| Sumario: | Part of a special section on European social science databases. The creation of an integrated European database for comparative social research is a mandate from the pioneers of the discipline from over 30 years ago. A lot of what these pioneers placed on the agenda in the past has been achieved. Social science data archives exist or are being established in most Western European countries; international training seminars have been offered continuously since the late 1960s; methods for comparative research have been developed; and telecommunication, computer networks, and advanced analysis software are widely available. Going beyond a historical retrospective, however, and assessing the improved conditions in which social research currently operates, the integration of the European database remains a challenge for the 1990s. The task now is to extend the network of social science archives to Greece, Spain, Portugal, and the countries of Eastern Europe. Ways in which the wealth of archive data available in the European database could be improved are discussed.
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