Registerforschung: Verwaltungs- und Statistikdaten für die Wissenschaft

The availability of administrative data and official statistics data for (basic) research becomes increasingly a determinant for the competitiveness of a country’s research capabilities. This is particular true for the social sciences including economics as well as health research and could provide an important contribution for evidence- based politics and public administration. In Austria, the greatest challenges are the unclear and uneven legal situation and political resistance against a more open and better structured access to registry and statistical data for science. From an interna- tional perspective, the accessibility of administrative data is self-evident and state of the art in many European countries.