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 jani.little@colorado.edu Katie Genadek, Administrator katie.r.genadek@colorado.edu Phil Pendergast, Graduate Research Assistant philip.pendergast@colorado.edu The Rocky Mountain Federal Statistical Research Data Center (RMRDC) Jani Little Executive Director

What is a Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC)? --A secure computing lab where restricted data, collected by federal agencies, can be accessed 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.

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

The Expanding Role of the FSRDCs Report of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, Sept. 2017 Commissioned by Paul Ryan, Speaker of House and POTUS Recommendations—FSRDC should play a central role Establish a National Secure Data Service Maintain Stringent Privacy Protections Ensure access to administrative and survey data for evidence building Develop uniform process for external researchers to gain access to restricted data H.R.4174 - Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2017 Sponsored by Paul Ryan, Speaker, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

9 in 2009 and 24 in 2016

The RMRDC Consortium Full Members: Supporting Members: UC Colorado Springs Colorado State Government

Full Consortium Member Benefits 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

Advantages to Researchers and Institutions: --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 --Attracts and retains data-intensive faculty

Advantages Provided to Research with Restricted Data: --Access to Microdata not available publicly firms and establishments individuals and households (especially longitudinal studies) --Access to Variables not available in public versions of data sets (e.g., low level geography) --Access to Full population counts or larger samples (Decennial Census, ACS, CPS) --Access to 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

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

RMRDC: The Physical Facility Opened: August, 2017 Location: IBS Building on CU Boulder Campus --14 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

RMRDC: The Physical Facility

Examples of Economic Data Data Set Frequency Unit of Enumeration Availability Longitudinal Business Database (LBD) Annually Establishment 1976–2014

Examples of Economic Data Data Sets Frequency Unit of Enumeration Availability Census of Construction Industries (CCN) Every 5 Years Establishment 1972–2012 Census of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (CFI) 1992–2012 Census of Manufactures (CMF) 1963,  1967–2012 Census of Mining (CMI) 1987–2012 Census of Retail Trade (CRT) 1977–2012 Census of Services (CSR) Census of Transportation, Communications, and Utilities (CUT)

Examples of Education Policy Research Using Restricted Economic Data The Effect of Class Size on Teacher Attrition: Evidence from Class Size Reduction Policies in New York State   By Emily Pas Isenberg (2010 ) Beyond the Incidence of Training: Evidence from a National Employers Survey  By Lisa M Lynch & Sandra E Black (2002 ) University Innovation, Local Economic Growth, and Entrepreneurship   By Naomi Hausman (2012 ) Second paper seeks to provide new insight into how school and post school training investments are linked to employer workplace practices and outcomes using a unique nationally representative survey of establishments in the U.S., the Educational Quality of the Workforce National Employers Survey (EQW-NES). Third paper uses LBD.

Examples of Restricted Health Data Geographic Codes for all NCHS Surveys National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS) National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Restricted Data Identifies geography below national level down to Census block Youth -- Alcohol and Drug Use, ADHD, STDs, Mental Health Disorders, Depression, Sexual Behavior \ Latest release 2013-14

Comparing Diet Quality, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behavior in Youth with and without ADHD Researcher: Carol Curtin - University of Massachusetts Medical School Restricted National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2001-2004 Includes youth, ages 8-15, with and without ADHD Anthropometric, dietary and activity measures include detailed family structure categories ADHD and other behavioral health conditions assess using gold standard diagnostic

National Health Interview Survey, Restricted Data Country of Birth and Related Immigration Variables (Person File) State and Year of Birth (Person File) Industry and Occupation Codes Detailed Race and Hispanic Origin (Person File) Exact Dates (e.g., date of birth in Person File) Low levels of geography from state down to tract

National Survey of Children’s Health, 2011-12 National telephone survey of households with at least 1 child, National N= 95,677, State N=1,800-2,200 Demographics, Health and Functioning, Home Environment, Early Childhood Care, Developmental Screening, Adolescent School, Exercise, Emotional Difficulties Family Functioning and Parental Health Neighborhood and Community All variables restricted County and zip code geography available

Immigration Enforcement and the Health of Immigrants and Their Families Researchers: Ying Huang and Kate Strully - University of Albany, SUNY How does state and county immigration enforcement laws affect the health of non-citizen immigrants from Mexico and Central America and their children?

Examples of Demographic Data Data Set Frequency Unit of Enumeration Availability Sponsor Decennial Census Every 10 yrs Housing Unit 1950-2010 Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) Annually 1996–2015 American Housing Survey (AHS) 1984–1999, 2001–2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Examples of Demographic Data Data Set Frequency Unit of Enumeration Availability Sponsor Current Population Survey (CPS) School Enrollment Supplement Annually Household 2004–2014 Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Monthly 1984-2014 Census Bureau

Examples of Demographic Data National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Annually Household 2006–2014 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) School Crime Supplement Every two years 2013 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CVS asks several questions about school crime, which provide yearly information about crimes occurring at school or while traveling to or from school. In addition, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Department of Education sponsor a School Crime Supplement every two years. This supplement asks crime victims ages 12 through 18 about crimes that occurred at school and other characteristics of school crime. The most recent supplement was administered in 2013. This supplement asks crime victims ages 12 through 18 about crimes that occurred at school and other characteristics of school crime. The most recent supplement was administered in 2013.

Detailed Geography Data Set Geography Decennial Census Block American Community Survey (ACS) Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Tract Current Population Survey (CPS) National Crime Victimization Survey American Housing Survey (AHS)

By Danielle H. Sandler & Lisa Schulkind (2016 ) Examples of Childhood Education Policy Research Using Restricted Demographic Data The Timing of Teenage Births: Estimating the Effect on High School Graduation and Later Life Outcomes   By Danielle H. Sandler & Lisa Schulkind (2016 ) School Accountability and Residential Location Patterns: Evaluating the Unintended Consequences of No Child Left Behind   By Keren Mertens Horn (2017 ) Both Use ACS and Decennial Census

By Bhashkar Mazumder & Jonathan Davis (2011 ) Examples of Childhood Education Policy Research Using Restricted Demographic Data Parental Earnings and Children's Well-Being and Future Success: An Analysis of the SIPP Matched to SSA Earnings Data   By Bhashkar Mazumder & Jonathan Davis (2011 ) Preschoolers Enrolled and Mothers at Work? The Effects of Universal Pre-Kindergarten   By Maria Fitzpatrick (2008 ) First Uses SIPP and SSA data, and the second uses state level data merged with Decennial Census data

Requirements for Any FSRDC Project: --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

Useful Websites Census Bureau Data: Center for Economic Studies http://www.census.gov/ces/ NCHS Research Data Center http://www.cdc.gov/rdc/ AHRQ https://meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/onsite_datacenter.jsp

How and When Do I Get Started? See materials at the RMRDC website, the CES website, NCHS website 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

Contact Information: Katie Genadek: katie.r.genadek@colorado.edu Jani Little: jani.little@colorado.edu Phil Pendergast: philip.pendergast@colorado.edu https://www.colorado.edu/rocky-mountain-research-data- center/