IFDO - International Federation of Data Organizations for the Social Sciences

The International Federation for Data Organizations (IFDO) was established in response to research needs of the international social science community.

Data organizations can be seen as an outgrowth of developments in the social sciences having as their primary goal the collecting, storing, and distribution of numeric data for use in secondary analysis.

They offer laboratory resources for social science in much the same way that traditional laboratories offer services to physical science. With rapid development in computer technology and growing expertise in analytical methods among social scientists, the founders of IFDO felt it would be advantageous to co-ordinate these efforts and thus enhance social science research. Nowadays, the IFDO archives form a network that enables the exchange of datafiles and information on a mondial scale. Several prior attempts have been made to organize scholars and organizations active in social science data archiving and distribution. Regional organizations were established for this purpose, such as CESSDA in Europe and CANDOC in Canada. Structured information of social sciences subjects and the WWW infrastructure of IFDO and CESSDA member archives are provided at the IFDOnet.

Through the foresight and planning of the late Stein Rokkan, IFDO became a reality, and since November 1977, IFDO maintains associate memberships in the International Social Science Council of UNESCO. Committees have been established for the on-going activities of this Federation. Membership in committees is voluntary, requiring commitment not only of IFDO representatives, but also that of the member organizations. Committee members are chosen among the personnel of member organizations and the IFDO General Assembly. Committee secretariats reside in one of the member organizations, depending upon committee composition and expertise present in that organization. "IFDO NEWS", the international newsletter, informs the member organizations about recent events and activities in the field of empirical research and data archives.