All Outputs (8)

Operationalising ‘safe statistics’: The case of linear regression
Preprint / Working Paper

The recent growth in research access to confidential government microdata has prompted the development of more general 'output-based statistical disclosure control' (OSDC) methods which go beyond tabular protection. Central to OSDC is the concept of... Read More about Operationalising ‘safe statistics’: The case of linear regression.

Addressing the human factor in data access: Incentive compatibility, legitimacy and cost-effectiveness in public data resources
Preprint / Working Paper

Traditional models of incentivising people suggest that positive incentives are more effective than negative ones. We argue that in data access the opposite can be true, as the assumptions made at the design stage can fundamentally change the user en... Read More about Addressing the human factor in data access: Incentive compatibility, legitimacy and cost-effectiveness in public data resources.

Resistance to change in government: Risk, inertia and incentives
Preprint / Working Paper

There is a popular impression that governments are resistant to change and innovation, and that this is due to a combination of overly bureaucratic processes and a culture of risk aversion. It is debatable that this is well-founded, theoretically or... Read More about Resistance to change in government: Risk, inertia and incentives.

How do knowledge brokers work? The case of WERS
Preprint / Working Paper

A resource-based view of organizations suggests that internal knowledge is amongst the most important sources of competitive advantage. Regardless of whether these ideas are exaggerated, it is not necessary to buy into them all to accept the signific... Read More about How do knowledge brokers work? The case of WERS.

User-focused threat identification for anonymised microdata
Preprint / Working Paper

When producing anonymised microdata for research, national statistics institutes (NSIs) identify a number of 'risk scenarios' of how intruders might seek to attack a confidential dataset. This paper argues that the strategy used to identify confident... Read More about User-focused threat identification for anonymised microdata.

Five Safes: Designing data access for research
Preprint / Working Paper

What is the best way of managing access to sensitive data? This is not a straightforward question, as it involves the interaction of legal, technical, statistical and, above all, human components to produce a solution. This paper introduces a modelli... Read More about Five Safes: Designing data access for research.

Measuring non-compliance with minimum wages
Preprint / Working Paper

Many countries have a statutory minimum wage for employees. There is a strong policy interest in knowing the degree of compliance with the law. Quantitative analysis is ideally suited to this, and many countries have rich datasets for employment rese... Read More about Measuring non-compliance with minimum wages.

Can a change in attitudes improve effective access to administrative data for research?
Preprint / Working Paper

The re-use of administrative data for social research holds great potential. From a privacy perspective, administrative data present some additional challenges, including lack of consent, existence of matching databases, and the association with data... Read More about Can a change in attitudes improve effective access to administrative data for research?.