From Data Scarcity to Data Abundance

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) George Alter, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
343_fert_v3.do text/x-stata-syntax 9.6 KB 03/29/2019 10:56:AM
343spells_v2b.dta application/x-stata 27.9 MB 11/19/2018 07:37:AM
Alter_Hist_Dem_Models_Knodel_results.xlsx application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet 563.3 KB 03/29/2019 11:09:AM
s343_cb_edited.pdf application/pdf 2 MB 03/29/2019 11:11:AM

Project Citation: 

Alter, George. From Data Scarcity to Data Abundance. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-03-29. https://doi.org/10.3886/E109127V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary This reflection on the evolution of methods and data in historical demography argues that we can still find inspiration and guidance in the work of the founders of our discipline.  Historical demography is in the midst of a transition from a data-poor to a data-rich environment.  Previous generations relied on demographic models to squeeze as much information as possible from the small amounts of data available.  Today we live in a new era of large data sets and regression models.  Researchers are creating both regional and international historical data sets of unprecedented size and depth. When examined closely, however, the methods that we use now make the same simplifying assumptions that generated the key advances of earlier generations.  As we transition to new methods, demographic insight must inform our analyses and enrich our conclusions.



Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms historical demography; family reconstitution
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage Germany
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 1800 – 1940
Universe:  View help for Universe
Six German village genealogies collected and digitized by John Knodel.
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) event/transaction data
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes These data were collected by John Knodel and used in Knodel, J. E. (1988). Demographic behavior in the past a study of fourteen German village populations in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Cambridge Cambridgeshire, New York: Cambridge University Press.



Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V1 [2019-03-29]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as it arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the investigator(s) if further information is desired.