Numerous research questions in the social sciences can only be tackled by methods of inference that rely on rich data sets. Taken by themselves, either survey or administrative data have their respective advantages. The union of these data sources thus provides additional potential for methodological and substantive research. This study describes and evaluates the linkage of the German survey “Work and Learning in a Changing World” (Arbeiten und Lernen im Wandel, ALWA) with administrative data from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the research institute of the Federal Employment Agency.
The ALWA data include information from more than 10,000 retrospective interviews with people aged 18 through 50. Longitudinal information was gathered on residential, educational, employment and partnership histories as well as on children and times of parental leave. This is complemented by a rich set of cross-sectional variables. Consent for data linkage was given by 92% of the respondents. Administrative data from the IAB contain daily information on employment and unemployment histories beginning with the year 1975. Information on transfer payments and wages are measured with high accuracy as they are related to social security contributions. Detailed longitudinal firm information is given for every employment spell included in the administrative data.
The goal of the study is threefold. First, the potential for research is demonstrated by giving an account of the information available in the combined data set and by analyzing whether there is selectivity in the linked data compared to the overall survey population. Second, implications for survey design and field administration are shown by examining how the interviewer staff may be composed or how field management may be optimized to assert high and stable consent rates. Finally, insights for researchers linking survey data to register data are provided by showing what can be gained from different linkage techniques in terms of numbers of observations as well as whether and how they affect the selectivity of the linked sample.
Presented by:
Manfred Antoni (Institute for Employment Research, Nuremburg)
Date & time:
November 2, 2011 1:00 pm - February 11, 2011 2:00 pm
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