Replication Data for: Comparative Cybersecurity in the Americas

What factors explain the level of commitment to Cybersecurity in the Americas? This research seeks to answer this question through a configurational-qualitative analysis of the performance of 35 American countries in the Global Cybersecurity Index. As explanatory conditions, a) Securitization; b) Military Expenditure; c) Rare events; d) Time of the Legal-Institutional Framework; e) Militarization of Cyberspace; and f) Economic Development are tested. Methodologically, this mixed-method work couples Qualitative Comparative Analysis with an in-depth study of the Brazilian case, based on quantitative and qualitative indicators and on interviews. Results identified three causal pathways towards a greater commitment with Cybersecurity: 1) Military Expenditure associated with Economic Development (United States, Canada, Chile, and Uruguay); 2) Military Expenditure and Time of the legal-institutional framework (Cuba); 3) Militarization of Cyberspace and Economic Development (Brazil and Colombia). The case study of Brazil identified the institutional bargains between military and civil sectors as a key causal mechanism.