nep-ict New Economics Papers
on Information and Communication Technologies
Issue of 2011‒04‒30
four papers chosen by
Walter Frisch
University Vienna

  1. Information about Information: Public Investments in Information Retrieval Research By Link, Albert N.; Rowe, Brent R.; Wood, Dallas W.
  2. Tullock Challenges: Happiness, Revolutions and Democracy By Bruno S. Frey
  3. The research-data-centre in research-data-centre approach:A first step towards decentralised international data sharing By Bender, Stefan; Heining, Jörg
  4. Von der Sammlung gedruckter Statistiken zum Datenrepository. Wie sich das Forschungsdatenmanagement in der ZBW verändert und welche Rolle die Wissenschaft dabei spielt By Olaf Siegert; Ralf Toepfer

  1. By: Link, Albert N. (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics); Rowe, Brent R. (RTI International); Wood, Dallas W. (RTI International)
    Abstract: Information retrieval (IR) is the science and practice of matching information seekers with the information being sought. Research on IR focuses on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of retrieval techniques and evaluating competing retrieval mechanisms. For example, Internet search engines utilize IR techniques to provide relevant information to users. In the United States, about $29 million of public support has been devoted to IR research over the past two decades. Through the activities of the Text Retrieval Conference (TREC) program with the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Here, we show empirically that research organizations worldwide that avail themselves of this information have relatively greater IR performance.
    Keywords: Information retrieval; public goods; knowledge production function
    JEL: D80 H41
    Date: 2011–04–19
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:uncgec:2011_010&r=ict
  2. By: Bruno S. Frey
    Abstract: Gordon Tullock has been one of the most important founders and contributors to Public Choice. Two innovations are typical "Tullock Challenges". The first relates to method: the measurement of subjective well-being, or happiness. The second relates to digital social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or to some extent Google. Both innovations lead to strong incentives by the governments to manipulate the policy consequences. In general "What is important, will be manipulated by the government". To restrain government manipulation one has to turn to Constitutional Economics and increase the possibilities for direct popular participation and federalism, or introduce random mechanisms.
    Keywords: Happiness, social networks, constitutional economics, random mechanisms, public choice
    JEL: D72 H10 I31 P16 D02
    Date: 2011–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cra:wpaper:2011-12&r=ict
  3. By: Bender, Stefan (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany]); Heining, Jörg (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany])
    Abstract: "Remote data access as defined as the possibility for a researcher to access and evaluate restricted micro data via a secure internet connection from his home desktop computer at any time has not been implemented by a German Research Data Centre (RDC) so far. Privacy regulations and especially the problem of admission control are reasons why German RDCs are not able to offer restricted data via remote data access to the research community. By initiating the 'RDC-in-RDC' approach the Research Data Centre (FDZ) of the German Federal Employment Agency (BA) at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg, Germany, aims to bring data access in Germany closer to the ideal perception of remote access. The basic idea of this approach is to allow data access from designated institutions with comparable standards but locations other than Nuremberg. In a first step, access to BA and IAB data will be granted from four sites in Germany and one site in the US. Moreover, the RDC-in-RDC approach represents also a change of paradigms in two respects. First, data access will be decentralised and the FDZ literally brings its data closer to the researchers. Second, data of the FDZ will be accessible from abroad and the dissemination of micro data will be no longer restricted to national borders. The RDC-in-RDC approach may therefore be regarded as a first step towards remote access in Germany and may also represent a blue print for an intensified international data sharing." (author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
    Keywords: Forschungsdatenzentrum, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, IAB, Datenzugang
    Date: 2011–04–18
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iab:iabfme:201107_en&r=ict
  4. By: Olaf Siegert; Ralf Toepfer
    Abstract: Forschungsdaten waren schon immer ein Thema für Bibliotheken, allerdings bislang eher in einem sehr eingeschränkten Sinne, nämlich vor allem dort, wo es sich um gedruckte Publikationen oder Lizenzdatenbanken handelt: Diese wurden und werden gesammelt bzw. über Nachweissysteme zur Verfügung gestellt. Mit der zunehmenden Digitalisierung und Vernetzung nicht nur von Formaten sondern auch von Arbeitsprozessen in der Forschung ergeben sich für Bibliotheken neue Möglichkeiten des Wissenschaftssupports. Jetzt können sie die Forschende nicht nur als Endnutzer von Fachinformation versorgen, sondern auch Dienste für den übrigen Forschungs- und Publikationsprozess anbieten. Ein Arbeitsfeld dabei ist der Bereich Forschungsdaten. In der ZBW spielen diese eine zunehmend größere Rolle bei Forschungs- und Innovationsprojekten. Dabei reicht das Spektrum von Aktivitäten im Kontext von Open-Access-Projekten, bei denen Forschungsdaten als „related data“ einbezogen werden über die Aufbereitung von historischen Statistiken für die Weiterverarbeitung mit Tabellenkalkulationsprogrammen bis hin zu Datenarchiven für Forschernetzwerke. Das Paper gibt einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Projektvorhaben mit Forschungsdatenbezug in der ZBW. Außerdem wird beleuchtet, wie die Wirtschaftsforschung jeweils in die Aktivitäten einbezogen ist.
    Date: 2011
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rsw:rswwps:rswwps172&r=ict

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