Using the five safes to structure economic evaluations of data governance (2024)
Journal Article
Ritchie, F., & Whittard, D. (2024). Using the five safes to structure economic evaluations of data governance. Data & Policy, 6, Article e16

As the world has become more digitally-dependent, questions of data governance such as ethics, institutional arrangements and statistical protection measures have increased in significance. Understanding the economic contribution of investments in da... Read More about Using the five safes to structure economic evaluations of data governance.

The inadvertently revealing statistic: A systemic gap in statistical training? (2024)
Journal Article
Derrick, B., Green, E., Ritchie, F., Smith, J., & White, P. (2024). The inadvertently revealing statistic: A systemic gap in statistical training?. Significance, 21(1), 24-27. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrssig/qmae009

While concerns around data privacy are well-known, there's a lack of awareness and training when it comes to the confidentiality risk of published statistics, argue Ben Derrick, Elizabeth Green, Felix Ritchie, Jim Smith, Paul White

Machine learning models in trusted research environments - Understanding operational risks (2023)
Journal Article
Ritchie, F., Tilbrook, A., Cole, C., Jefferson, E., Krueger, S., Mansouri-Benssassi, E., …Smith, J. (2023). Machine learning models in trusted research environments - Understanding operational risks. International Journal of Population Data Science, 8(1), Article 2165. https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i1.2165

IntroductionTrusted research environments (TREs) provide secure access to very sensitive data for research. All TREs operate manual checks on outputs to ensure there is no residual disclosure risk. Machine learning (ML) models require very large amou... Read More about Machine learning models in trusted research environments - Understanding operational risks.

Using pedagogical and psychological insights to train analysts using confidential data (2023)
Journal Article
Green, E., & Ritchie, F. (2023). Using pedagogical and psychological insights to train analysts using confidential data. Journal of Privacy and Confidentiality, 13(2), https://doi.org/10.29012/jpc.842

With researchers increasingly gaining access to confidentiality data through restricted environments, interest has grown in the training of those researchers to protect confidentiality and to use the secure facility effectively. Researcher training,... Read More about Using pedagogical and psychological insights to train analysts using confidential data.

The present and future of the Five Safes framework (2023)
Journal Article
Green, E., & Ritchie, F. (2023). The present and future of the Five Safes framework. Journal of Privacy and Confidentiality, 13(2), https://doi.org/10.29012/jpc.831

The Five Safes has become the default framework for confidential data governance across multiple sectors and countries. Since its inception in 2003, the approach has influenced data management in many ways, particularly in the public sector. As it ha... Read More about The present and future of the Five Safes framework.

Accounting students’ online engagement, choice of course delivery format and their effects on academic performance (2023)
Journal Article
Hu, Y., Nath, N., Zhu, Y., & Laswad, F. (in press). Accounting students’ online engagement, choice of course delivery format and their effects on academic performance. Accounting Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/09639284.2023.2254298

This study examines the effects of synchronous and non-synchronous online engagement on the academic performance of accounting students at a New Zealand university based on their choice of course delivery format–either distance learning or face-to-fa... Read More about Accounting students’ online engagement, choice of course delivery format and their effects on academic performance.

Disclosure control of machine learning models from trusted research environments (TRE): New challenges and opportunities (2023)
Journal Article
Mansouri-Benssassi, E., Rogers, S., Reel, S., Malone, M., Smith, J., Ritchie, F., & Jefferson, E. (2023). Disclosure control of machine learning models from trusted research environments (TRE): New challenges and opportunities. Heliyon, 9(4), Article e15143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15143

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in healthcare and medicine have increased in recent years. To enable access to personal data, Trusted Research Environments (TREs) (otherwise known as Safe Havens) provide safe and secure enviro... Read More about Disclosure control of machine learning models from trusted research environments (TRE): New challenges and opportunities.

10 is the safest number that there's ever been (2022)
Journal Article
Ritchie, F. (2022). 10 is the safest number that there's ever been. Transactions on data privacy, 15(2), 109-140

When checking frequency and magnitude tables for disclosure risk, the cell threshold (the minimum number of observations in each cell) is a crucial parameter. In rules-based environments, this is a hard limit on what can or can't be published. In pri... Read More about 10 is the safest number that there's ever been.

A marriage of convenience: How employers and students working in hospitality view the employment relationship (2022)
Journal Article
Evans, C., Ritchie, C., Drew, H., & Ritchie, F. (2022). A marriage of convenience: How employers and students working in hospitality view the employment relationship. Hospitality and Society, 12(3), 299-318. https://doi.org/10.1386/hosp_00055_1

Since the 1990s, the hospitality industry has been increasingly characterized by temporary and insecure forms of employment, a development, which has coincided with rising numbers of students seeking part-time employment. This provides increased job... Read More about A marriage of convenience: How employers and students working in hospitality view the employment relationship.

Measuring the value of data governance in agricultural investments: A case study (2022)
Journal Article
Whittard, D., Ritchie, F., Rose, M., & Musker, R. (2022). Measuring the value of data governance in agricultural investments: A case study. Experimental Agriculture, 58, Article e8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479721000314

Summary The study at hand measures the value of improving data governance and access in the Supporting Soil Health Interventions (SSHI) project in Ethiopia. We applied two separate but interlinked models, one qualitative and one quantitative, to crea... Read More about Measuring the value of data governance in agricultural investments: A case study.

Automatic Checking of Research Outputs (ACRO): A tool for dynamic disclosure checks (2021)
Journal Article
Green, E., Ritchie, F., & Smith, J. (2021). Automatic Checking of Research Outputs (ACRO): A tool for dynamic disclosure checks. ESS Statistical Working Papers, 2021 Edition, https://doi.org/10.2785/75954

This paper discusses the issues surrounding the creation of an automatic tool to reduce the burden of output checking in research environments. It describes ACRO (Automatic Checking of Research Outputs), a Stata tool written as a proof-of-concept, an... Read More about Automatic Checking of Research Outputs (ACRO): A tool for dynamic disclosure checks.

Measuring the value of improving data governance and access in Gates Foundation programme: A case study of the Supporting Soil Health Interventions in Ethiopia projects (2021)
Journal Article
Whittard, D., Ritchie, F., & Nyengani, J. (2021). Measuring the value of improving data governance and access in Gates Foundation programme: A case study of the Supporting Soil Health Interventions in Ethiopia projects. Gates Open Research, 5, Article 97. https://doi.org/10.21955/gatesopenres.1116786.1

The Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and the Open Data Institute (ODI) commissioned a team of economists to measure the value of improving data governance and access in the Supporting Soil Health Interventions in Ethiopia (S... Read More about Measuring the value of improving data governance and access in Gates Foundation programme: A case study of the Supporting Soil Health Interventions in Ethiopia projects.

Microdata access and privacy: What have we learned over twenty years? (2021)
Journal Article
Ritchie, F. (2021). Microdata access and privacy: What have we learned over twenty years?. Journal of Privacy and Confidentiality, 11(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.29012/jpc.766

Felix Ritchie reflects on lessons learned in twenty years of microdata access in the UK and Canada. Based on his contribution to the panel on "Privacy And Microdata Access: Two Worlds Colliding?" at the October 2020 Canadian Research Data Centre Netw... Read More about Microdata access and privacy: What have we learned over twenty years?.

Financial resilience, income dependence and organisational survival in UK charities (2021)
Journal Article
Green, E., Ritchie, F., Bradley, P., & Parry, G. (2021). Financial resilience, income dependence and organisational survival in UK charities. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 32, 992–1008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-020-00311-9

The financial well-being of the charity sector has important social implications. Numerous studies have analysed whether the concentration of income in a few sources increases financial vulnerability. However, few studies have systematically consider... Read More about Financial resilience, income dependence and organisational survival in UK charities.

Runners, repeaters, strangers and aliens: Operationalising efficient output disclosure control (2020)
Journal Article
Alves, K., & Ritchie, F. (2020). Runners, repeaters, strangers and aliens: Operationalising efficient output disclosure control. Statistical Journal of the IAOS, 36(4), 1281-1293. https://doi.org/10.3233/SJI-200661

Statistical agencies and other government bodies increasingly use secure remote research facilities to provide access to sensitive data for research and analysis by internal staff and third parties. Such facilities depend on human intervention to ens... Read More about Runners, repeaters, strangers and aliens: Operationalising efficient output disclosure control.