London School of Economics and Political Science: International Inequalities Institute at LSE launch LIS Satellite Office in the UK
The International Inequalities Institute (III) at LSE is launching the UK Satellite Office of the LIS Cross-National Data Centre in Luxembourg.
This new cooperation aims to promote the use of the LIS Databases in the UK and elsewhere and serve as the point of liaison between LIS and the community of LIS data users in the UK.
LIS is a data archive and research centre dedicated to cross-national analysis. It is home to two databases. The first, the Luxembourg Income Study database (LIS), is the largest available income database of harmonised microdata from approximately 50 countries, spanning five decades.
The second database, The Luxembourg Wealth Study database (LWS), is the only cross-national wealth micro-database in existence.
Commenting on the new satellite office, Professor Peter Lanjouw, Director of LIS said: “After many years of successful collaboration with the US LIS Satellite Office, we at LIS are excited to launch a second Satellite Office in the UK. This venture will generate multiple opportunities for both LIS and the III in their search towards the common goal of enabling, facilitating, and promoting high-quality research on inequality.”
The collaboration will enable researchers to carry out analysis directly on the microdata provided by LIS, through a Virtual Desktop in secure rooms at the LSE library. This will facilitate research using these datasets tremendously. Researchers wanting to access these secure rooms must apply through the regular LIS and III channels.
By providing this infrastructure, LIS broadens the intellectual basis for interdisciplinary researchers analysing household microdata and LSE will serve as a major hub for cross-country studies in economic wellbeing and inequality.
Commenting, Professor Francisco Ferreira, Director of the LSE International Inequalities Institute said: “The LIS Cross-National Data Centre in Luxembourg is the world’s premier data and research lab focused on the curation and harmonisation of microdata on income and wealth.
“The LSE International Inequalities Institute is absolutely delighted to now host their UK satellite office. LSE is already a major hub for the analysis of income and wealth distributions, and our new partnership with LIS will further strengthen that work.”
The UK Satellite Office of LIS will officially be launched in a public online event titled “Inequality, from regional to global: insights from LIS and LWS data” on Monday 6 December.
The event will introduce the new UK LIS Satellite Office, the LIS Virtual Desktop, and present overviews of what analysis can be done with LIS, LWS, and more. Speakers confirmed are Branko Milanovic (CUNY), Frank Cowell (LSE), Peter Lanjouw (LIS), Nora Waitkus (LSE), Janet Gornick (CUNY) and Francisco Ferreira (LSE).