This Open Access book highlights the importance of administrative microdata sources. Administrative data presents several advantages, including wide coverage, low measurement error and collection costs, and interoperability with surveys. Improved access would benefit many stakeholders: the research community would produce higher-quality and more numerous publications, policymakers and citizens would learn whether policies are effective, firms would benefit from greater market transparency, and trust in public institutions would increase. However, many barriers still exist. This book aims to address these issues. Focusing on the European Union, the book is organized into two parts. The first part analyzes the access regimes in each EU country. It provides data users with information on how to access administrative data and offers data holders best practices for combining access with data security.

The second part documents the benefits of administrative data in key policy areas - society, the economy, and the environment - and identifies specific areas of intervention. "Administrative data are the foundation for modern policy analysis. Berton and Paruolo's exciting new book highlights state-of-the art applications of administrative data, offering practical advice on how to use the right data to learn "what works". It also includes a valuable country-by-country overview of the administrative data in each EU country, curated by a who's who list of experts. A must-read for anyone looking to learn more about the prospects and potential for administrative data in the EU." David Card Co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.