Policy Analysis and Management

The Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University will hold a workshop to introduce researchers to the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) and the Cross-National Equivalent Files (CNEF).  Twenty-four waves of GSOEP data are available to researchers interested in using this rich panel study.  The CNEF currently includes data from six country's panel studies: the GSOEP, the British Household Panel Study (BHPS), the Canadian Survey of Income and Labour Dynamics (SLID), the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA), the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) and the United States Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID).  Data from each of these studies have been extracted and manipulated to facilitate cross-national comparative research.  The resulting subset of variables from each study constitutes the Cross-National Equivalent Files.

The purpose of the workshop is to introduce and familiarize new users with the file structure and potential of the GSOEP and CNEF data.  Current users will also benefit from sessions with highly trained researchers who will explain more subtle issues involved in analyses that use the GSOEP sample of residents of the former East Germany.

The workshop will be run by Gert Wagner, Joachim Frick, Markus Grabka and Jan Goebel of the Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) - Berlin (GSOEP and GSOEP-CNEF), Dean Lillard of Cornell University (PSID-CNEF), Ursina Kuhm of the Swiss Household Panel (SHP-CNEF), Roger Wilkins from the Household Labour and Income Dynamics in Australia (HILDA-CNEF), and representatives from Statistics Canada (SLID-CNEF) and the University of Essex (BHPS-CNEF).

 The workshop will consist of nine sessions covering the following topics:

1. Introduction to the GSOEP file structure
2. Merging Household and Person specific files
3. Sample issues
   
• Clustered sampling, Sample attrition, Sample weights and Issues when comparing residents of east and west German states
4. Cross-sectional versus longitudinal research
5. Constructing Calendar data from Spell files
6. Web-based user support
7. Introduction to the CNEF file structure
8. Linking CNEF files to their parent survey data
   
• PSID, BHPS, GSOEP, HILDA and SHP
9. Procedures for accessing the SLID Equivalent file

The workshop will commence with a reception and keynote speech on the evening of September 10th. Sessions will be held throughout the day September 11th and on the morning of September 12th.

The workshop fee is $200, which includes all instructional materials, the welcoming receptions, and lunches on September 11th and 12th. The fee also includes the cost of a copy of the Public Use Version of the GSOEP and the CNEF data, subject to the approval of a written contract for their use by the DIW, the UKDA, the HILDA Data Archive, or the Swiss Foundation for Research in Social Science. Hotel accommodations are available at a reduced rate of $99.95 per night at the Ramada Inn Hotel, Ithaca. Telephone: (607) 257-3100. Please see details on the registration form.

Applications for the workshop should be sent no later than August 1, 2009. Applications for scholarships should be sent no later than July 15th, 2009. Applications will be considered in the order in which they arrive. The workshop will be limited to 20 people. See below for the application. Please fill it out and return it to Cornell by mail, fax, or email at the address listed on the form.

Funds provided by Cornell University and the DIW allow us to offer partial scholarships on a competitive basis to offset transportation, hotels, and registration fees.

To be considered for a scholarship, applicants must submit:

1. A letter stating why they are interested in coming to the workshop.
2. A brief description of the research they will pursue with the GSOEP and/or CNEF data
3. A statement attesting that funds to cover the workshop costs are not available from their university or research institute.
4. Graduate students or research associates should include a supporting letter from their senior advisor with their application.

Downloadable Registration Form and information.