History and visions in the development of data services for the social sciences

The article describes the historical development of data services for the social sciences, not just to recall what happened, but to point out the strategic choices that have shaped the current situation. With respect to future developments, knowledge of these choices is important. Specifically, one should be aware that data archives – the core institutions in this development – were understood to be part of data services, and these in turn as building blocks in an infrastructure for empirical social sciences. Enlarging such an infrastructure was not and is not undertaken with the ambition to supply all the information that the social sciences need. It is necessary to identify, country by country, what gaps need to be closed in data provision, and in general in the infrastructure for the empirical social sciences. Furthermore, it is necessary to establish in parallel access to information and training in the techniques necessary to make effective and rigorous use of it. As access expands and technology evolves, there is room for concern that user expertise, particularly in statistical methods, is tending to lag behind.