The Data Governance and Privacy body of work aims to safely expand access to confidential data that advance evidence-based policymaking. We strive to develop innovative approaches that enable researchers and public policymakers to use higher-quality data while simultaneously protecting privacy and promoting equity.

Research and Evidence Technology and Data
Tags Data analysis Data collection Data science Data resilience
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  • Project Safe Data Technologies

    The Statistics of Income (SOI) Division of the Internal Revenue Service collects and curates an enormously valuable trove of tax data, which researchers can use to assess the effects of tax policies and pursue other research questions, such as studying income inequality.




    All research and evidence

    Who We Are

    The Data Governance and Privacy practice area at the Urban Institute empowers data curators, practitioners, and public policymakers to safely expand access to data sources that responsibly represent data subjects. Our team leverages our expertise and creates tools that provide technological and policy solutions to data stewardship challenges, such as privacy-enhancing technologies, secure computing infrastructure, statistical data privacy methodology, open-source software development, user engagement studies, data governance frameworks and implementations, and more.

    Impact Statement

    Everyone is responsibly represented in data.

    Our Approach

    The Data Governance and Privacy practice area is working at the intersection of data governance and public policy to improve data access and evidence-based decisionmaking for data curators, practitioners, and public policymakers. We advance our goal under these four areas:  

    • accessibility: collaborating with partner agencies to improve data access (e.g., Secure Transfer, Restricted-Use Data Lake)
    • accuracy: applying statistical methods to increase data quality and efficiency ​(e.g., The Nation's Data at Risk report)​
    • privacy: developing and implementing cutting edge and practical privacy-preserving technologies and methodologies that safely expand data access (e.g., Safe Data Technologies
    • usability: creating data privacy and analysis tools as well as improving data privacy and access communications and education (e.g., creating tools or hosting training sessions for local, state, and federal government agencies like the state of Nebraska)
       

      Member AAPOR Transparency Initiative: American Association for Public Opinion Research
    Staff
    • Senior Fellow
    • Nonresident Fellow
    • Nonresident Fellow
    • Visiting Fellow
    • Nonresident Fellow
    • Senior Research Associate
    • Nonresident Fellow
    • Principal Research Associate
    • Lead Data Scientist for Statistical Computing
    • Nonresident Fellow