NESSIE | Roundtable 4 | Access to Quality Comparative Data for European Socio-Economic Research guidelines of Good Practice in European Comparative Research

Agenda
Day One
26th November 2004

14.00

Introduction

Welcome address

Gaston Schaber
CEPS/INSTEAD
Differdange, Luxembourg

General presentation of the NESSIE project

14.30

The NESSIE Guidelines and key objectives of Round Table (RT) 4

Marcia Taylor

Data Resources, Sources and Availability

Holly Sutherland
Chair
ISER, University of Essex
The European database is constantly expanding, but locating and gaining access to relevant, comparative data on the European Union is increasingly difficult. A first step in solving this problem is identifying the data stocks that currently exist and the major sources of such data. NESSIE sponsored a Roundtable on this subject, which resulted in an annotated inventory of major comparative datasets and a number of recommendations on how this work might be carried forward. This session will consider the current state of data provision, the organisation of this data collection process and some of the barriers to widespread access to these resources.

Presentation of NESSIE Outcomes

Marcia Taylor
ECASS, University of Essex, UK

Discussant

Peter Elias
UK National Datasets Coordinator for the Social Sciences

Discussion
Starting from the NESSIE output, what research in your view could be undertaken to improve and expand it so that it will more fully meet the needs of potential users? What further recommendations can be made for future actions?

15.25

Tea

Data Access: Technical and Organisational Aspects

15.55

Chair:
Sami Borg
Finnish Social Science Data Archive
While much progress has been made in improving technical access to socio-economic data, some of it coordinated under the Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) umbrella, there is still a growing need for work in this area, particularly in view of the new challenges arising from broad band width and GRID technology in dedicated research networks. This session will present the state of the technical development in the area, together with a discussion of emerging standards for data definition languages and enabling software approaches. Emphasis will also be on metadata development, and increasing needs for standards and improved quality in data documentation.

Presentation of NESSIE Outcomes

Ekkehard Mochmann
ZA-GESIS, Cologne, Germany

Discussant

Dominique Joye
SIDOS, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Discussion
Starting from the NESSIE output, what research in your view could be undertaken to improve and expand it so that it will more fully meet the needs of potential users? What further recommendations can be made for future actions?

Data Harmonisation

16:45

Chair:
Jaak Billiet
Dept of Sociology, University of Leuwen, Belgium
In spite of the increasing quantity of data on Europe, comparability is not growing at the same pace. Even though some progress can be observed in the achievement of comparability over time within large continuous data collection programs, comparability between projects is still not often observed. This session will survey the current situation concerning comparability across countries and between projects and address the various efforts and methods currently in the field to make data comparable ex post, to identify lines of convergence in measurement and coding, to increase better meta-data harmonisation and standardisation, and to create standard demographics.

Presentation of NESSIE Outcomes

Ekkehard Mochmann
ZA-GESIS, Cologne, Germany

Discussant

Jürgen Hoffmeyer Zlotnik
ZUMA, Mannheim, Germany

Discussion
Starting from the NESSIE output, what research in your view could be undertaken to improve and expand it so that it will more fully meet the needs of potential users? What further recommendations can be made for future actions?

Data Protection

17:40

Chair:
Kevin Schürer, UK Data Archive, Colchester, UK
The Working Group on Research Infrastructure in the Humanities and the Social Sciences (RISSH) identified three categories of problems contributing to current shortcomings of European research infrastructures; coherency and funding, standardisation and access. The third NESSIE roundtable addressed the latter category of access restrictions, more precisely the problems of access caused by law and legal practice. The point of departure was the question of how a common European legislative framework, in particular the Data Protection Directive, affects the possibilities for comparative empirical research within Europe. Both the European legislative framework and national implementation were assessed. This session will consider the current state of data protection legislation and its potential influence on European comparative research.

Presentation of NESSIE Outcomes

Vigdis Kvalheim
Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Bergen, Norway

Discussant
Franz Kraus
Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung, Mannheim, Germany

Discussion
Starting from the NESSIE output, what research in your view could be undertaken to improve and expand it so that it will more fully meet the needs of potential users? What further recommendations can be made for future actions?

Close of Session

20:00

Dinner

Day Two
27th November 2004

Blueprint for the European Resource Observatory for the Humanities and Social Sciences (EROHS)

9:00

Chair:
Bjørn Henrichsen
Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Bergen
The Blueprint for the European Resource Observatory for the Humanities and Social Sciences (EROHS) was prepared by RISSH (Research Infrastructures in Social Sciences and Humanities), a Working Group of the European Commission’s European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). This Working Group was set up to identify the precise strategic issues that need to be tackled at a European level within the humanities and sciences. Its draft report describes the problems facing researchers in the humanities and social sciences wishing to carry out comparative research, and makes recommendations for the establishment of a first class coherent research infrastructure. Niels Ploug, the RISSH chairman, will outline the recommendations made in EROHS and Bjørn Henrichsen will introduce the new ESFRI Steering Group for the Social Sciences and the Humanities of which he will be chair.

Presentation

Niels Ploug
Chairman of RISSH

Data Policies in and for Europe - Part I

9:30

Chair:
Eric Marlier, CEPS/INSTEAD, Differdange, Luxembourg
Experts from international organisations concerned with establishing Europe-wide data policies will briefly present their own activities and plans in these areas. They will also summarise their own conclusions of RT4 and relate them to NESSIE outcomes.

DG Research of the European Commission

Andrea Schmolzer
DG Research, European Commission

Maria Theofilatou
DG Research, European Commission

10:30

Coffee

Data Policies in and for Europe – Part II

11:00

European Science Foundation
Henk Stronkhorst
Head of the Social Sciences Unit, European Science Foundation

Follow up Group on Issues of Access to Publicly Funded Research Data
Peter Schroeder, Vice Chair, OECD

Roundtable Discussion

12:00

Conclusions
Led by Ekkehard Mochmann ZA-GESIS, Cologne and Gaston Schaber
CEPS/Instead, Differdange

Final recommendations on further actions required for enriching the socio-economic databases and making them a more effective and complete tool for reliable comparative research

12:30

Close of Meeting and Lunch

Agenda Day One 26th November 2004
14.00	Introduction Welcome address	Gaston Schaber CEPS/INSTEAD Differdange, Luxembourg
General presentation of the NESSIE project
14.30	The NESSIE Guidelines and key objectives of Round Table (RT) 4	Marcia Taylor
Data Resources, Sources and Availability
	Holly Sutherland Chair ISER, University of Essex The European database is constantly expanding, but locating and gaining access to relevant, comparative data on the European Union is increasingly difficult. A first step in solving this problem is identifying the data stocks that currently exist and the major sources of such data. NESSIE sponsored a Roundtable on this subject, which resulted in an annotated inventory of major comparative datasets and a number of recommendations on how this work might be carried forward. This session will consider the current state of data provision, the organisation of this data collection process and some of the barriers to widespread access to these resources.
	Presentation of NESSIE Outcomes	Marcia Taylor ECASS, University of Essex, UK
	Discussant	Peter Elias UK National Datasets Coordinator for the Social Sciences
	Discussion Starting from the NESSIE output, what research in your view could be undertaken to improve and expand it so that it will more fully meet the needs of potential users? What further recommendations can be made for future actions?
15.25	Tea
Data Access: Technical and Organisational Aspects
15.55	Chair: Sami Borg Finnish Social Science Data Archive While much progress has been made in improving technical access to socio-economic data, some of it coordinated under the Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) umbrella, there is still a growing need for work in this area, particularly in view of the new challenges arising from broad band width and GRID technology in dedicated research networks. This session will present the state of the technical development in the area, together with a discussion of emerging standards for data definition languages and enabling software approaches. Emphasis will also be on metadata development, and increasing needs for standards and improved quality in data documentation.
	Presentation of NESSIE Outcomes	Ekkehard Mochmann ZA-GESIS, Cologne, Germany
	Discussant	Dominique Joye SIDOS, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
	Discussion Starting from the NESSIE output, what research in your view could be undertaken to improve and expand it so that it will more fully meet the needs of potential users? What further recommendations can be made for future actions?
Data Harmonisation
16:45	Chair: Jaak Billiet Dept of Sociology, University of Leuwen, Belgium In spite of the increasing quantity of data on Europe, comparability is not growing at the same pace. Even though some progress can be observed in the achievement of comparability over time within large continuous data collection programs, comparability between projects is still not often observed. This session will survey the current situation concerning comparability across countries and between projects and address the various efforts and methods currently in the field to make data comparable ex post, to identify lines of convergence in measurement and coding, to increase better meta-data harmonisation and standardisation, and to create standard demographics.
	Presentation of NESSIE Outcomes	Ekkehard Mochmann ZA-GESIS, Cologne, Germany
	Discussant	Jürgen Hoffmeyer Zlotnik ZUMA, Mannheim, Germany
	Discussion Starting from the NESSIE output, what research in your view could be undertaken to improve and expand it so that it will more fully meet the needs of potential users? What further recommendations can be made for future actions?
Data Protection
17:40	Chair: Kevin Schürer, UK Data Archive, Colchester, UK The Working Group on Research Infrastructure in the Humanities and the Social Sciences (RISSH) identified three categories of problems contributing to current shortcomings of European research infrastructures; coherency and funding, standardisation and access. The third NESSIE roundtable addressed the latter category of access restrictions, more precisely the problems of access caused by law and legal practice. The point of departure was the question of how a common European legislative framework, in particular the Data Protection Directive, affects the possibilities for comparative empirical research within Europe. Both the European legislative framework and national implementation were assessed. This session will consider the current state of data protection legislation and its potential influence on European comparative research.
Presentation of NESSIE Outcomes
	Vigdis Kvalheim Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Bergen, Norway
	Discussant Franz Kraus Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung, Mannheim, Germany
	Discussion Starting from the NESSIE output, what research in your view could be undertaken to improve and expand it so that it will more fully meet the needs of potential users? What further recommendations can be made for future actions?
	Close of Session
20:00	Dinner
Day Two 27th November 2004 Blueprint for the European Resource Observatory for the Humanities and Social Sciences (EROHS)
9:00	Chair: Bjørn Henrichsen Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Bergen The Blueprint for the European Resource Observatory for the Humanities and Social Sciences (EROHS) was prepared by RISSH (Research Infrastructures in Social Sciences and Humanities), a Working Group of the European Commission’s European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). This Working Group was set up to identify the precise strategic issues that need to be tackled at a European level within the humanities and sciences. Its draft report describes the problems facing researchers in the humanities and social sciences wishing to carry out comparative research, and makes recommendations for the establishment of a first class coherent research infrastructure. Niels Ploug, the RISSH chairman, will outline the recommendations made in EROHS and Bjørn Henrichsen will introduce the new ESFRI Steering Group for the Social Sciences and the Humanities of which he will be chair.
	Presentation	Niels Ploug Chairman of RISSH
Data Policies in and for Europe - Part I
9:30	Chair: Eric Marlier, CEPS/INSTEAD, Differdange, Luxembourg Experts from international organisations concerned with establishing Europe-wide data policies will briefly present their own activities and plans in these areas. They will also summarise their own conclusions of RT4 and relate them to NESSIE outcomes.
	DG Research of the European Commission Andrea Schmolzer DG Research, European Commission Maria Theofilatou DG Research, European Commission
10:30	Coffee
Data Policies in and for Europe – Part II
11:00	European Science Foundation Henk Stronkhorst Head of the Social Sciences Unit, European Science Foundation
	Follow up Group on Issues of Access to Publicly Funded Research Data Peter Schroeder, Vice Chair, OECD
Roundtable Discussion
12:00	Conclusions Led by Ekkehard Mochmann ZA-GESIS, Cologne and Gaston Schaber CEPS/Instead, Differdange Final recommendations on further actions required for enriching the socio-economic databases and making them a more effective and complete tool for reliable comparative research
12:30	Close of Meeting and Lunch