University of Minnesota

Twin Cities Campus / Robert McCaa,
Minnesota Population Center
College of Liberal Arts / 537 Heller Hall
271 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-624-5818
Fax: 612-626-8375

June 27, 2002

Mr. Paul WILLIAMS
Director, Population Census
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10
Belconnen, ACT 2616, AUSTRALIA

Dear Paul,

It was a genuine pleasure to become acquainted with you at the ANCSDAAP conference. More important were the hopeful words that the ABS might be able to provide census microdata samples for the IPUMS-International project. A number of Asian countries seem likely to participate, although it may be a year or two before funding becomes available.

In the meantime, to obtain funding endorsements by the NSOs are very helpful.

Please have a look at the enclosed. I would be happy to have an opportunity to address particular concerns of the ABS about the project.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. Pierre GAUTHIER
Project Manager, 2006 Census
Statistics Canada
3-B4 Jean Talon Bldg.
Ottawa K1A 0T6, CANADA

Dear Pierre,

It was a pleasure to become acquainted with you at the ANCSDAAP conference.

Enclosed is a CD with many digital photos. I hope there will be a few that you may enjoy.

The packet is directed at generating interest of the Asian countries in the IPUMS-International project.

You may ignore those materials since the director of the Minnesota Population Center, Dr. Steven Ruggles, has been in contact with Statistics Canada through meetings facilitated by Ernie Boyko.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. MENG Qingpu
Director, Division of Population Census
Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics
National Bureau of Statistics
75 Yuetan Nanjie
Sanlihe, Beijing 100826, CHINA

Dear Mr. Meng,

It was a pleasure to meet you at the 20th ANCSDAAP conference. The enclosed CD contains some photos from both the 19th and 20th conferences that you may share with your colleagues.

The CD also contains information about the IPUMS-International project, much of which Mr. Xiru Li and Zhang Weimin may already be familiar with.

As you are probably aware the NBS is one of the founding members of the IPUMS consortium. I include the information so that the NBS will be aware of our efforts with other Asian countries.

My colleagues and I at the Minnesota Population Center would be extremely pleased if the NBS would participate in the new IPUMS-Asia/Pacific project.

Please communicate my best regards to Mr. Zhang Weimin. We are most grateful for the participation of the NBS in the census integration initiative.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. Frederick W.H. HO
Commissioner
Census and Statistics Department
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
21/F, Wanchai Tower
12 Harbour Road
Wan Chai, HONG KONG, CHINA

Dear Mr. Ho,

It was a great pleasure to meet you again at the ANCSDAAP conference. As a token of appreciation please accept the enclosed CD with photos from both the 19th and 20th conferences.

As you will see, the CD and the attached documents also contain information about the proposed IPUMS-Asia/Pacific project.

My colleagues and I would be most gratified should your Department be able to join in this effort. I would be happy to have the opportunity to respond to your questions and concerns.

Should you or your colleagues be able to visit the Minnesota Population Center, we would be delighted to receive you. We do not pretend to have any expertise on Asian censuses, but we are eager to learn.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. Timoci BAINIMARAMA
Government Statistician
Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics
PO Box 2221
Government Buildings
Suva, FIJI

Dear Mr. Bainimarama,

As always, it was a great pleasure to meet you again. In appreciation I am sending the enclosed CD which contains digital photos of both the 19th and 20th conferences.

I was delighted to learn of the existence of census microdata for Fiji.

Thanks to the positive response from many delegates, my colleagues at the Minnesota Population Center and I are eager to undertake a census harmonization project for the region.

As you will see, the CD and the attached documents also contain information about the proposed IPUMS-Asia/Pacific project.

I would be particularly pleased should your Bureau be able to join in this effort. Should you have questions or concerns, please bring them to my attention at your earliest convenience.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. J. K. BANTHIA
Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India
Office of the Registrar General, India
2A, Mansingh Road
New Delhi 110 011, INDIA

Dear Mr. Banthia,

As always, it was a great pleasure to discuss history, population and censuses with you. Your presentations are invariably immensely informative.

Enclosed, in addition to the photo scrapbook of the 19th and 20th ANCSDAAP conferences, is an invitation to participate in the IPUMS-Asia/Pacific initiative. I very much appreciate your willingness to consider this possibility.

Regarding the agreement, I have consulted with the director of the Minnesota Population Center, Dr. Steven Ruggles, and he has confirmed that a letter would be a suitable alternative to a signed agreement. We, of course, would abide completely by the terms expressed there because all countries operate on the same plane. A letter of authorization is, however, necessary because we do not deal with any microdata without the approval of the corresponding national statistical authority.

Then too, a letter is essential if we are to be successful in our efforts to obtain the necessary funding. We often request these letters in any case to demonstrate the level of cooperation and the importance of the microdata for the smaller countries. No review panel will doubt the demographic importance of India!

Finally, with respect to recoverable census microdata, my colleagues and I are eager to fund such an effort. It might be best to conduct a trial with a few tapes before going to the expense of shipping many tapes to find that few are recoverable.

Please address your questions and concerns to me. I will be happy to respond in detail.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. Judae Sun, Director General
Social Statistics and Population Census Bureau
National Statistical Office
Government Complex-Daejeon
Dusna-dong, Seo-gu
Daejeon 302-701, Rep. of Korea

Dear Mr. Sun:

At the suggestion of Mr. Hyungseog Kim I wish to call your attention to an international initiative to harmonize census samples.

It would be a great honor should the National Statistical Office of Korea be able to participate in this project, because Korea possesses the most extensive set of high-quality samples in the world.

Our goal is to make harmonized census samples available to researchers to investigate demographic, social and economic issues. Some 30 countries, including Kenya, France, Mexico, and China, have now joined this effort. At the recently concluded 20th ANCSDAAP conference in Ulaanbaatar there was enthusiasm for developing a region-wide census harmonization project.

For your consideration, additional details about the project are enclosed: a formal invitation, project guidelines, and a CD containing the website and much other documentation and details. (The CD also contains a digital photo scrapbook of both the 19th and 20th ANCSDAAP conference. Please share the CD with the members of the Korean delegation.).

Also enclosed is a copy of a model agreement. Should your organization agree to participate, I would be pleased to address your concerns and questions and incorporate any changes that you may require and obtain the necessary signature of the University authority.

Sincerely yours,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. Yacob ZEWOLDI
Statistician
Demographic and Social Statistics Branch
United Nations Statistics Division
2 UN Plaza, Room No. 1558
New York, NY 10017 UNITED STATES

Dear Yacob,

Thank you very much for suggesting Ethiopia as a possibility for the IPUMS-International project. A copy of my letter to Dr. Hasen is enclosed.

I am also enclosing a copy of the materials for the Asia/Pacific initiative—as a rough guide on how we proceed.

As with other countries we might not initiate the Ethiopia for a year or two after the agreement is signed. It is better to have a well-planned strategy before any work begins.

Of course we are interested in incorporating additional countries, particularly those with microdata for 2 or more censuses at decadal intervals.

The CD contains some photos that you may enjoy.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Dr. Abdulahi Hasen ,General Manager

Central Statistical Authority

P.O. Box 1143

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Dear Dr. Hasen,

Mr. Yacob Zewoldi encouraged me to contact you regarding an international project to harmonize census samples. Over 30 countries, including Kenya, France, Mexico, and China, have now joined this effort.

The goal of the project is to make census microdata available to bona-fide researchers to investigate demographic and social issues.

Mr. Zewoldi tells me that the 1994 census of Ethiopia is of high quality and the microdata would be quite suitable for the initiative, should your organization decide to participate.

Let me assure you that our projects are fully funded, so that the participating national statistical authorities need not commit scarce resources to the effort. On the contrary, a modest licensing fee of US$5,000 is paid to offset any incidental expenses involved in providing documentation, data or advice to the project. The fee rises to $10,000 where there are two or more censuses. The project also retains a consultant or two to advise on technical and methodological intricacies of the census.

For your consideration, additional details about the project are enclosed, including the model letter of understanding that guides the project. Should your organization agree to participate, I would be pleased to edit the agreement and forward a copy to you signed by the University authority.

Mr. Zewoldi will be traveling to Addis Ababa in a few weeks and will take advantage of the trip to discuss the project in greater detail. I would be greatly pleased to have an opportunity to work with your organization on this initiative.

Sincerely yours,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

c. Mr. Yacob Zewoldi

June 27, 2002

Mr. Toto E. SASTRASUANDA, Deputy Director General for Social Statistics
BPS-Statistics Indonesia
Jl. Dr. Sutomo 6-8
Jakarta 10710, INDONESIA

Dear Mr. Sastrasuanda,

It was a pleasure to meet you at the 20th ANCSDAAP conference. The enclosed CD contains some photos from both the 19th and 20th conferences. Please accept them as a gift that you may share with your colleagues.

The CD also contains information about the IPUMS-International project, and the forthcoming IPUMS-Asia/Pacific initiative as well as digitized images of census questionnaires.

The “EastWest” folder on the CD contains scanned materials from the East West Center archives, including documentation for 1980 and 1990 Indonesian microdata. My colleagues and I at the Minnesota Population Center would be extremely pleased if your organization might be able to participate in the region-wide IPUMS-Asia/Pacific project. Coupled with a sample from the 2000 census, the 5% census samples for Indonesia for 1980 and 1990 as well as a smaller sample for 1970 would be particularly useful to researchers.

I invite you to examine the documents enclosed here and browse the contents of the CD. Please address any concerns, questions or suggestions that you may have to me, preferably by email.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. OBAYASHI Senichi, Director-General
Statistical Survey Department, Statistics Bureau
Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications
19-1 Wakamatsu-cho
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8668, JAPAN

Dear Mr. Obayashi,

It was a pleasure to meet you at the 20th ANCSDAAP conference. The enclosed CD contains some photos from both the 19th and 20th conferences. Please accept them as a gift that you may share with your colleagues.

The CD also contains information about the IPUMS-International project, and the forthcoming IPUMS-Asia/Pacific initiative as well as digitized images of census questionnaires and documentation scanned from the East West Center holdings.

My colleagues and I at the Minnesota Population Center would be extremely pleased if your organization might be able to participate in the region-wide IPUMS-Asia/Pacific project. Japan has an enviable collection of quinquennial censuses that would be particularly useful to researchers.

We understand that there are considerable hurdles that must be overcome if Japanese data are to be made available to outsiders. However, I would feel remise if the invitation extended to other countries in the region was not also made to your organization.

I invite you to examine the documents enclosed here and browse the contents of the CD. Please address any concerns, questions or suggestions that you may have to me, preferably by email.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Dr. Rabieyah MAT, Deputy Chief Statistician Malaysia
Department of Statistics Malaysia
Block C6, Parcel C
The Federal Government Administrative Center
62514 Putrajaya, MALAYSIA

Dear Dr. Mat,

It was a delight to meet you again and to have an opportunity to discuss the IPUMS-Asia initiative with you. My colleagues are pleased to learn that the Department of Statistics is considering the invitation to participate in the census microdata project.

The enclosed CD contains some photos from both the 19th and 20th conferences. Please accept them as a gift that you may share with your colleagues.

The CD also contains information about the IPUMS-International project, and the forthcoming IPUMS-Asia/Pacific initiative as well as digitized images of census questionnaires. The “EastWest” folder on the CD contains scanned materials from the East West Center archives, including documentation for the 1970 Malaysian microdata.

I invite you to examine the documents enclosed here and browse the contents of the CD. Please address any concerns, questions or suggestions that you may have to me, preferably by email.

Please forgive me for boldly enclosing a copy of the model agreement. However the document has hardly changed for more than a year now. In the interest of time, if the letter of understanding is acceptable, please sign 4 copies and return to me for signing by the University. If it is not acceptable, please advise me so that I may make the necessary adjustments.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mrs. DAVAASUREN Chultemjamts
Chairman
National Statistical Office of Mongolia
Government Building III, Baga Toiruu 44
Sukhbaatar District
Ulaanbaatar-11, MONGOLIA

Dear Chairman Davaasuren,

Please accept my deepest expression of gratitude for your hosting of the 20th ANCSDAAP conference. The event was a marvelous experience, both from scientific and touristic perspectives. The logistics were handled superbly. My wife particularly enjoyed exploring Ulaanbaatar and meeting so many interesting Mongolians.

The enclosed CD contains some photos from both the 19th and 20th conferences. Please accept them as a gift that you may share with your colleagues.

The CD also contains information about the IPUMS-International project, and the forthcoming IPUMS-Asia/Pacific initiative as well as digitized images of census questionnaires.

I invite you to examine the documents enclosed here and browse the contents of the CD. My colleagues and I would be most honored should the National Statistical Office of Mongolia decide to participate. Please address any concerns, questions or suggestions that you may have to me, preferably by email.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

June 27, 2002

Mr. Radha Krishna Gharty CHHETRY, Deputy Director
Central Bureau of Statistics
P.O. Box 11031
Thapathali
Kathmandu, Nepal

Dear Mr. Chhetry,

It was a delight to meet you at the 20th ANCSDAAP conference and to have an opportunity to discuss the IPUMS-Asia initiative with you. The enclosed CD contains some photos from both the 19th and 20th conferences. Please accept them as a gift that you may share with your colleagues.

My colleagues are pleased that the Central Bureau of Statistics is considering the invitation to participate in the census microdata project. The CD also contains information about the IPUMS-International project, and the forthcoming IPUMS-Asia/Pacific initiative as well as digitized images of census questionnaires.

I invite you to examine the documents enclosed here and browse the contents of the CD. Please address any concerns, questions or suggestions that you may have to me, preferably by email.

Please forgive me for boldly enclosing a copy of the model agreement. However the document has hardly changed for more than a year now. In the interest of time, I am enclosing the agreement. If it is acceptable, please sign 4 copies and return to me for signing by the University. If it is not acceptable, please advise me so that I may make the necessary adjustments.

Cordially,

Robert McCaa,

Professor of Population History and

International Projects Coordinator, Minnesota Population Center

Ms. Carmelita N. ERICTA
Administrator
National Statistics Office
Solicarel Bldg. I, Ramon Magsaysay Blvd.
Sta. Mesa, Manila 1008, Philippines

Dear Ms. Ericta,

It was a delight to meet you, to learn of the latest developments in census-taking in the Philippines, and to have an opportunity to discuss the IPUMS-Asia initiative with you. My colleagues are pleased to learn that the National Statistics Office is receptive to participating in the census microdata project.

The enclosed CD contains some photos from both the 19th and 20th conferences. Please accept them as a gift that you may share with your colleagues.