A dataset containing the leaders in dictatorships data from Milan Svolik, 2012. The Politics of Authoritarian Rule. New York: Cambridge University Press. The original data and codebook can be found at http://campuspress.yale.edu/svolik/the-politics-of-authoritarian-rule/. This is based on Archigos, but it is slightly different.

svolik_leader

Format

An object of class tbl_df (inherits from tbl, data.frame) with 708 rows and 39 columns.

Variable descriptions

country_name
Standardized country name. This is the same across all datasets in this package, so you can always join them by country_name and year. Character with 135 distinct values. Most common: Bolivia (24), Haiti (25), Russia (Soviet Union) (18). NAs = 0.

GWn
Gleditsch-Ward numeric country code. See Gleditsch and Ward (1999). Numeric. Max = 990, min = 40, distinct = 135, mean = 450.984, sd = 260.346, NAs = 0.

leader
Leader name. Character with 650 distinct values. Most common: Abdallah (2), Ahomadegbe (2), Ali Nassir Hassani (2), Anastasio Somoza Garcia (2), Andropov (2), Azali Assoumani (2), Balaguer (2), Barrientos Ortuna (2), Botha (2), Bouterse (2), Brezhnev (2), Buyoya (2), Cantave (2), Castro (3), Chernenko (2), Dacko (2), Duarte (2), El-Kudsi (2), Gorbachev (2), Hun Sen (2), Jabir As-Sabah (2), Jigme Thinley (2), Khrushchev (2), Kouandete (2), Lamizana (2), Lanusse (2), Lon Nol (2), Lopez Arellano (2), Maga (2), Makarios (2), Malenkov (2), Mba (2), Medvedev (2), Milosevic (2), Namphy (2), Ne Win (2), Nguesso (2), Noriega (2), Odria (2), Osorio (2), Ovando Candia (2), Paz Estenssoro (2), Preval (2), Putin (2), Rahman (2), Rawlings (2), Razak (2), Shahid Suhrawardy (2), Sihanouk (2), Siles Zuazo (2), Soglo (2), Stalin (2), Suarez (2), Thanon Kittakachorn (2), Tofilau Eti Alesana (2), Va'ai Kolone (2), Velasco Ibarra (2). NAs = 0.

startdate
Date of entry into office. Date. Max = 2008-08-06, min = 1921-04-11, distinct = 682, NAs = 0.

enddate
Date of exit from office. Date. Max = 2008-12-31, min = 1946-01-11, distinct = 627, NAs = 0.

leadid
Leader ID. Character with 698 distinct values. Most common: A2.2-5032 (2), A2.2-5470 (2), A2.2-5473 (2), A2.2-5476 (2), A2.2-5497 (2), A2.2-5500 (2), A2.2-5503 (2), A2.2-5506 (2), M1.0-007 (2), M1.0-016 (2). NAs = 0.

entry
The manner by which the leader assumed office. Civil war: the previous leader left office due to a civil war and the current leader either won the civil war or was installed as a leader by a peace conference or settlement; consensus: the leader was chosen consensually by a collective; typically in communist dictatorships and military juntas; coup: the leader came to power after an elite or military-led conspiracy deposed the previous leader by threating or using force; elections: the leader won a general election; foreign: the leader was installed by a foreign intervention; independence: the leader entered office after a war of independence; interim: the leader assumed office for an explicitly stated temporary period and obeyed it; typically when the previous leader leaves office due to natural causes, resigns, or is assassinated and the new leader is the constitutionally mandated successor and resigns at the end of the constitutionally mandated period; the previous leader is forced out of office in a coup or revolution and the new leader is designated (often for idiosyncratic reasons) as a temporary successor and resigns from office within a year; revolt: the leader participated in a mass protest, uprising, or riot that replaced the previous leader; succession: the leader succeeded the previous leader due to a customary or institutionalized dynastic succession; other: a residual category for entries into office that do not fit into any of the above. Character with 10 distinct values. Most common: consensus (145), coup (214), elections (158). NAs = 0.

exit
The manner by which the leader left office (coded as missing if the leader's tenure is right-censored): assassination: the leader was killed in an event that was not an organized attempt to replace him in power (and therefore does not qualify as a coup or revolt); civil war: the leader left office due to a civil war; consensus: the leader left office by a consensual collective decision; typically at the end of his term in communist dictatorships and military juntas; coup: the leader was deposed by an elite or military-led conspiracy that involved the threat or use of force; elections: the leader ran for re-election but lost; foreign: the leader was forced out of office as a result of a foreign intervention or interstate war; interim: the leader assumed office for an explicitly stated temporary period and obeyed it when he left; typically when the previous leader left office due to natural causes, resigned, or was assassinated and the current leader was the constitutionally mandated successor and resigned at the end of the constitutionally mandated period; the previous leader was forced out of office in a coup or revolution and the new leader was designated (often for idiosyncratic reasons) as a temporary successor and resigned from office within a year; this category also includes various rotation agreements as long as the mandated period in office has been explicitly stated and obeyed; natural: the leader left office due to sickness or death; no contest: a leader who was eligible to serve for another term if re-elected chose not to run for re-election; resignation: a leader voluntarily left office, typically to retire; revolt: the leader was forced out of office by a mass protest, uprising, strike, or riot (revolts among military units that led to the exit of a leader were coded as a revolt instead of coup if they involved mass public participation); stepdown: the leader left office due to events resulting in a transition to democracy; term limit: the leader left office because he was constitutionally prevented from serving for another term; other: a residual category for exits from office that do not fit into any of the above. Character with 15 distinct values. Most common: coup (202), interim (59), natural (86). NAs = 65.

pol_aff
The leader's political relationship to the previous leader prior to assuming office: regime: the leader has explicitly stated his pro-government position prior to assuming office, typically by being a member of the government, a member of the legislature from a governing party, or a member of the ruling family; Soldiers are coded as "regime" if they held a government position or were explicitly adopting a political position favoring the government against the opposition (e.g. member of the junta, government, or high military leadership); Members of royal and ruling families are coded as "regime" unless they were openly in the opposition; Leaders of pre-independence governments are coded as "regime." opposition: the leader has explicitly stated his anti-government position prior to assuming office, typically by being an opposition candidate in an election, a member of the legislature from a party that opposes the government, a guerrilla; Soldiers are coded as "opposition" if they explicitly adopted a political position opposing the government (e.g. a decommissioned general running as an opposition candidate or starting an insurgency). unaffiliated: the leader has not unambiguously stated his support or opposition to the government prior to assuming office, typically a member of the military who has not publicly stated his position prior to intervening or interim leader who was previously a member of the judiciary independence: a leader of an independence movement. Character with 5 distinct values. Most common: opposition (80), regime (420), unaffiliated (135). NAs = 20.

inst_aff_1
First of the leader's three most significant institutional affiliations prior to assuming office from among the following alternatives: government: a member of the government; guerrilla: a participant in an guerrilla or independence movement judiciary: a member of the judiciary; legislature: a member of the legislature; military: a member of the military; opposition: an opposition candidate or party member; party: regime party member royal: a member of the royal or ruling family (a relative of the ruler); other: a residual category. Character with 10 distinct values. Most common: government (248), military (236), royal (63). NAs = 6.

inst_aff_2
Second of the leader's three most significant institutional affiliations prior to assuming office from among the following alternatives: government: a member of the government; guerrilla: a participant in an guerrilla or independence movement judiciary: a member of the judiciary; legislature: a member of the legislature; military: a member of the military; opposition: an opposition candidate or party member; party: regime party member royal: a member of the royal or ruling family (a relative of the ruler); other: a residual category. Character with 10 distinct values. Most common: government (59), legislature (32), party (75). NAs = 470.

inst_aff_3
Third of the leader's three most significant institutional affiliations prior to assuming office from among the following alternatives: government: a member of the government; guerrilla: a participant in an guerrilla or independence movement judiciary: a member of the judiciary; legislature: a member of the legislature; military: a member of the military; opposition: an opposition candidate or party member; party: regime party member royal: a member of the royal or ruling family (a relative of the ruler); other: a residual category. Character with 8 distinct values. Most common: guerilla (5), military (5), party (11). NAs = 680.

cen
An indicator of whether the leader's entry into office occurred according to written or customary rules: 0 if the leader's entry into office did not occur according to written or customary rules. Typically involves an entry by a coup, revolt, foreign intervention, civil war, and interim periods following exits by a coup, revolt, foreign intervention, or civil war; 1 if the leader's entry into office occurred according to written or customary rules. Typically involves an entry by an election, consensus, and interim periods following exits by an election or consensus. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 2, mean = 0.49, sd = 0.5, NAs = 0.

cex
An indicator of whether the leader's exit from office occurred according to written or customary rules: NA if the leader's tenure is right-censored; 0 if the leader's exit from office did not occur according to written or customary rules. Typically involves an exit by a coup, revolt, stepdown, assassination, foreign intervention, or civil war; 1 if the leader's exit from office occurred according to written or customary rules. Typically involves an exit by election, consensus, or resignation. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 3, mean = 0.392, sd = 0.488, NAs = 67.

milentry
An indicator of whether the military overtly participated in the leader's entry into office: 0 no; 1 yes. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 2, mean = 0.387, sd = 0.487, NAs = 0.

milexit
An indicator of whether the military overtly participated in the leader's exit from office: NA if the leader's tenure is right-censored; 0 no; 1 yes. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 3, mean = 0.326, sd = 0.469, NAs = 66.

ventry
An indicator of whether the leader's entry into office involved violence: 0 no; 1 yes. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 2, mean = 0.189, sd = 0.392, NAs = 0.

vexit
An indicator of whether the leader's exit from office involved violence: NA if the leader's tenure is right-censored; 0 no; 1 yes. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 3, mean = 0.186, sd = 0.389, NAs = 67.

baathist
An indicator of whether the leader was associated with a Baathist party: 0 no; 1 yes. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 2, mean = 0.013, sd = 0.112, NAs = 0.

communist
An indicator of whether the leader was associated with a communist party: 0 no; 1 yes. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 2, mean = 0.134, sd = 0.341, NAs = 0.

birth
Year of birth; primarily from www.wikipedia.org and www.rulers.org. Numeric. Max = 1971, min = 1870, distinct = 93, mean = 1922.228, sd = 19.895, NAs = 14.

death
year of the death (NA if alive as of 2008); primarily from www.wikipedia.org and www.rulers.org. Numeric. Max = 2008, min = 1946, distinct = 62, mean = 1981.175, sd = 14.77, NAs = 330.

entry_summary
Summary of entry: irregular or regular. Factor with 2 levels. Most common: Irregular (361), Regular (347). NAs = 0.

exit_summary
Summary of exit: irregular or regular. Factor with 2 levels. Most common: Irregular (390), Regular (251), NA (67). NAs = 67.

censoring
An indicator of right-censoring: 0 if the leader continues in office beyond enddate; 1 if the leader leaves office on enddate. Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 2, mean = 0.907, sd = 0.291, NAs = 0.

consecutive
An indicator of whether the current leader entered into office immediately after the preceding leader: NA if the current leader is the first recorded leader for a country; 0 if the current leader does not enter into office immediately after the preceding leader; 1 if the current leader enters into office immediately after the preceding leader (a few ad hoc exceptions are made when there was a gap of a few days, typically due to procedural issues). Numeric. Max = 1, min = 0, distinct = 3, mean = 0.9, sd = 0.3, NAs = 136.

svolik_country
Original country name in dataset. Character with 137 distinct values. Most common: Bolivia (24), Haiti (25), Russia (18). NAs = 0.

GWc
Gleditsch-Ward alphabetic country code. See Gleditsch and Ward (1999). Character with 135 distinct values. Most common: BOL (24), HAI (25), RUS (18). NAs = 0.

cown
Correlates of War numeric country code. Differs from GWn for a few country-years. See Gleditsch and Ward (1999). Numeric. Max = 990, min = 40, distinct = 136, mean = 450.681, sd = 259.749, NAs = 0.

polity_ccode
Country code in Polity datasets. Differs from GWn for a few country-years. See Gleditsch and Ward (1999). Numeric. Max = 990, min = 40, distinct = 136, mean = 450.681, sd = 259.749, NAs = 0.

region
Region. Character with 18 distinct values. Most common: South America (96), Western Africa (92), Western Asia (82). NAs = 0.

continent
Continent. Character with 5 distinct values. Most common: Africa (213), Americas (192), Asia (211). NAs = 0.

GW_startdate
Date at which the state entered the system of states according to Gleditsch and Ward, or NA if it has never been a member. Date. Max = 1993-05-24, min = 1816-01-01, distinct = 117, NAs = 0.

GW_enddate
Date at which the state ceased to be a member of the system of states according to Gleditsch and Ward, or NA if it still exists. Date. Max = 2006-06-04, min = 1975-04-30, distinct = 6, NAs = 678.

microstate
Indicator of whether the state is a microstate, according to Gleditsch's list of microstates. Logical. TRUE = 21, FALSE = 687, NAs = 0.

lat
Latitude. Numeric. Max = 61.524, min = -38.416, distinct = 135, mean = 13.998, sd = 21.961, NAs = 0.

lon
Longitude. Numeric. Max = 178.68, min = -175.198, distinct = 135, mean = 10.413, sd = 67.995, NAs = 0.

in_cow
Whether the country-year is in the Correlates of War system of states. Logical. TRUE = 675, FALSE = 33, NAs = 0.

in_system
Whether the country-year is in the Gleditsch-Ward system of states. See Gleditsch and Ward (1999). Logical. TRUE = 708, FALSE = 0, NAs = 0.

References

Svolik, Milan (2012). The Politics of Authoritarian Rule. New York: Cambridge University Press.