Access Requirements - CSDE Public Use Data

The Institute for Research on Poverty's (IRP) Child Support Demonstration Evaluation Project (CSDE) is designed for use by social science researchers interested in trends and relationships regarding child support orders and payments and the use of public assistance. It is not designed for nonresearch use nor is it a source of information on individuals. IRP's policy on providing access to CSDE data is designed to minimize the possibility of identifying individuals, while maximizing the amount of data available to the research community.

Overview of the Application Process

Those wishing to obtain access to the CSDE data are required to submit a research proposal, curriculum vitae, and data output security plan for approval by IRP. If the proposal and plan are approved, applicants will be asked to request approval from their institution's human subjects committee and sign a confidentiality agreement. If the application is approved, a $500 fee will be charged to cover costs of application and data processing. Approved users will be able to access CSDE public use data by submitting SAS computer programs rather than receiving copies or gaining direct access to the data. The contents of any individual case cannot be viewed

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Application and Approval

1. Before requesting approval, please thoroughly review the documentation for these data to determine if the data are applicable to your field of study. Please also review the SAS Program Rules and the Fee Schedule to determine if the cost and method of data access are feasible for you.
   
   
2. To initiate the application and approval process, please submit to IRP a two-page written proposal for use of the data, a curriculum vitae and employment information, a data output security plan (i.e., how you intend to insure the security of the data output), and your institutional e-mail and mailing address. Documents should be sent to the address below either by mail, or by e-mail with MS Word attachment(s).
   
   
3. An IRP committee will review your proposal and supporting documents and will recommend approval or rejection. Considerations for approval will include appropriateness in use of the data and applicability of the data to your subject of inquiry.
   
   
4. After receiving approval from IRP, you must request and receive additional approval for use of these data from your own institution's human subjects committee. A "waiver" of approval from your human subjects committee will not be considered appropriate institutional oversight or approval. (Note: the human subjects approval process has often proven to be a lengthy one, and may take up to 3-4 months.)
   
   
5. You will next be asked to sign a Confidentiality Agreement covering issues of use and confidentiality of the data.
   
   
6. Students are required to have an advisor write and sign a statement accepting full responsibility for any liability resulting from misuse of the CSDE information to which access has been given.
   
   
7. After documents from Steps 4, 5, & 6 have been approved, signed, and received by IRP, the approval process will be considered complete and fees will be required (see below).
   
   
8. Terms of your public use data agreement with IRP require you to send us a copy of any paper, thesis, report, or publication which results from your analysis of the CSDE data before general or public distribution.

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Fee Schedule

An initial fee of $500 will cover personnel time involved in processing your request for approval, and the submission of up to 40 SAS programs. This fee must be paid before final approval of your application can be granted. The initial fee is nonrefundable. Additional SAS programs beyond the initial 40 may be submitted for a further fee, to be negotiated.

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Contact Information

Requests, questions, or general communication about the CSDE public use data may be addressed to:

CSDEpublicuse@ssc.wisc.edu

CSDE Public Use Administrator
3412 Social Science Building
1180 Observatory Drive
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53706

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