Interview Data for "From Citizen Input to Elite Legitimation: The Logic of Will-Confirmation in Constitution-Making"

This dataset contains anonymized transcripts and supporting materials from 37 semi-structured interviews conducted for the article "From Citizen Input to Elite Legitimation: The Logic of Will-Confirmation in Constitution-Making" (Comparative Politics, 2026). Interviews were conducted between November 2024 and January 2025 with individuals involved in two constitution-making processes: Chile's Constitutional Convention (2021–2022) and Cuba's Drafting Commission (2018–2019).

The Chilean sample (n=30) includes 27 former Convention members spanning the body's electoral lists, plus three technical staff, and is represented by 29 transcript files (one file corresponds to a group interview with two participants). The Cuban sample (n=7) includes two Drafting Commission members, two Working Group members, one National Assembly deputy, and two academics with direct knowledge of the consultation process; it is represented by 6 transcript files, as one interview was conducted via WhatsApp text exchange and is not available in transcript form.

The dataset is organized into two folders of interview transcripts (PDF) by country, accompanied by an interview methods appendix (PDF) that documents the sample frame, interview procedures, country-specific interview guides, summary tables of interviews conducted, and a discussion of fieldwork challenges and constraints. All transcripts have been anonymized: interviewees are referenced using role-based identifiers (e.g., CL_01, CU_03) and gender-neutral pronouns, and identifying details have been removed in accordance with the study's IRB protocol (UT Austin STUDY00006219). Audio recordings are not included. The data support qualitative analysis of how constitutional drafters interpret and account for public input in participatory constitution-making.