LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg

LIS, formerly known as The Luxembourg Income Study, is a data archive and research center that provides access to harmonized microdata from numerous high- and middle-income countries for the purposes of socio-economic research. Its primary users are researchers, educators, and policymakers who analyze anonymized data on income, wealth, employment, and demographics to study inequality and social outcomes. The organization houses the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) Database and the Luxembourg Wealth Study (LWS) Database, which together represent the largest available income database of its kind. While LIS is not a commercial data broker in the typical sense, it manages vast amounts of sensitive personal data, making data protection a critical concern. The main privacy risk associated with such a large collection of microdata is the potential for re-identification of individuals, even though the data is anonymized. To mitigate this, LIS provides access to the data through a secure remote-execution system called LISSY, which prevents researchers from directly downloading the raw data. This controlled environment is designed to protect the privacy of the survey respondents. Individuals can protect themselves by being mindful of the information they share in surveys and by understanding how research institutions use their data.