“Administrative data sources hold a wealth of information, this paper sets out to examine three sources: Quarterly National Household Survey, P35 data (information from Employers) and a derivation of the live register data from the Department of Social Protection, and their potential to predict the employment outcomes for people over the period of economic downturn, using innovative analytical and visualisation techniques.”

The approach: Ireland's economic downturn has created challenges for policy makers and public managers alike. One of the big issues facing policy makers is how to tackle our levels of unemployment and understand the factors that determines a person's likelihood to have moved from employment to unemployment over this unprecedented period in our history. From this understanding the mechanisms to support the unemployed in getting back to work can be more easily derived.

The Analytics Institute are going to use administrative data sources to determine the factors that help predict the likelihood of people maintaining employment over the last 3 ½ years in the context of the economic downturn that has occurred over this period. In addition we will also be looking at the flows of people throughout this period and looking for patterns in the flows. To do this the Analytics Institute will use advanced analytical techniques to model the scenario and look to disseminate the results in interesting and visually strong ways using visualisation and geospatial practices.

The objectives of this research are to:

– Demonstrate the power of available administrative sources (like the QNHS, P35, and Live Register) in addressing important national questions

– Examine the challenges and opportunities in integrating administrative data sources

– Demonstrate the usage of analytical techniques to ask and answer important policy questions of existing data

– Use visualisation and geospatial techniques to 'tell the story' in a way that people can relate to and understand.

– Develop guidelines for integrating and exploring administrative data across Irish government departments

Biography: Mary Lee Rhodes is the Director of the MSc in International Management at Trinity College, Dublin.

A professional background in public management and business has focused Mary Lee's research interests in public management and complex systems. She previously worked for JP Morgan in banking operations and technology and as an economic analyst with the US Department of Agriculture.

Mary Lee is a current or former member of the Board of Directors for several non-profit organisations in Ireland, including Simon Communities Ireland, Cluid Housing and Taney Village Ltd and served on the Audit Committee of the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Having completed her PhD in Public Management at Trinity College Dublin, Mary Lee also holds an MBA from Wharton College, an MSc in Systems Analysis & Design from London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from Yale University.