Data Collection and Data Management Core

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Abstract The Data Collection and Data Management (DCDM) Core of this program project provides services so that investigators of the research projects can meet their objectives. While the research project investigators have previously worked in many of these settings, all research project investigators do not have site-specific expertise in all settings (Nepal, Mozambique, and Mexico). Yet each research project relies on data collected in all three sites. To address this challenge, the DCDM provides site-specific expertise with experienced personnel who have conducted data collection in each of these sites: Dr. Scott Yabiku (DCDM Director), Dr. Victor Agadjanian, and Dr. Flavio Marsiglia. These DCDM personnel will serve as liaisons between the research project investigators and the collaborators in each country to develop and execute the data collections. Dr. Chris Herbst offers support in study design so that survey instruments are constructed to address challenges of unobserved heterogeneity and selection. In each country, there will be a two-wave panel study to answer each research project’s hypotheses. By concentrating all data collection and management activities in one core, we achieve greater harmonization, coordination, and cost-savings than if each research project pursued these goals independently. Scientifically, having all research projects share data collection within each country allows extraordinary scholarly integration. In addition, a replicated approach across countries allows for high standardization of measures, comparative work, and common statistical approaches. The data collection services provided to each research project include sampling, measurement and survey instrument design, fieldwork, data entry and cleaning, and tracking. The data management services include versioning of datasets, merging and recoding of shared datasets and variables, modeling support, data archiving and access control, and conducting data user workshops in coordination with the Administration Core. In addition to Yabiku, Agadjanian, Marsiglia, and Herbst, the DCDM is also staffed by programmers to handle data and computing tasks. DCDM administration and decision making is led by Yabiku, who will manage overall coordination of the data collection and data management services; Yabiku will also provide Nepal-specific data collection expertise to research project investigators (Agadjanian serves this role in Mozambique, and Marsiglia in Mexico). As the DCDM representative on the internal advisory committee for the program project, Yabiku’s regular meetings with PD Glick will ensure that DCDM activities stay within overall program goals and budgetary constraints. In addition, to enhance quality control, DCDM activities will be part of the review process with the external advisory committee. Operationally, to administer tasks and the use of core services, the DCDM will create a Microsoft Sharepoint intranet site to manage data collection tasks and data management requests. Sharepoint is widely used at ASU for proposal workflows, and the investigators are already familiar with this approach.