Research Publications & Data Resources  

ICPSR New Data Additions

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community. Below is a list of new data collection additions to the ICPSR data archive:

*30761 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, 2009
*30762 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, Summarized Yearly, 2009
*30764 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Hate Crime Data, 2009
*30766 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Offenses Known and Clearances by Arrest, 2009
*31201 Current Population Survey, August 2008: Immigration/Emigration Supplement
*31482 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2009
*31541 Current Population Survey, October 2010: School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement
*31861 Current Population Survey, September 2010: Volunteer Supplement
*31923 Annual Survey of Jails in Indian Country, 2008
*32022 Police-Public Contact Survey, 2008
*32141 Interstate Hazardous Waste Shipments and Disposal Taxes
*32461 Population Registers of Sart, Belgium, 1811-1900
*32482 Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2010: Diary Survey Files
*32483 Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2010: Interview Survey and Detailed Expenditure Files  

Click here for more information.     

American poverty and inequality: Key trends and future research directions
This issue of Fast Focus summarizes the research agenda of the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under a new, five-year national Poverty Research Center grant from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In receiving the award, IRP will continue the work it has pursued since 1966, when it was established as the nation's original, university-based research center into the nature, causes, and cures of poverty and inequality in the United States. The new program features formalized cross-poverty-center networks and a centralized advisory committee that oversees all three centers in collaboration with ASPE analysts. In this brief, IRP researchers assess poverty and inequality in the United States. They examine key trends over the decades since the War on Poverty was launched in the 1960s, review past research, and look ahead to how poverty may continue to change and require new approaches to mitigate its effects on individuals and families. They evaluate the policies and programs devised to improve opportunities for the disadvantaged and to help them on the path to self-sufficiency. Finally, they look ahead to project what researchers, policymakers, and practitioners will need to know to improve the life chances of all Americans and what research evidence is needed to inform and improve antipoverty efforts. Click here for more information.

JRSA SAC Publication Digest
The latest issue of the SAC Publication Digest is now available on the website of the Justice Research and Statistics Association.  This Digest contains abstracts of Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) reports published January - June 2011, including reports produced for the SACs by outside authors or organizations.  The SACs are state agencies that collect, analyze, and disseminate justice data, and these reports cover a wide array of topics and analysis approaches for criminal justice data at the state level. To view or download the new Digest, click here. You can also search this and previous Digests by keyword.

NIH study finds doctors miss many alcohol screening opportunities
Physicians often fail to counsel their young adult patients about excessive alcohol use, according to a study led by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. Previous studies have shown that screening and brief interventions by health care providers - asking patients about alcohol use and advising them to reduce risky drinking -- can promote significant, lasting reductions in drinking levels and alcohol-related problems. In addition to NIAAA, professional groups such as the American Medical Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, as well as the U.S Preventive Services Task Force, recommend routine screening for alcohol misuse in primary care and brief interventions for individuals who screen positive. In the current study, Ralph W. Hingson, Sc.D., director of NIAAA's division of epidemiology and prevention research, and colleagues at Boston University School of Public Health and Boston Medical Center conducted a random survey of more than 4,000 people in the United States between the ages of 18 and 39. The researchers asked survey participants about their drinking habits and whether they had been seen by a doctor during the past year. Those who had seen a doctor were asked additional questions to determine whether the doctor had assessed their alcohol use and advised them about safe drinking practices during the visit.  The researchers report that 16 percent of those surveyed were non-drinkers, 24 percent drank at or below daily or weekly limits, 47 percent exceeded daily or weekly limits, and 13 percent exceeded both.  The findings are online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Click here for more information.

Formerly known as the IASWR Listserv, SWRnet (Social Work Research Network) was launched in October 2009 to continue serving the social work research community by providing regular updates on funding opportunities, calls for papers, conference deadlines and newly published research.