The Luxembourg Income Study: The Use of International Telecommunications in Comparative Social Research

A computerized telecommunications network, the BITNET-EARN-NETNORTH system, has made it possible for some 588 universities worldwide to efficiently access large-scale statistical data sets stored at one central facility. There are practical and traditional difficulties in comparative international research projects, and the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) seeks to overcome them. The advantages and disadvantages of housing a statistical data base such as LIS in one place are outlined. Advantages such as building an expert staff who thoroughly understand the data base and securing the privacy and confidentiality guarantees required before nations will grant access to official income statistics are contrasted with the disadvantages of time, cost, and user distance from the data base. The BITNET-EARN-NETNORTH system plus the LIS user package reconciles costs and benefits and allows access by researchers at any BITNET-EARN-NETNORTH site. The challenge for realizing the social research potential of centralized data sets and scholarly colleagueship now lies in creating payment mechanisms and funding consortia based upon principles that can facilitate international research collaboration.