Social Security Earnings for 1951-1971 and WLS 1957-1975 data
The 1957-1975 WLS data file was sent to Social Security Administration. SSA added earnings for the male graduates (n=4993) for the years 1951-1971; and for the fathers of graduates and for some mothers of graduates for the years 1951-1961 to the WLS data. The data was returned with IDS scrambled so SSA amounts could not be merged back into later waves of WLS data. In order to ensure that earnings cannot be matched to a graduate, this data is only available through the CHDA secure data enclave.
Procedure for using the CDHA secure data enclave
CDHA has developed an ultra-secure facility for the preservation and analysis of sensitive confidential data. The Offline Longitudinal Data Repository (OLDR) protects the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive administrative, longitudinal, and medical records data files. Our system consists of a PC with removable hard drives. When the data are unattended, these removable drives are stored in a safe inside a securely locked and alarmed office. Researchers who want access to the WLS-SSA matched data stored on our ultra-secure off-line archive do so through our remote computing service which we call WISR (WISconsin Remotely). Researchers who want to analyze the WLS-SSA match submit statistical jobs via email (rather than running the code themselves in a secure computing environment). Code and statistical output/analyses are reviewed for confidentiality problems, and then, if the analytical results do not compromise respondent confidentiality, are returned to the researcher via email.
To contact CDHA staff send email to cdhadata@ssc.wisc.edu