Codebook.pdf

7/21/2019 Codebook.pdf

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United Nations General Assembly VotingData

Anton Strezhnev (Harvard Universi ty ) and Erik Voeten (GeorgetownUniversity)


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Table of Contents Variables UNGA dataset ......................................... ............................................. ............................ 2

Variables Description Data ............................................................................................................... 4Codebook S scores ......................................... ............................................. .................................. 5 Changes Compared to Earlier Release ............................................. ............................................. .... 7 Sources ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Notes on Comparability with re!ious "ataSets .............................................................................. 9

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ 10

Variables UNGA datasetrcid roll call !ote id RC#"$ can be matched with #C SR id until %&'() #ds*&+++ are theemergency special sessions not in the original #C SR dataset)

session UNGA session ,%-../

date date o0 !ote

unres resolution code

!ote Vote choice% 1es2 Abstain3 No' Absent& Not a member

uni4ueName Name o0 country

!oeten5ldCode 5riginal country codes used in the pre!ious !ersion o0 this dataset

!oetenName 0ull name assigned to each country in the pre!ious !ersion o0 the dataset

!oetenShortCode three letter country code assigned in pre!ious !ersions o0 the dataset

ccode Same as !oeten5ldCode but with minor changes to bring it more into alignment with the C56 codes)

Speci0ic changes7East 8imor '(( 9 '.+:iribati &;+ 9 &


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8onga &;2 9 &(( 8u!alu &;3 9 &


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Variables Description Datarcid roll call !ote id RC#"$ can be matched with #C SR id until %&'() #ds*&+++ are theemergency special sessions not in the original #C SR dataset)

session UNGA session ,%-../

date date o0 !ote

unres resolution code

amend- whether the !ote was on an amendment ,coded only until %&'(/

para- whether the !ote was on a paragraph rather than an entire resolution ,coded only until%&'(/

short- short description

descr longer description

important- Vote identi0ied as important by U)S) State "epartment report Voting ractices inthe United Nations)

#ssue codes7 8hese are based on searches in descriptions) 8hey ha!e been sub ected to a

rudimentary !isual check but they may not be %++D accurate$

E7 Votes relating to the alestinian con0lict ,%&D/NU7 Votes relating to nuclear weapons and nuclear material ,%3D/"#7 Votes relating to arms control and disarmament ,%.D/C57 Votes relating to colonialism ,%'D/

R7 Votes relating to human rights ,%;D/EC7 Votes relating to ,economic/ de!elopment ,&D/


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Codebook S scores

8hanks to Erik Gart>ke 0or making a!ailable pre!ious !ersions o0 the A00inity o0 NationsindeF o0 similarity scores) 6e ha!e tried to keep the de0initions o0 the !ariables eFactly asthey are phrased in the original A00inity o0 Nations codebook)

8hree !ersions o0 the S-score dataset are a!ailable) Each matches countries using a di00erentcoding system described abo!e ccode$ cow and polity)

NOTE THAT YEARS RESPOND TO SESSIONS RATHER THAN CALENDAR YEARS OCCASIONALLY SO!E VOTES TA"E PLACE THAT RUN INTO #ANUARY O$ THE NE%T CALENDAR YEAR !OST VOTES OCCUR IN THE$ALL O$ A CALENDAR YEAR

dyadidyr - Uni4ue identi0ier 0or the dyad year unit-o0-analysis) S8A8EAH%+I. JS8A8E@H%+I3 J 1EAR %+++ ,subtract 2+++ 0rom years * 2+++/

cntryera - Uni4ue #" 0or S8A8EA in 1EAR) CN8R1ERA S8A8EAH%+I< J 1EAR)

cntryerb - Uni4ue #" 0or S8A8E@ in 1EAR) CN8R1ER@ S8A8E@H%+I< J 1EAR

statea Country code 0or country b) 8his is either ccode$ cow or polity 0rom the UNGAdataset depending on which S score dataset is used)

stateb Country code 0or country b) 8his is either ccode$ cow or polity 0rom the UNGAdataset depending on which S score dataset is used)

stateaname Bull name o0 country a

statebname Bull name o0 country b

year 1ear o0 the !otes used to compute S scores) Note that sessions do not necessarily 0allin a single year) Bor the purposes o0 these !alues$ we group !otes by the years in which they

were cast rather than by the sessions)

s2un - Values 0or the A00inity data range 0rom % ,least similar interests/ to % ,most similarinterests/) 8he A00inity data are coded with the KSL indicator ,KSL is calculated as % 2H,d/MdmaF$ where d is the sum o0 metric distances between !otes by dyad members in agi!en year and dmaF is the largest possible metric distance 0or those !otes$ see Signorino andRitter %&&&/s2un uses 2 category !ote data - ,% KyesL or appro!al 0or an issue 2 KnoL or disappro!al0or an issue)/


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s3un Values 0or the A00inity indeF using 3 category !ote data ,% KyesL or appro!al 0oran issue 2 abstain$ 3 KnoL or disappro!al 0or an issue)/

agree2un Voting similarity indeF ,+-%/ e4ual to ,total O o0 !otes where both statesagree/M,total O o0 oint !otes/ computed using 2 category !ote data ,% KyesL or appro!al0or an issue 2 KnoL or disappro!al 0or an issue)/

agree3un Voting similarity indeF ,+-%/ computed using 3 category !ote data ,% KyesL orappro!al 0or an issue 2 abstain$ 3 KnoL or disappro!al 0or an issue)/ - Abstention iscounted as hal0-agreement with a yes or no !ote

s2 oint!otes 8he number o0 !otes used to compute the s2un and agree2un indices 0or thedyad-year

s3 oint!otes 8he number o0 !otes used to compute the s3un and agree3un indices 0or thedyad-year


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So+rces 8his dataset builds on !arious datasets assembled by other scholars) # thank0ully

acknowledge Erik Gart>ke$ "ong-Qoon Qo$ Soo 1eon :im$ Adis erd>ano!ic$ and @ruceRussett 0or graciously making their data a!ailable) Erik Gart>ke has also per0ormed !aluablechecks on possible discrepancies between this and pre!iously released data) E-mailcorrespondence with "ong-Qoon Qo has also been most !aluable) 50 course$ none o0 theseindi!iduals bear responsibility 0or any errors that remain) lease contact me 0or anyinaccuracies you may encounter) 6hat 0ollows is a list o0 sources used to assemble thedataset)

#nter-uni!ersity Consortium 0or olitical and Social Research ,#C SR ). United NationsRoll Call Data, 1946-1985 Computer 0ile ) Ann Arbor$ #7 #nter-uni!ersityConsortium 0or olitical and Social Research producer and distributor $ %&'2)

Gart>ke$ Erik and "ong-Qoon Qo)UN General Assembly otin! V3)+ Qanuary 2++2)http7MMdss)ucsd)eduMTegart>keM

Qo$ "ong-Qoon)D"ndas Dataset. Used in7 Qo$ "ong-Qoon) 2+++) K ower Resources and#n0luence at the UN General Assembly)L#resented at t$e Ann"al %eetin! o& t$e

Nort$eastern #oliti'al ('ien'e Asso'iation ) Schopen$ =ynn Newcombe$ anna 1oung$ Chris 6ert$ Qames$ Nations on Re'ord

United Nations General Assembly Roll-Call otes *1946-19+ )) 5ak!ille-"undas$ 5N7Canadian eace Research #nstitute$ %&;() ,and subse4uent supplements/)

:im$ Soo 1eon Russett$ @ruce$ 8he new politics o0 !oting alignments in the UnitedNations General Assembly) nternational r!ani/ation ) Aut %&&.$ (+$ ,


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Notes o' Co)*arabilit, -it& Pre.io+s DataSets(essions 1-36 *1946-19+1) All resolutions 0rom the plenary sessions #C SR dataset

as cleaned up by Gart>ke and Qo were used) #n addition to this$ (. !otes 0romemergency special plenary sessions were added ,0rom the #C SR/) ost o0 theserelate to important international e!ents$ in particular the 0ormation o0 the state o0#srael ,%&


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Ack'o-led(e)e'ts

6e thank the School o0 Boreign Ser!ice at Georgetown Uni!ersity$ the department o0political science at the George 6ashington Uni!ersity and the Uni!ersity Bacilitating Bund atthe George 6ashington Uni!ersity 0or !aluable research support) ailie =ee and Pachary

6ynne pro!ided most !aluable research assistance) 6e thank0ully acknowledge ErikGart>ke$ "ong-Qoon Qo$ Soo 1eon :im$ Adis erd>ano!ic$ and @ruce Russett 0or graciouslymaking their data a!ailable) Erik Gart>ke has also per0ormed !aluable checks on possiblediscrepancies between this and pre!iously released data) E-mail correspondence with "ong-

Qoon Qo has also been most !aluable) 50 course$ none o0 these indi!iduals bear responsibility

0or any errors that remain)

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