: Identify Reference Periods in Brazil's PNADC Survey Data. R package version 0.1.2. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=PNADCperiods
Hecksher, Marcos; Barbosa, Rogerio J. (2026). Estimation of exact months for the microdata and rolling quarter series from PNAD Continua. SocArXiv preprint. https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/fra5u_v1
citation("PNADCperiods")
Getting Help
- GitHub Issues for bug reports and questions
License
MIT