Replication Data for: Coup-Proofing: Latent Concept and Measurement

The study of coup-proofing holds significant importance in political science as it offers
insights into critical topics such as military coups, authoritarian governance, leader
survival, and international conflicts. However, due to the multifaceted nature of coup-
proofing and empirical inconsistencies with existing indicators, there is a need for a
more profound understanding and a new measurement methodology. Despite growing
discussions on a composite measure of coup-proofing, there are limited methodological
attempts to develop a valid measure of coup-proofing. To address this gap, we propose
a new measure of the extent of coup-proofing, utilizing a Bayesian Item Response
Theory (IRT) approach. We estimate the extent of coup-proofing using a sample of
76 countries between 1965 and 2005 and theoretically relevant observed indicators.
Our estimation reveals different patterns depending on the types of regimes across
countries and time. Furthermore, we verify the construct validity of our measurement.
Overall, our proposed measure contributes to the current scholarship on coup-proofing
and provides a more accurate and reliable way of measuring this crucial concept.