Hensel and Diehl Shatterbelt Data, 1945-1976

This data set identifies which geographic regions have qualified as shatterbelts between 1945-1992, and which states are considered members of each of these regions. Shatterbelts are defined and operationalized by Hensel and Diehl (1994); the interested reader is urged to consult that original article. The theoretical reason for this compilation -- initially tested by Hensel and Diehl (1994) -- is the expectation that shatterbelt regions should show different patterns of conflict behavior than other types of regions. Of course, the data set is not limited to this purpose, and should prove to be useful for a variety of additional purposes (such as for identifying populations of cases for analysis of specific non-shatterbelt topics, or for controlling for the regional context in analyzing militarized conflict or other phenomena in world politics).