The Rocky Mountain Research Data Center Advancing the Frontiers of Social Science: Opportunities and Challenges Jani Little, Executive Director Katie Genadek, Expected Administrator The Rocky Mountain Research Data Center Jani Little, Executive Director Nov 2, 2016 The Rocky Mountain Federal Statistical Research Data Center (RMRDC) Jani Little Executive Director

--What is an FSRDC and the FSRDC Program? --Available Data and Examples of Projects --The RMRDC --The Proposal Process

What is a Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC)? --A secure computing lab that is linked with the Census Bureau’s internal computing network, which hosts restricted-access data from multiple federal agencies FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES ONLY --Made possible by a contractual agreement between a leading research institution and the U.S. Census Bureau --The Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies (CES) directs all FSRDCs and the FSRDC Program --FSRDCs are managed by an on-site Census employee—the administrator— who guides researchers on proposal development, enforces security guidelines, and serves as liaison with the research community.

9 in 2009 and 24 in 2016

Recent Advances in the FSRDC Program: --Expanding Participation by Federal Statistical Agencies --More Efficient Administration of Program --Bipartisan Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking New integrated research environment (IRE) implementation Dec 27, 2016.

Advantages to Researchers: --Greatly expands the policy and basic questions that can be addressed --Builds on past research findings with richer data --Improves competitive edge for grants and publications --Improves graduate education (big data/statistical techniques) and placement

Opportunities for Graduate Students: --Cornell University Course by Videoconference, Spring Semester, held in IBS on Mondays --Census Dissertation Mentorship Program --Census Dissertation Fellowship Program (up to $50,000)

FSRDCs Used to Address Many Research Topics Business, Trade, Finance, and Management Crime and Crime Victimization Demography, Population Distributions and Trends, Migration, and Immigration Economics, Labor Markets, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Industry Education and Education Policy Hazard Mitigation, Environmental Impact Assessment, Pollution Abatement Health and Well-Being, Health Insurance, Health Policy Housing, Housing Markets, and Residential Patterns Poverty, Social Welfare Policy, and Social Mobility Transportation Analysis and Planning Urban and Regional Economics and Planning Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Manufacturing

Advantages Provided to Research: --Microdata not available publicly firms and establishments individuals and households (especially longitudinal studies) --Variables not available in public versions of data sets (e.g., low level geography) --Full population counts or larger samples (Decennial Census, ACS, CPS) --Full range of response items (e.g., industry codes, occupational codes, detailed race answers, income is not top-coded, etc.) --Ability to make linkages with external data (e.g., via geocodes, establishment ID, etc.) between multiple internal data sets via non-public link keys

Major Partners in the FSRDC System U.S. Census Bureau Economic Data Demographic Data Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Data Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Other Federal Partners

Foreign Direct Investment and International Trade: How does movement of production overseas affect U.S. employment and wages? Census of Manufactures: every 5 years, 1967-2012 Annual Survey of Manufactures: 1972-2014 How does international trade affect U.S. business development and job creation? Exporter Database: monthly, 1992-2011 Longitudinal Firm Trade Transactions Database: monthly, 1992-2014 Longitudinal Business Database: annually, 1976-2014

The Affordable Care Act: How has it impacted businesses and how have they responded? Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, Insurance Component: annually, 2008-2015 What were the characteristics of businesses owners with employer-provided insurance before ACA? Survey of Business Owners: every 5 years, 1987-2012

Regional and Local Economics: Do booming mineral extraction economies crowd out traditional base industries? If so, do they return after the boom? Census of Manufactures: every 5 years, 1967-2012 Annual Survey of Manufactures: 1972-2014 Longitudinal Business Database: annually, 1976-2014 How has medical and recreational marijuana impacted business growth? Survey of Business Owners: every 5 years, 1987-2012

Regional and Local Economics: How do businesses respond/recover after natural disasters? What are the characteristics of resilient/vulnerable businesses? Longitudinal Business Database: annually, 1976-2014 Survey of Business Owners: every 5 years, 1987-2012

Changes in Racial/Ethnic Identity: How does neighborhood composition impact self-reported racial and ethnic identity? Linked individual responses in full-count 2010, 2000 censuses Full-count census data to construct measures of neighborhood race/ethnic composition, 2010, 2000 American Community Survey: annual, 1996-2015

Effects of Great Recession: What were the effects of the housing crisis on marriage and divorce? external mortgage foreclosure data for small geographic areas merge with American Community Survey data for individuals marriage and divorce with low-level geographic identifies

Effects of Election Day Voter Registration: Does it improve the turnout of the young, recent movers, lower income? Current Population Survey, Voter Registration Supplement: every other year, 2006-2012

Foreign Students in the U.S.: Where do international students go after graduation and how long do they stay? National Survey of College Graduates (NSF): every two years, 1970-2010 merged to census data)

Linked Health Surveys: Does race based on death certificates misrepresent mortality differentials? National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) linked to National Death Index (NDI) Do people with cardiovascular risk factors contribute more to Medicare Costs? National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) linked to Medicare Claims

Neighborhood and Community Effects on Health: Do Community Health Centers (CHCs) impact health outcomes for disadvantaged populations? Does community-level economic inequality impact health status and risk? National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

Neighborhood and Community Effects on Health: Does neighborhood segregation explain racial/ethnic differences in allostatic load levels? Are there racial disparities in exposure to toxic health metals? National Health and Nutrition Examinations Survey (NHANES)

State and County Policy Effects on Health: Do State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) reduce opioid prescriptions? National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys (NAMCSs) Have Colorado counties that prescribe long-acting reversible contraception to teens contributed to the reduction in teen birth rates? National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) natality statistics at county level

RMRDC: The Physical Facility Projected Opening Date: March 1, 2017 Location: IBS Rms 132+136 --10 thin client workstations to access FSRDC servers --Secure communications that tunnel over campus internet --Contains the Administrator’s office --Badge Reader at Entrance --24/7 Security System with camera --no electronic devices allowed --NOTHING leaves the secure lab without approval

Katie Genadek, Administrator Expected Start Date: Nov 28, 2016 Ph.D. Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, 2012 Currently: IPUMS USA Project Manager AND Manager of User Support for: NHIS, DHS CPS, ACS IPUMS International

Katie Genadek’s role as RMRDC Administrator Help researchers with proposals, SSS, disclosure review Promote use of RDC data Work closely with other census employees Work with Administrative data team (CARRA) Perform research with RDC data

The RMRDC Consortium Partner Members: Supporting Members: UC Colorado Springs Colorado State Government Colorado School of Mines Denver University National Center for Atmospheric Research National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Partner Members Faculty, Grad Students, and Affiliated Researchers: Free access to RMRDC services and secure laboratory Researchers with continued use are expected to write grant proposals and include lab fees

Requirements for Using Any FSRDC: --Research projects must undergo a formal approval process with the agency that owns the data, e.g., Census, NCHS, BLS --Researchers must go through a background investigation that qualifies them for “Special Sworn Status (SSS)” which makes them an unpaid Census Bureau employee. --Results must be formally reviewed for disclosure violation before they leave the secure facility. Currently 260 active projects, 50% are Census

Components of Proposals: --Personnel and Time frame --Project Description (scientific merit, methods, feasibility, why requires restricted data) --Dataset(s), Variables, Geography --Results Expected and Disclosure Avoidance Strategies

Proposal Differences by Agency:   Census NCHS BLS Approval % 70 nearly 100 ?? Time to Approval 3-4 months on average less on average 3-6 months Benefit to Agency PPS Required and weighted heavily Not Required Benefit Statement Required Fee None $1200 extract $4000 annual Scope Broad (max of 30 pages) Precise 5-10 pages

FSRDC Server Software GEODa Tomlab Knittro Madd QGIS StatTransfer Python - Anaconda Fortran Perl Tex/LaTex Gauss Stata Matlab & toolboxes PBS Pro Intel Composer XE NX Enterprise R  SAS SAS (Dataflux) SUDAAN

How and When Do I Get Started? --See materials at the RMRDC website, the CES website, and other relevant sites. --Contact the RMRDC Director and Administrator for --data availability --project budget and timeline --contact information For Census projects, the Administrator will give invaluable guidance on --the proposal development process --the benefits to Census (PPS) --help navigate the project approval process