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.