Economies of Conflict Data
A wealth of data is available on national security issues. These data allow empirical examination of national security and defense related topics. They can also be of use to researchers in other fields looking for data to empirically test ideas and hypotheses across a range of economic disciplines. This handout provides examples of the types of data that are available concerning economics of substate conflict (civil war, insurgency, and terrorism) and contact information for how more information can be obtained.
The Economics of National Security Association (ENSA) has been established to promote excellence in national security economics research. One of its core activities is to assist researchers in identifying relevant national security data and, for data that are not already publicly available, provide assistance in identifying the appropriate authorities to request release of the data. More information about ENSA is available at ensa.us.com, including the application for membership. Questions can be sent to info@ensa.us.com.
A substantial amount of data to inform economic research on the subject of conflict is now available. One of the leaders in this research is ENSA Board member Eli Berman of the University of California, San Diego. He can be contacted for more information on issues and data in the economics of conflict. Examples of the data that are currently available include the following.
Cross-National Data Sets
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Dataset)
Clionadh Raleigh (Trinity College, Dublin)
Codes the dates and locations of all reported political violence events in over 50 developing countries. Political violence includes events that occur within civil wars or periods of instability.
Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War Dataset
James Fearon and David Latin
Data on civil war (beginning in 1945), as well as on ethnic and cultural diversity.
Greed and Grievance in Civil War Dataset
Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler
Data on civil war (beginning in 1960).
PRIO/Uppsala Conflict Armed Conflict Dataset
Lotta Harbom and Peter Wallensteen
Multiple datasets that all cover lower-level civil wars (25 annual battle deaths, rather than 1000).
Minorities at Risk Data
Ted Gurr et al.
Politically active minority groups (although selection effects may exist since they must discriminate or be discriminated against).
Country Reports on Terrorism
U.S. State Department
Politically-motivated violence; chronological narrative format.
Global Terrorism Database (GTD)
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland; funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
1970–2010; Global terrorist acts (initially only international but now domestic, also); Definition through 1997: “The threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious or social goal through fear, coercion or intimidation”; 1998–present: No set definition; instead, there are several different definitions from which the user can choose; data include date, perpetrator, location, success of attack, target, casualties and fatalities, weapon. This is the most comprehensive open-source terror attack database available, and it builds on older sets, including PGIS (Risks International) and the RAND-MIPT data.
International Terrorism: Attributes of Terrorist Events (ITERATE)
Edward F. Mickolus
ITERATE 1-2: 1968–1977 (available from ICPSR); ITERATE 3-4: 1978–2004 (subscription only); Universe: Global international terroristacts; Data on date, terrorist group involved, type of attack, location of the beginning and end of the incident, casualties, fatalities; information about fates of perpetrators and victims; data on skyjacking incidents.
LandScan
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Population distribution estimates, including for unsurveyed countries.
Database of Terrorist Incidents, 1940–1999
Center for Defense and International Security Studies (CDISS)
1940–1999; global terrorist events; PDF file listing significant events chronologically.
Terrorism in Western Europe: Events Data (TWEED)
Center for Defense and International Security Studies (CDISS)
1950-2004; Internal (or domestic) terrorism in 18 West European countries
Single County Data
Afghanistan
ESOC Afghanistan Data
Country Lead: Eli Berman
Data sets, publications, and external links for country information, including demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, geography, infrastructure, public opinion, and violence.
National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Afghanistan Data
Dean Joliffe
A public portal for requesting National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Afghanistan data.
Colombia
ESOC Colombia Data
Country Lead: Jacob N. Shapiro
Data sets, publications, and external links for country information, including demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, geography, infrastructure, public opinion, and violence.
Congo
Congo Data
International Rescue Committee
Eastern DRC Mortality Survey.
India
Dataset on Hindu-Muslim Violence in India
Ashutosh Varshney, Steven Wilkinson
Comprehensive data on all Hindu-Muslim riots reported in the major Indian newspaper of record, from January 1950 through December 1995.
Iraq
ESOC Iraq Data
Country Lead: Jacob N. Shapiro
Data sets, publications, and external links for country information, including demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, geography, infrastructure, public opinion, and violence.
Iraq Body Count
IBC
Records violent civilian deaths since 2003 from cross-checked media reports of violent events.
Northern Ireland
Sutton Index of Deaths
Malcolm Sutton
Date, demographic info, and incident data leading to all deaths that have resulted from the conflict in Ireland between 14 July 1969 and 31 December 2001.
Israel/Palestine
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research
Empirical surveys and public opinion polls focusing on current policy issues as far back as 1993.
Kosovo
Human Rights Data Analysis Group Kosovo Data
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Data on migration, casualties, and militant activity.
Pakistan
ESOC Pakistan Data
Country Lead: Jacob N. Shapiro
Data sets, publications, and external links for country information, including demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, geography, infrastructure, public opinion, and violence.
Philippines
ESOC Philippines Data
Country Lead: Joseph H. Felter
Data sets, publications, and external links for country information, including demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, geography, infrastructure, public opinion, and violence.
Sierra Leone
Human Rights Data Analysis Group Sierra Leone Data
Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation
Human rights violations during violence from armed conflicts.
Vietnam
ESOC Vietnam Data
Country Lead: Rex W. Douglass
Data sets, publications, and external links for country information, including demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, geography, infrastructure, public opinion, and violence.