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The Contribution and Potential of Data Harmonization for Cross-National Comparative Research

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  • Richard V. Burkhauser
  • Dean R. Lillard

Abstract

The promise of empirical evidence to inform policy makers about their population's health, wealth, employment and economic well being has propelled governments to invest in the harmonization of country specific micro data over the last 25 years. We review the major data harmonization projects launched over this period. These projects include the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), the Cross-National Equivalent File (CNEF), the Consortium of Household Panels for European Socio-Economic Research (CHER), the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), and the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). We discuss their success in providing reliable data for policy analysis and how they are being used to answer policy questions. While there have been some notable failures, on the whole these harmonization efforts have proven to be of major value to the research community and to policy makers.

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  • Richard V. Burkhauser & Dean R. Lillard, 2005. "The Contribution and Potential of Data Harmonization for Cross-National Comparative Research," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 486, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp486
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    1. Brian A'Hearn & Nicola Amendola & Giovanni Vecchi, 2016. "On Historical Household Budgets," Rivista di storia economica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 2, pages 137-176.
    2. Gert G. Wagner & Joachim R. Frick & Jürgen Schupp, 2007. "The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) – Scope, Evolution and Enhancements," Schmollers Jahrbuch : Journal of Applied Social Science Studies / Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 127(1), pages 139-169.
    3. Ilona Wysmułek & Irina Tomescu-Dubrow & Joonghyun Kwak, 2022. "Ex-post harmonization of cross-national survey data: advances in methodological and substantive inquiries," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1701-1708, June.
    4. Jeff Larrimore, 2013. "Cross-National Inequality Trends Using Historical Tax Return Data," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 59(3), pages 568-571, September.
    5. Joachim R. Frick & Stephen P. Jenkins & Dean R. Lillard & Oliver Lipps & Mark Wooden, 2008. "Die internationale Einbettung des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) im Rahmen des Cross-National Equivalent File (CNEF)," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 77(3), pages 110-129.
    6. Richard V. Burkhauser, 2009. "Deconstructing European poverty measures: What relative and absolute scales measure," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 715-725.
    7. Maarten Johannes Bezouw & Anastasia Garyfallou & Ioana-Elena Oană & Sebastien Rojon, 2019. "A methodology for cross-national comparative focus group research: illustrations from discussions about political protest," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(6), pages 2719-2739, November.
    8. Wang, Xiupeng, 2020. "Labor market polarization in Britain and Germany: A cross-national comparison using longitudinal household data," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    9. Loretta G. Platts, 2015. "A prospective analysis of labour market status and self-rated health in the UK and Russia," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 23(2), pages 343-370, April.
    10. Katherine M. Johnson & Arthur L. Greil & Karina M. Shreffler & Julia McQuillan, 2018. "Fertility and Infertility: Toward an Integrative Research Agenda," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(5), pages 641-666, October.
    11. Frick, Joachim R. & Jenkings, Stephen P. & Lillard, Dean R. & Lipps, Oliver & Wooden, Mark, 2007. "The Cross-National Equivalent File (CNEF) and Its Member Country Household Panel Studies," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 127(4), pages 627-654.

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