List of data sources for social science research

An index of websites that provide data useful for social science research.  Given my interests, these will be primarily on issues such as nutrition, education,  health, development, poverty, etc.  Regionally, most data will be in India. Some general issues (e.g. population) are covered and some sources of data are international (e.g. child health by UNICEF).  Many of the below are links to other websites that give information on data sources.  The collection would be of interest to economists, political scientists and sociologists working on development issues.

1. Internet World Stats – Usage and Population Statistics
   Bookmarked on 01.02.2012:

2. Rating of RTI laws around the world
   Bookmarked on 06.10.2011:

   This page contains information about a ranking of countries based on the strength of the right to information Law. Serbia has the highest ranking followed closely by India. Sweden, the first country to legislate the right to information, falls very low in the list.

3. Empowering the Empowered or Effective Data Use for Everyone? « Gurstein's Community Informatics
   Bookmarked on 27.09.2011:

   In the context of digital-divide, will open data empower the empowered?

4. Then What? â
   Bookmarked on 27.09.2011:

   An article about the nature, uses and abuses of open data.

5. Open data catalogue
   Bookmarked on 27.09.2011:

   A spreadsheet containing links to websites around the world providing open government data.

6. Planning Commission
   Bookmarked on 19.03.2011:

   Website of the Planning commission of India.

7. RTI Rating Methodology
   Bookmarked on 11.03.2011:

   New dataset being created on the right to information laws based on how strong the laws are.

8. Making Britain | How South Asians shaped Britain 1870-1950
   Bookmarked on 01.10.2010:

   Online database provides information on over 500 South Asians in Britain from 1870 to 1950, their British connections, the organisations they were involved in and the major events in which they participated.

9. School Report Cards
   Bookmarked on 28.05.2010:

   NUPA's school monitoring system that has recent school level data for more than 1.2 million schools in India.

10. Secondary education management information system at NEUPA
    Bookmarked on 28.05.2010:

    MIS on secondary education managed by NEUPA

11. DISE–District Information System for Education
    Bookmarked on 28.05.2010:

12. SavifaDok-Database
    Bookmarked on 26.04.2010:

    Includes a collection of Bengali and Assamese journals in colonial India that were microfilmed by CSS, Calcutta.

13. Health Information of India
    Bookmarked on 19.04.2010:

    Health statistics for India.

14. Seventh All India Educational Survey
    Bookmarked on 10.04.2010:

    Provides extensive information on school infrastructure in India.

15. Budget speeches 1947 onwards
    Bookmarked on 06.07.2009:

    Speeches made by finance ministers of India from 1947 while presenting the budget. Available from 1947.

16. Statistical reports of elections – National & State
    Bookmarked on 03.04.2009:

    Detailed statistical reports of elections in India. A comprehensive source but most files are in PDF format. Recent election data is available in XLS though

17. Privatization Database Home – The World Bank Group
    Bookmarked on 07.11.2007:

    Databank on privatisation projects

18. Many Eyes
    Bookmarked on 03.06.2007:

    A data visualization tool with many readily available datasets.

19. EPW Research Foundation
    Bookmarked on 15.05.2007:

20. National Crime Records Bureau – India
    Bookmarked on 05.05.2007:

21. Gapminder
    Bookmarked on 17.04.2007:

    A funky website to make beautiful presentations out of trend data

22. LOKNITI
    Bookmarked on 08.04.2007:

    "Research program of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies CSDS , Delhi that seeks to engage with global debates on democracy by initiating empirically grounded theoretical interventions on democracy"

23. Internet Data Sources for Social Scientists
    Bookmarked on 20.02.2007:

    Cornell Institution for Social and Economic Research's page with extensive links to data sources.

24. Social Science Data Sources
    Bookmarked on 20.02.2007:

    A page with extensive links to data sources for social scientists

25. National Habitation Survey 2003 – India
    Bookmarked on 17.02.2007:

26. Census of TamilNadu – 2001
    Bookmarked on 01.02.2007:

    A reasonably well designed site for basic data

27. UNESCO/UNICEF report on children out of school
    Bookmarked on 18.01.2007:

28. DISE–District Information System for Education
    Bookmarked on 18.11.2006:

29. United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics
    Bookmarked on 11.11.2006:

    A project to assess available statistical information on issues related to women across the world and to improve information.

30. Census of India, Govt. of India
    Bookmarked on 05.11.2006:

31. Seventh All India Educational Survey
    Bookmarked on 05.11.2006:

    An important source of educational statistics for india

32. Social Security Online History Pages
    Bookmarked on 13.09.2006:

    Development and history of the poverty thresholds [or poverty-line]

33. Repositioning Nutrition as Central to Development – A Strategy for Large-Scale Action
    Bookmarked on 12.09.2006:

    A world bank report on the extant and importance of malnutrition and different strategies for large-scale interventions.

34. Pesquisa indica aumento da população brasileira com mais de 80 anos
    Bookmarked on 04.09.2006:

    Article on a survey indicating an increase in 80+ population.

35. Laws, Regulations and Policies database
    Bookmarked on 03.09.2006:

    Database by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific UNESCAP

36. Coverage under MDMS in North Eastern States
    Bookmarked on 03.09.2006:

    Gives figures of number of schools and students covered under mid-day meal scheme in the North Eastern States in 2005-06

37. WHO Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition
    Bookmarked on 31.08.2006:

38. The State of the World's Children 2006
    Bookmarked on 31.08.2006:

    Excellent series of reports by UNICEF. The 2006 theme is "excluded and invisible children".

39. World Bank Research & Data Page
    Bookmarked on 20.08.2006:

40. IBGE – Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística
    Bookmarked on 22.06.2006:

    A good site for economic statistics and other information on Brazil. They're a lead partner in Brazil's official survey on poverty, impact of social programmes, etc.

41. Expert Group on Poverty Statistics
    Bookmarked on 22.06.2006:

    This group has been set up to assess the level of poverty in Brazil.

42. Centre for Good Governance
    Bookmarked on 26.04.2006:

    The centre is run by Government of Andhra Pradesh in close collaboration with DFID. Has links to a lot of useful data, and other policy issues that are being discussed in the state.

43. WTO | Economic research and analysis gateway
    Bookmarked on 25.03.2006: