The Royal Economic Society Conference 2024: Growing enthusiasm in using administrative data for economic research

Last month, Dr Saba Mir, ADR UK’s Senior Manager for Strategic Research & Capacity Building, and Eleanor Collard, Communications & Engagement Officer, attended the 2024 Royal Economic Society Annual Conference (RES 2024). Taking place at Queen’s University Belfast (part of ADR Northern Ireland), the event attracted more than 500 attendees from a range of disciplines and career stages across the globe. In this blog, Saba and Eleanor share some of their impressions from the conference.  

It was a delight to take part in all three information packed days of RES 2024. We sat in on keynote lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and a plethora of academic presentations covering a wide variety of economic topics. What was particularly striking was the presenters' shared dedication to connecting economic research with tangible real-world impact – evident in how each session circled back to offering relevant policy recommendations aimed at enhancing outcomes for individuals. 

We hosted an ADR UK exhibition stall, which provided the opportunity to highlight the potential of administrative data and existing ADR UK flagship datasets to a new audience of public good researchers. We also heard attendees’ perspectives and answered their questions. We’ve highlighted the main takeaways from these insightful discussions below.  

Many people were newly aware of ADR UK, but supported our mission 

A number of visitors mentioned they had only recently heard about ADR UK. They had spotted our exhibition display, discovered our recent research fellowships funding opportunity, or spoken to ADR UK-funded researchers in attendance.  

However, everyone had one thing in common: they were overwhelmingly supportive of our mission to open access to administrative data for public good research, and keen to learn more. 

We need to continue our efforts to boost awareness of and access to administrative datasets for research – across the UK and internationally  

It was no surprise that we received lots of questions around how to access administrative data.  

Some wanted clarification on whether they could apply to access our datasets without participating in specific ADR UK funding opportunities, such as research fellowships. The simple answer to this is yes!  Secure access to ADR UK’s deidentified datasets is available through trusted research environments, such as the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service. Any accredited researcher can apply to use them for public good research. Find out more on the ADR UK Learning Hub: Accessing data for research.  

Many of the international visitors were also interested in accessing our data from overseas and enquired if this was possible. While access to ADR UK flagship datasets is currently only available for UK-based researchers, the SafePod Network is exploring the possibility of making international data accessible via SafePods based at university institutions in the UK.  If this is of interest and you have a potential project, please contact the SafePod Network. 

Finally, we heard from academics who were interested in supervising PhD students using administrative data - we are already funding a cohort of PhD studentships and we are actively working to raise the profile of this programme.  

ADR UK-funded researchers showcased the potential of administrative data research to new audiences  

It was fantastic to see ADR UK-funded researchers demonstrate the potential of using administrative data for public good research across the fields of education and employment. 

Dr Claire Crawford is the Principal Investigator on an ADR UK-funded project aiming to provide support for the development of the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset. She chaired a session on the role of education choices in understanding how individuals engage productively in the labour market.  

Meanwhile, ADR UK Research Fellows Dr Francesca Foliano and Dr Oliver Cassagneau-Francis hosted a session on how using administrative data on education and labour markets can identify systemic issues and inform policymakers in developing targeted interventions. Francesca presented her ongoing research into the residential mobility of young adults in England using the LEO dataset, including the impact of economic opportunities and subsequent effects on social mobility. Likewise, Oliver discussed his study, which is using the Grading and Admissions Data for England (GRADE) dataset to examine the extent of discrepancies in teacher judgements (measured by comparing predicted and awarded grades) in the English education system and the implications for student outcomes.  

In each session, it was clear that ADR UK-funded researchers are not only uncovering valuable insights into education and employment dynamics – they’re also paving the way for evidence-based policymaking to address systemic challenges and advance social mobility. 

Find out more: Administrative data for economics research  

Are you an economist interested in using administrative data for research? Read our flier from the conference to learn about the different ways you can get involved. 

If you met us at the conference and are interested in working with us, please get in touch on hub@adruk.org. You can also sign up to our mailing list to keep up-to-date with all our latest engagement opportunities.