Empirical researchers often replace latent constructs with composite indices, treating this as a neutral data-processing step. We prove this is a consequential identification choice. Our (near) impossibility theorem demonstrates that no linear index can guarantee consistent estimates of all...

The rare access to exact official geocoordinates opens new methodological possibilities for analyzing highly sensitive tax data. We explore their visualization potential and systematically evaluate aggregation as an anonymization strategy, with particular attention to its methodological and...

The availability of geocoordinates offers valuable insights into spatial patterns of economic, demographic and health outcomes. However, disclosing the exact geolocation of statistical units to secondary analysts contravenes the responsible use of data. To protect privacy, anonymisation methods...