Abstract
In recent years, access to German research data on labour markets and social insurances has improved substantially. Nevertheless, reforms are urgently needed to catch up with other countries. Among the most important measures, the German government should legalise the merging of information from heterogeneous data sources for research, make more register available for research, harmonise the handling of data protection, and make remote desktop data accessible more broadly. Research data availability is essential for a functioning and informed democracy that aims to use its resources wisely and to learn from experience.