The Quality of Government Dataset, Version 27May10

Abstract

One aim of the QoG Institute is to make publicly available cross-national comparative data on QoG and its correlates. To accomplish this objective we have compiled both a cross-sectional dataset with global coverage pertaining to the year 2002 (or the closest year available), and a cross-sectional time-series dataset with global coverage spanning the time period 1946–2009. The datasets draw on a number of freely available crosssectional data sources, including aggregated individual-level data.

In the cross-sectional dataset we include all countries in the world recognized by the United Nations as of the year 2002, plus Serbia, Montenegro (as separate states) and Taiwan for a total of 194 nations. We have thus included Serbia and Montenegro both as a unit and as two separate states. Regarding the year from which we have picked the data in the cross-sectional dataset, our first choice has been 2002. The reason for this is that there is a lot less data available for later years. If data for 2002 was not available, data for 2003 is used. If 2003 was not available, we use data for 2001, and if 2001 was lacking, 2004 is used and so forth. In the cross-sectional time-series dataset we include the same 192 nations, plus an addition of 13 historical countries that have ceased to exist.