Research Guides: Comparative Political Data: Governance, Conflict, & Rights

Frequently Used

Start with these sources. For more data source ideas, see the other pages in this section:

CNTS Data Archive (Cross-National Time Series)
From Arthur S. Banks, to quantify variables covered in Stateman's Yearbook. Over 200 indicators spanning 200 countries, some dating to 1815. Variables cover trade, conflict, infrastructure, expenditure, more.

Correlates of War
Data on alliances, militarization, disputes, and other indicators of conflict since 1816.

GFS: Government Finance Statistics
Includes budgetary and extra-budgetary financial operations data for governments. Covers 1980 - present.
ICRG Researchers' Dataset (International Country Risk Guide)
Political risk assessment data for 147 countries. Related to the IRIS-3 dataset. Covers 1984 - 2012.

Minorities at Risk
Tracks 283 politically-active non-state ethnic groups throughout the world from 1945 to the present. Based out of University of Maryland.
Pippa Norris Data
Variety of useful shared datasets covering regime types, elections, civil liberties, and much more.
Polity V
Measures regime characteristics (democracy/autocracy) for all states over 500,000 from 1800 to 2018. Also find other data on conflict and peace at this link.
QoG Standard Data
Enormous dataset with 1000+ cross-national variables ranging from governance to the economy from a large variety of sources.
Uppsala Confict Data Program (UCDP)
Datasets on armed conflict between states, government against civilians, peace agreements between parties, and more.
V-Dem
Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) measures all countries, 1900-present, on these democratic qualities: Electoral, Liberal, Participatory, Majoritarian, Consensual, Deliberative, and Egalitarian. Also provides subcomponent measures re. elections, judiciary, etc.; and collects data to measure these principles. Explore the different datasets that V-Dem produces.