Cross-National Data Analysis Learning Package

This study contains cross-sectional data on the economic, political, and population characteristics of 108 independent nations in the period 1961-1970. Also included are limited longitudinal data for 60 nations in the period 1919-1970. The dataset was developed to introduce students to cross-national political data analyses. Economic variables provide information on the gross national product (GNP), government revenues and expenditures, foreign aid, imports and exports per capita, each nation's proportion of world trade, defense and educational expenditures as percentage of the GNP, energy, electric, steel, and cement production and consumption per capita, and the percentage of the workforce in industry and in agriculture. Data on political regimes and systems include the type of regime, effectiveness of the executive and legislative branches, size of the legislature, polyarchy index of democratic performance, press freedom, political and civil rights, number of coups d'etat, major constitutional and cabinet changes, legislative elections, and dates of independence. Population characteristics variables include population density, urbanization index, internal security forces and the size of the military as proportion of the adult population, and infant mortality rate as proportion of live births. Demographic variables include religion, ethnicity, literacy, and languages.