Who Votes Without Identification? Using Individual‐Level Administrative Data to Measure the Burden of Strict Voter Identification Laws

IntroductionHalf of all infants are fed formula milk. However, attrition biases evidence on the long-term safety of formula ingredients. We used unconsented linkage between administrative education and health records of young people who were randomised as infants to formula milks, to determine long-term safety and efficacy. Objectives and ApproachWe used record level data from a series of 9 historical randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in 1982-2002 (n=3,500 participants), which are key to the evidence-base around formula-composition. All later follow-ups are biased by attrition leading to limited evidence around the long-term effects of formula ingredients on cognition and metabolic and cardiovascular health. We sought permissions from data providers and regulatory agencies for unconsented linkage to education and hospital records, as proxy measures for cognitive and health development. We discuss the steps that were implemented to safeguard the participants' privacy and achieve ethical and multi-institutional approval for this project. ResultsAchieving provisional ethical approval took 41 days. Achieving agreement in principle to match trial data to individual level education records took 4 months and 2 weeks, while agreement to match trial data to individual level hospital records is still underway (5.5 months in February 2018). Delays in institutional approval were largely due to unharmonised data security certificates between the two government departments holding the health and education records. Digitising and cleaning all handwritten RCT participant identifiers prior to linkage took 9 months of full-time researcher time. Maintaining separation of identifiers and attribute data required specific secure haven provision. Results on the success of linkage between RCTs and education records will be presented at the conference. Conclusion/ImplicationsWhile directly contributing to the evidence around infant-formula-composition, this project will also act as a proof-of-concept study. Unconsented linkage between dormant RCTs and administrative data could be a novel and cost-effective method to generate evidence on the long-term efficacy and safety of interventions.

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Use and Perceptions of the Availability of Local Government and Nonprofit Services in Diverse Urban Settings

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0899764019845521 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (5) ◽

pp. 975-997

Author(s):

Khaldoun AbouAssi ◽

Lewis Faulk ◽

Long Tran ◽

Lilli Shaffer ◽

Minjung Kim

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Administrative Data ◽

Local Level ◽

Community Level ◽

Demand Side ◽

Individual Level ◽

Government Services ◽

Nonprofit Theory ◽

Perceived Access ◽

The Relationship

This analysis tests fundamental nonprofit theory using individual-level demand-side data, which complements existing studies that have relied on organizational- and community-level variables alone. We use survey and administrative data to test the relationship between individuals’ perceptions and use of local government services and their reported use of nonprofit services, controlling for the density of organizations around respondents’ addresses. Individuals who report being better served by government services are significantly more likely to report using nonprofit services—while individuals who report being unserved by government are also less likely to report access to nonprofits, despite the actual density of organizations around them. These findings support theories of interdependence between government and nonprofit sectors. However, income-based disparities in perceived access to nonprofit services highlight persistent gaps in serving all individuals on the local level.

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Using cross-sectoral data linkage to understand the health of people experiencing multiple exclusion

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.052 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

E Tweed ◽

A Leyland ◽

D Morrison ◽

S V Katikireddi

Keyword(s):

Administrative Data ◽

Data Linkage ◽

Support Service ◽

Service Planning ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Opioid Substitution Therapy ◽

Case Register ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Individual Level ◽

Future Policy

Abstract Background People affected by the intersection of homelessness, drug use, and/or serious mental illness have high rates of mortality and morbidity. However, they are often missed from routine information sources on population health, such as surveys and censuses. In many countries, administrative data are available which could help address this knowledge gap. We created a novel virtual cohort using cross-sectoral data linkage in order to inform policy and practice responses to these co-occurring issues. Methods Individual-level data from local authority homelessness services (HL), opioid substitution therapy dispensing (OST), and a psychosis case register (PSY) in Glasgow, Scotland between 2011-15 were confidentially linked to National Health Service records, using a mix of probabilistic and deterministic linkage. A de-identified dataset was made available to researchers through a secure analysis platform. Demographic characteristics associated with different exposure combinations were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results Linkage created a cohort of 24,767 unique individuals with any one of the experiences of interest between 2011-15. Preliminary results suggest that 89.2% of the cohort had one experience; 10.6% two; and 0.2% all three. The most common combination was HL & OST (n = 2,150; 8.7%), with other combinations much less frequent (HL & PSY, n = 279, 1.1%; OST & PSY, n = 188, 0.8%; HL & OST & PSY, n = 51, 0.2%). The odds of male gender increased with number of exposures (2 exposures, OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.9-2.2; 3 exposures, OR 4.1, 95% CI 2.3-7.2), but there was little difference in age. Work is ongoing to incorporate into the cohort additional datasets on criminal justice involvement. Lessons Administrative data linkage is a feasible approach to understanding the health of people affected by multiple exclusionary processes, but requires robust and timely governance. Our initiative can support service planning and evaluation of future policy or service changes. Key messages We describe the creation and characteristics of a novel virtual cohort of people affected by multiple exclusionary processes, using record linkage of administrative datasets. Cross-sectoral linkage has international potential for enhancing public health intelligence, especially for population groups who may be missed from surveys and censuses.

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Family Visitation Patterns during Incarceration in Denmark

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x21991187 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0192513X2199118

Author(s):

Anne Sofie Tegner Anker ◽

Christopher Wildeman

Keyword(s):

Latent Class Analysis ◽

Administrative Data ◽

Latent Class ◽

Average Frequency ◽

First Year ◽

Psychological Benefits ◽

Quantitative Evidence ◽

Individual Level ◽

Qualitative Evidence ◽

Substantial Heterogeneity

While qualitative evidence has highlighted psychological benefits of visitation during incarceration, and quantitative evidence has linked visitation to better post-release outcomes for inmates, we know little about heterogeneity in visitation patterns and the factors shaping them. Using Danish administrative data on inmates incarcerated at least a year between 2004 and 2014 ( N = 5,441), we first examine average frequency and duration of family visits across the first year of incarceration and then describe five distinct visitation patterns using latent class analysis. Finally, we investigate what predicts visitation patterns. The findings highlight that (a) there is substantial heterogeneity in the patterns of family visitation and (b) both individual-level and institution-level factors partially predict this heterogeneity. Parenthood, high pre-incarceration income, and long sentences were associated with high levels of visitation and being placed far from home and transferred between facilities were associated with a higher risk of receiving low or decreasing levels of visitation.

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Palmetto Postmortem: Examining the Effects of the South Carolina Voter Identification Statute

Political Research Quarterly ◽

10.1177/1065912919837663 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 492-505 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. V. Hood ◽

Scott E. Buchanan

Keyword(s):

South Carolina ◽

Population Data ◽

General Election ◽

Difference In Difference ◽

The South ◽

Individual Level ◽

Photo Identification ◽

Voter Identification ◽

Recent Scholarship ◽

Voter Id

In 2011, South Carolina passed a government-issued photo identification (ID) statute. We examine the effects of this law on overall turnout, as well as for minority turnout in particular. A series of difference-in-difference tests are specified using individual-level population data on registrants with and without ID, comparing the 2010 (pre-implementation) and 2014 (post-implementation) election cycles. The results of our analysis indicate that the voter ID statute did dampen overall turnout. These findings comport with recent scholarship which has found evidence that voter ID laws can lower turnout rates. The size of the effect, however, is quite diminutive. We estimate that initial implementation of the South Carolina statute decreased turnout in the 2014 general election by 0.19 percent. In addition, the evidence gathered on the question of racial effects indicates that there is no discernible racial impact from the state’s voter ID law.

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What explains the gender gap in wealth? Evidence from administrative data

Review of Economics of the Household ◽

10.1007/s11150-020-09522-x ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jaanika Meriküll ◽

Merike Kukk ◽

Tairi Rõõm

Keyword(s):

Administrative Data ◽

Gender Gap ◽

Wealth Distribution ◽

Household Finance ◽

Married Couples ◽

Men And Women ◽

Individual Level ◽

Self Employment ◽

Asset Class ◽

Consumption Survey

AbstractThis paper studies the gender gap in net wealth. We use administrative data on wealth that are linked to the Estonian Household Finance and Consumption Survey, which provides individual-level wealth data for all household types. The unconditional gender gap in mean wealth is 45%, but this sizeable gap in means originates mainly from the top tail of the distribution, where men have much more wealth than women, while the gender differences in wealth are statistically insignificant in most of the lower wealth quintiles. At the top of the distribution the differences in wealth can be explained by larger self-employment activity of men. Men have more business wealth than women do, and the gender wealth gap is the largest for this asset class. The gender wealth gaps across different household types are very heterogeneous. The unconditional gaps in wealth are strongly in favour of men throughout most of the wealth distribution for married couples. For single-member households, on the other hand, the raw gaps are in favour of women in the lower half of the wealth distribution. These raw gaps in opposite directions can mostly be explained by differences in the observed characteristics of men and women among married couples vs single people.

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Unconsented linkage between dormant trials and administrative data: practical and regulatory implications

International Journal for Population Data Science ◽

10.23889/ijpds.v3i2.472 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maximiliane Verfuerden ◽

Mary Fewtrell ◽

Kathy Kennedy ◽

Alan Lucas ◽

John Jerrim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Administrative Data ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Trial Data ◽

Match Trial ◽

Formula Milk ◽

Individual Level ◽

Cost Effective Method ◽

Ethical Approval ◽

Education Records

Half of all infants are fed formula milk. However, attrition biases evidence on the long-term safety of formula ingredients. We used unconsented linkage between administrative education and health records of 3,500 young people who were randomised as infants to formula milks, to determine long-term safety and efficacy. We discuss the steps that were implemented to safeguard the participants' privacy and achieve ethical and multi-institutional approvals. Achieving provisional ethical approval took 41 days. Achieving agreement-in-principle to match trial data to individual-level education records took 4 months and 2 weeks, while agreement to match trial data to individual level hospital records is still underway (5.5 months so far). Delays in institutional approval were largely due to unharmonised data security certificates between the two government departments holding the health and education records. Digitising all handwritten participant identifiers prior to linkage took 9 months. Results on the success of linkage between trial and education records will be presented at the conference. While directly contributing to the evidence around infant-formula-composition, this project will also act as a proof-of-concept study. Unconsented linkage between dormant RCTs and administrative data could be a novel and cost-effective method to generate evidence on the long-term efficacy and safety of interventions.

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Green-Blue Spaces and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Data Linkage Study

International Journal for Population Data Science ◽

10.23889/ijpds.v5i5.1616 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Daniel A Thompson ◽

Mark Nieuwenhuijsen ◽

James White ◽

Rebecca Lovell ◽

Mathew White ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Administrative Data ◽

Data Linkage ◽

Well Being ◽

Data Sources ◽

Household Level ◽

Individual Level ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time ◽

Sector Data

IntroductionA growing evidence base indicates health benefits are associated with access to green-blue spaces (GBS), such as beaches and parks. However, few studies have examined associations with changes in access to GBS over time. Objectives and ApproachWe have linked cross-sector data collected within Wales, United Kingdom, quarterly from 2008 to 2019, to examine the impact of GBS access on individual-level well-being and common mental health disorders (CMD). We created a longitudinal dataset of GBS access metrics, derived from satellite and administrative data sources, for 1.4 million homes in Wales. These household-level metrics were linked to individuals using the Welsh Demographic Service Dataset within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. Linkage to Welsh Longitudinal General Practice data within SAIL enabled us to identify individual-level CMD over time. We also linked individual-level self-reported GBS use and well-being data from the National Survey for Wales (NSW) to routine data for cross-sectional survey participants. ResultsWe created a longitudinal cohort panel capturing all 2.84 million adults aged 16+ living in Wales between 2008 and 2019 and with a general practitioner (GP) registration. Individual-level health data and household-level environmental metrics were linked for each quarter an individual is in the study. Household addresses were linked to 97% of the cohort, creating 110+ million rows of anonymously linked cross-sector data. The cohort provides an average follow-up period of 8 years, during which 565,168 (20%) adults received at least one CMD diagnosis or symptom. Conclusion / ImplicationsThis example of multi-sectoral data linkage across multiple environmental and administrative data sources has created a rich data source, which we will use toquantify the impact of changes in GBS access on individual–level CMD and well-being. This evidence will inform policy in the areas of health, planning and the environment.

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A Failsafe for Voters? Cast and Rejected Provisional Ballots in North Carolina

Political Research Quarterly ◽

10.1177/1065912919875816 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 65-78

Author(s):

Thessalia Merivaki ◽

Daniel A. Smith

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Presidential Election ◽

Individual Level ◽

Election Administration ◽

Voter Identification ◽

The Law ◽

Provisional Ballots ◽

The U.S

Provisional ballots constitute a failsafe for voters who have their registration or voter identification questioned by poll workers. Scholars have yet to examine who is more likely to cast a provisional ballot, and more importantly, why some provisional ballots are rejected. We suggest that beyond individual-level factors, there are administrative reasons why some prospective voters are more likely to be required to cast provisional ballots than others, and why some provisional ballots are rejected. Drawing on county data collected by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) biennial Election Administration and Voting Surveys (EAVS) from 2012 to 2016, and individual records of provisional ballots cast in the 2016 Presidential Election in North Carolina, we examine aggregate- and individual-level reasons to explain who casts provisional ballots and why some are rejected. Our findings raise normative questions concerning whether voters casting provisional ballots are treated equally under the law.

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Not by turnout alone: Measuring the sources of electoral change, 2012 to 2016

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abe3272 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (17) ◽

pp. eabe3272

Author(s):

Seth J. Hill ◽

Daniel J. Hopkins ◽

Gregory A. Huber

Keyword(s):

Administrative Data ◽

Republican Party ◽

Presidential Elections ◽

Individual Level ◽

Crucial Component ◽

Electoral Change ◽

Policy Mandates ◽

Registered Voters

Changes in partisan outcomes between consecutive elections must come from changes in the composition of the electorate or changes in the vote choices of consistent voters. How much composition versus conversion drives electoral change has critical implications for the policy mandates of election victories and campaigning and governing strategies. Here, we analyze electoral change between the 2012 and 2016 U.S. presidential elections using administrative data. We merge precinct-level election returns, the smallest geography at which vote counts are available, with individual-level turnout records from 37 million registered voters in six key states. We find that both factors were substantively meaningful drivers of electoral change, but the balance varied by state. We estimate that pro-Republican Party (GOP) conversion among two-election voters was particularly important in states including Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania where the pro-GOP swings were largest. Our results suggest conversion remains a crucial component of electoral change.

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