A New Dataset for Measuring Democracy, 1810-1998

TLDR

Democracy has been defined and measured in various ways, and these variables have been used in the author's prior comparative studies. The article proposes that combining competition and participation into three measures—electoral competition, electoral participation, and a combined democratization index—provides a theoretically satisfactory measurement of democracy. The new dataset merges earlier data and extends it to 1810–1998, covering 187 independent states, with original electoral and political data documented separately and the three variables calculated annually. The dataset is compared with Polity98 and Freedom House ratings, showing its alignment with established democracy measures.

Abstract

Democracy has been defined and measured in various ways. This article argues that combining two basic dimensions of democracy - competition and participation - can yield a theoretically satisfactory measurement of democracy that employs three measures: degree of electoral competition, degree of electoral participation and a combined index of democratization. These variables have been used in the author's previous comparative studies of democracy. The new dataset combines previous data and extends these to cover the period 1810-1998. That dataset includes 187 contemporary and former independent states from the year 1810 or from the year of independence. In the dataset, original electoral and other political data needed to calculate the values of Competition and Participation variables are given and documented separately for each country. The values of the three variables are calculated and given for each year over the period of comparison. Finally, the new dataset is compared with the Polity98 measures of democracy and the combined Freedom House ratings of political rights and civil liberties.