BelHisCom. Integrating long-term company-level data: a proof of concept with Belgian data.

This project establishes a proof of concept for EurHisCom, a European-wide project that aims to bring together infrastructures and data on companies over the long run and to ensure their connection and joint development among other things. These company data comprise security price information, accounting information, information on management boards and teams as well as shareholders and participations. It is crucial that not only these data are made available, but also that the databases can be linked with each other, across (sub-)disciplines (e.g., price information versus accounting data) and countries. Currently, databases with security level information are best developed and the SCOB database (U Antwerp) has set the stage and is used as model for similar initiatives in other European countries. In this project, we would like to safeguard SCOB's pioneering role by adding databases covering (1) accounting information; (2) management boards; (3) participations and shareholders for Belgian listed firms (1893-1975) to build a "BelHisCom" that can serve as a proof of concept for the European project to be resubmitted. The post-1975 data is currently relatively easy to access from existing databases. Besides building these databases, we will also develop the metadata, documentation and user manuals in accordance with the standards proposed in EurHisFirm, another Horizon 2020 Project that is currently finalizing its design phase. To demonstrate the interoperability of the databases and the academic research potential, we will also initiate a small research project. More specifically, we link the databases to the French database on security prices (DFIH) in order to document the evolution of cross-listings on the Brussels and Paris stock exchanges and to study price formation of these securities. All the source information necessary for constructing the databases is already identified and available. In addition, the SCOB software is developed to create the databases and server capacity is sufficient to store and manipulate the data. A large part of the funding of this project will therefore be used to digitalize the material. This involves predominantly the hiring of job students for inputting data as well as buying portables to facilitate this. By being able to build this "BelHisCom" complex of databases, we demonstrate that the design that is proposed for the European project is realistic and worthwhile for extrapolation. By also performing preliminary research on the intersection of several databases we illustrate the potential of having an integrated research infrastructure to start up cross-border interdisciplinary research.

Keywords:FINANCIAL ECONOMICS

Disciplines:Economic history, Money and interest rates