Page 326 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 1

IPS155 Laura B.

How Banca d’Italia disseminates granular
statistics to external researchers:
The case of firms’ and households’ survey data
Laura Bartiloro
Banca d’Italia – DG Economics and Statistics – Statistical Analysis Directorate

Abstract
This note illustrates Banca d’Italia’s long tradition in disseminating granular
survey data to the public, the rationale for the choices done, pros and cons of
the different options. After discussing the treatment of confidential data in
Italy, the note describes the dissemination of households’ and firms’ survey
data. In particular, Banca d’Italia Remote Data processing (BIRD) allows
external researchers to perform economic analysis on granular data without
any direct access to them. The note will also present Banca d’Italia’s project for
the future, namely the creation of a Research Data Center, including a
laboratory, in order to facilitate the way internal and external users access
microdata, to increase data availability, to better address related
methodological issues and to facilitate data sharing with other institutions.

Keywords
Microdata access; Remote execution; Confidentiality

1. Introduction
Economists usually strive to have data at the maximum degree of detail
possible in order to perform their econometric exercises and better
understand economic phenomena. The use of granular data is increasing over
time, thanks to micro-founded macro-economic models, becoming more and
more popular, as well as the integration of macro data (aggregates) with micro
information (distributions, etc.).
Elementary data can be disseminated to the public in different ways,
depending on the confidentiality content of the information: a simple
distinction is between anonymized data diffused on the producer’s Internet
web site via PUF (Public Use File) for information with loose or manageable
confidentiality restrictions, and data with restricted access to protect the
anonymity of the respondents (persons, organizations, firms), for which specific
safeguards have to be implemented. Confidentiality means that in no way a
user can trace back the name of the reference unit (household, firm, bank, etc.);
it can be due to legal restrictions or to an agreement between data providers
and respondents.
Banca d’Italia has started collecting information from households since
1962, followed, since 1974 by surveys on industrial and service firms. In due

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