Using Administrative Data for Social Science and Policy

Penner, Andrew M.; Dodge, Kenneth A.

doi:10.7758/rsf.2019.5.2.01

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Use of administrative data to answer policy-relevant questions has become increasingly important (Harris-Kojetin and Groves 2017). Despite technical, legal, and perceptual challenges associated with its use, administrative data enable researchers to answer questions that were previously unanswerable (Penner and Dodge 2019). One type of administrative data, vital statistics, has been collected since the early 1900s, although use of birth certificates for population-level perinatal research was not feasible until the 1990s, when some states began to keep these in digital format (Buescher et al 1993).…”

Section: Merit Of Linking Administrative Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Subprime Babies: The Foreclosure Crisis and Initial Health Endowments

Downing¹,

Bruckner²

2019

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

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The subprime mortgage crisis was a devastating financial shock for many homeowners. This research uses a probabilistic matching strategy to link foreclosure records with birth certificate records from 2006 to 2010 in California to identify birth parents who experienced a foreclosure. Among mothers who did, those issued a loan during the peak of subprime lending from 2005 to 2007 were more Hispanic and socioeconomically disadvantaged than mothers with loans originating before 2005. We use a mother fixed-effects analyses of ever-foreclosed mothers issued a loan during 2006 and 2007 and find that infants in gestation during or after the foreclosure had a lower birth weight for gestational age than those born earlier, suggesting that the foreclosure crisis was a plausible contributor to disparities in initial health endowments.

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Section: Merit Of Linking Administrative Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Subprime Babies: The Foreclosure Crisis and Initial Health Endowments

Downing¹,

Bruckner²

2019

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

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“…Administrative data are collected through routine operations rather than originating for research purposes (Penner and Dodge, 2019;Kendall, 2020). Within the field of tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in England, administrative data are produced by statutory organisations, such as the police and social services, and violence against women service providers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of NGO administrative data in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on survivors of domestic abuse

Smith¹,

Davidge²

2022

Journal of Gender-Based Violence

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COVID-19 quickly changed the context of domestic abuse in England. Within weeks of the first COVID-19 related death, the country was in lockdown. A quick response was essential for understanding the needs of survivors. With limited time to establish new data collection mechanisms, the role of administrative data was central in shaping the response by the Women’s Aid Federation of England. This article explores the opportunities and challenges of using administrative data to understand and respond to the impact of COVID-19 on survivors of domestic abuse in England, using analysis by Women’s Aid of administrative data as a case study. The article discusses the challenges, such as the complexity of analysing a longitudinal administrative dataset, and the need for increased skills and capacity within the NGO research environment. We also reflect on ethical considerations in light of the context of frontline workers responding to the pandemic, the opportunities for collaboration with other sector partners and academics and the benefits of being able to undertake reactive analysis to inform policy. The article concludes that our access to administrative data bolstered our ability to respond expediently to the pandemic, and achieve the long-term benefits of the partnerships that we built during this time. Key messages <ul><li>Administrative data offered Women’s Aid a timely and ethical approach to understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal impact on survivors or the services that support them.</li> <li>The nature of administrative data creates unique challenges for researchers as well as opportunities for relevant, impactful research.</li> <li>More resources, collaboration and research are needed to understand administrative data sources held by NGOs.</li></ul>

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“…Analysing data collected ‘at scale’ can reduce biases (e.g. selection or recall biases) ( Hurren et al, 2017b ; Penner & Dodge, 2019 ), contextualise individuals within their wider environments ( Penner & Dodge, 2019 ), facilitate the study of small sub-groups ( Hurren et al, 2017b ), and highlight and describe inequalities ( Penner & Dodge, 2019 ). These data facilitate ‘quasi-prospective’ analyses, allowing researchers to follow time trends on individual and population levels using data collected in ‘real-time’ ( Brownell & Jutte, 2013 ; Roos et al, 2008 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These data facilitate ‘quasi-prospective’ analyses, allowing researchers to follow time trends on individual and population levels using data collected in ‘real-time’ ( Brownell & Jutte, 2013 ; Roos et al, 2008 ). On a practical level, using administrative data for research purposes is often time- and cost-efficient for researchers and policymakers if the data exist within a strong infrastructure ( Penner & Dodge, 2019 ). Furthermore, by using these data, researchers can reduce the burden on individual participants, gather information on individuals who are not likely to take part in primary research, and encourage honest and accurate responses about difficult topics such as maltreatment ( Connelly et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Administrative data also have several benefits that may make them particularly useful in terms of designing, implementing, and evaluating policies and interventions ( Connelly et al, 2016 ; Hurren et al, 2017b ; Penner & Dodge, 2019 ), which is essential for providing an effective public health response. These data offer a long-term perspective that might otherwise be difficult to examine using other methodologies (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Leveraging Administrative Data to Better Understand and Address Child Maltreatment: A Scoping Review of Data Linkage Studies

et al. 2022

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Background This scoping review aimed to overview studies that used administrative data linkage in the context of child maltreatment to improve our understanding of the value that data linkage may confer for policy, practice, and research. Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and ERIC electronic databases in June 2019 and May 2020 for studies that linked two or more datasets (at least one of which was administrative in nature) to study child maltreatment. We report findings with numerical and narrative summary. Results We included 121 studies, mainly from the United States or Australia and published in the past decade. Data came primarily from social services and health sectors, and linkage processes and data quality were often not described in sufficient detail to align with current reporting guidelines. Most studies were descriptive in nature and research questions addressed fell under eight themes: descriptive epidemiology, risk factors, outcomes, intergenerational transmission, predictive modelling, intervention/service evaluation, multi-sector involvement, and methodological considerations/advancements. Conclusions Included studies demonstrated the wide variety of ways in which data linkage can contribute to the public health response to child maltreatment. However, how research using linked data can be translated into effective service development and monitoring, or targeting of interventions, is underexplored in terms of privacy protection, ethics and governance, data quality, and evidence of effectiveness.

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Using Administrative Data for Social Science and Policy

Cited by 20 publications

References 28 publications

Subprime Babies: The Foreclosure Crisis and Initial Health Endowments

Subprime Babies: The Foreclosure Crisis and Initial Health Endowments

The role of NGO administrative data in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on survivors of domestic abuse

Leveraging Administrative Data to Better Understand and Address Child Maltreatment: A Scoping Review of Data Linkage Studies

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