This has the potential to be a great new source of data. After an brief initial browse through I get the feeling that there is a lot here but it’s not exactly easy to search. Nonetheless, it’s movement in the right direction – open data. via Network of European Economists Online Dataverse – IQSS Dataverse Network.

As an economist my view of data I use is generally some variation of “it’s just data” That is, data is just one input among many that I’ll use to create something. I didn’t think too much about data other than to be frustrated when acquiring the data necessary for a given project is more [...]

A very good case for open data is made by David Eaves on his personal website. David recounts a story where a consultant who was hired to analyze charitable giving in Toronto stumbled upon something he didn’t expect; donations to illegal charities were rampant in the Toronto area and had gone un-noticed by the Canada [...]