IPUMS International: A review and future prospects of a unique global statistical cooperation programme
Abstract
At the invitation of the University of Minnesota Population Center (MPC) the author carried out an assessment of the IPUMS International integrated census microdata programme during January-March 2016. The terms of reference included the assessment of the measures taken by the MPC to safe guard the security of the microdata, the quality and adequacy of services provided, characteristics of users and satisfaction with IPUMS, use of available microdata, support to participating developing country National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and adequacy of a proposed Remote Data Center (RDC).
The conclusions of the review are that IPUMS International is a unique, flexible, successful and secure programme for managing access to anonymized, harmonised and integrated microdata to academic users and policy makers. While currently the user base is predominantly in developed countries, steps are being taken to expand usage by researchers world-wide. The physical, methodological and technical arrangements for safeguarding the security and confidentiality of the data files are excellent; the possibilities of breaches are minimal. Data users have very positive opinions of the quality of the data, scope of services and expertise of staff but desire more detailed, up-to-date microdata. NSOs rate IPUMS International and its services positively but request advanced methodological training for staff and regular information on the use of their country's data. IPUMS International planned activities are presented and their contributions to census methodology are highlighted.
References
[1] | Ruggles S., The minnesota population center data integration projects: challenges of harmonising census microdata across time and place, University of Minnesota, (2006) , Available from http://www.hist.umn.edu/∼ruggles/jsmx9.pdf. |
[2] | Ruggles S., , McCaa R., , Sobek M., and Cleveland L., The IPUMS collaboration: Integrating and disseminating the world's population microdata, Journal of Demographic Economics 81: (2) (June (2015) ), 203-216. DOI: 10.1017/dem.2014. 6, Published online: 20 May 2015. Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S2054089214000066, (p. 210). |
[3] | McCaa R., , Ruggles S., , Davern M., , Swenson T., and Palipudi K.M., IPUMS International high precision population census microdata samples: Balancing the privacy-quality tradeoff by means of restricted access extracts, University of Minnesota, (2006) , Available from: http://www.hist.umn.edu/∼ rmccaa/ipums_psd2006_0824.pdf. |
[4] | Cleveland L., , McCaa R., , Ruggles S., and Sobek M., When excessive perturbation goes wrong and why IPUMS International relies instead on sampling, suppression, swapping, and other minimally harmful methods to protect privacy of census microdata, University of Minnesota, (2012) , Available from: https://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/when-excessive-perturbation-goes-wrong-and-why-ipumsinternational-relies-instead-on-sampling-suppression-swapping-and-other-minimally-harmful-methods-to-protect-privacy-of-census-microdata(685fa063-3fc2-49f5-aee2-ad29ab009eab).html. |
[5] | U.S. Bureau of the Census, Evaluating Censuses of Population and Housing, Statistical Training Document, lSP-TR-S, Washington, D.C., (1985) , pp. 133-140. |
[6] | United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Conference of European Statisticians Group of Experts on Population and Housing Censuses organized jointly with Eurostat Sixteenth Meeting, Geneva, 23-26 September (2014) . Statistical Coherence in Secondary Education Completed: Census Hub Hyper Cubes and IPUMS/IECM integrated census sample results compared, Note by IPUMS/IECM, ECE/CES/GE. 41/2014/27, Geneva, 10 September 2014. |
[7] | McCaa R., , Cleveland L., , Kelly-Hall P., , Ruggles S., and Sobek M., Statistical coherence of primary schooling in population census microdata: IPUMS International integrated samples compared for fifteen African countries, African Population Studies 29: (1) ((2015) ), 1570-1586. |
[8] | McCaa R., , Cleveland L., , Lovatón Dávila R., , Ruggles S., and Sobek M., Census microdata as the historical demographer's time machine: The statistical coherence of primary schooling completed in Latin American census samples, 1960-2015, paper presented at the International Seminar on Registering and Counting the Population: The production and exploration of census information from early modern times to the end of 20th century, organized by the IUSSP Scientific Panel on Historical Demography and the Department of Demography, NEPO-UNICAMP, Campinas - São Paulo, Brazil, 19-21 May (2016) . |
[9] | McCaa R., , Cleveland L., , Kelly-Hall P., , Ruggles S., and Sobek M., Statistical coherence of primary schooling in IPUMS International integrated population samples for China, India, Vietnam and ten other Asia-Pacific countries, Chinese Journal of Sociology 1: (3) ((2015) ), 333-355. |
[10] | Trewin D., IPUMS Internationa Lnternational: ``Best practice'' A review. Minnesota, (2007) . Available from http://www. hist.umn.edu/∼ rmccaa/IPUMSI/trewin_ipums_report.pdf. |
[11] | Gerland P., , Spoorenberg T., , Bravo J., , Lattesc P., , Sawyerd C., , Kantorovae V., and Lai M.S., Uses of census microdata by the united nations population division, Paper prepared for the KOSTAT pre-event to XXVII IUSSP International Population Conference Busan, Korea on ``Using Census Micro-data for Demographic Research'' (23-25 Aug (2013) ), 4-14. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256375892_Uses_of_Census_Microdata_by_the_United_Nations_Population_ Division. |
[12] | United Nations Commission on Population and Development, Forty-ninth session, 11-15 April (2016) . Strengthening the demographic evidence base for the post-2015 development agenda. Report of the Secretary-General. E/CN.9/2016/3), New York, 27 January 2016. Available: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/documents/cpd-report/index.shtml. |
