Calculate Democracy & Autocracy Indices
A. Executive Recruitment Indicators
B. Executive Authority Indicator
C. Political Participation Indicators
Polity IV Methodology Overview
The Polity IV Project measures regime authority characteristics across all independent states globally. Unlike other approaches, it examines both democratic and autocratic qualities simultaneously, rather than treating them as opposites.
Step 1: Identify Component Variables
The foundation rests on coding six component variables capturing essential qualities of political authority:
- Executive Recruitment (3 indicators): XRREG, XRCOMP, XROPEN
- Executive Authority (1 indicator): XCONST
- Political Participation (2 indicators): PARREG, PARCOMP
Step 2: Collect Data
Data collection involves multiple sources:
- Expert surveys from scholars with regional expertise
- Public opinion surveys from representative citizens
- Historical documents, constitutions, legislation
- Comparative analysis for missing data
Step 3: Calculate Democracy Score (DEMOC)
An 11-point scale calculated through weighted addition of democratic characteristics in component variables.
Step 4: Calculate Autocracy Score (AUTOC)
An 11-point scale calculated through weighted addition of autocratic characteristics in component variables.
Step 5: Calculate Combined Polity Score
The final Polity Score combines both measures into a single indicator ranging from +10 (strong democracy) to -10 (strong autocracy).
Step 6: Classify Regime Type
Based on the Polity Score, countries are classified into three categories:
- Democracy (+6 to +10): Institutionalized democratic practices
- Anocracy (-5 to +5): Mixed or incoherent authority patterns
- Autocracy (-10 to -6): Non-competitive leadership selection
Key Advantages of Polity IV
✓ Transparent and replicable methodology
✓ Tracks changes over time (longitudinal research)
✓ Widely adopted in comparative political science
✓ Separate democracy and autocracy dimensions
Detailed Component Weighting Schemes
Democracy Score (DEMOC) Weighting
| Component | Condition | Points |
|---|---|---|
| XRCOMP Competitiveness of Executive Recruitment |
Election (3) | +2 |
| Transitional (2) | +1 | |
| XROPEN Openness of Executive Recruitment |
Open (4) | +1 |
| Dual-Election (3) | +1 | |
| XCONST Executive Constraints |
Parity/Subordination (7) | +4 |
| High Constraints (6) | +3 | |
| Substantial Limitations (5) | +2 | |
| Moderate Limitations (4) | +1 | |
| PARCOMP Competitiveness of Participation |
Competitive (5) | +3 |
| Transitional (4) | +2 | |
| Factional (3) | +1 |
Autocracy Score (AUTOC) Weighting
| Component | Condition | Points |
|---|---|---|
| XRCOMP Competitiveness of Executive Recruitment |
Selection only (1) | +2 |
| XROPEN Openness of Executive Recruitment |
Closed (1) | +1 |
| Dual-Designation (2) | +1 | |
| XCONST Executive Constraints |
Unlimited Authority (1) | +3 |
| Slight Limitations (2) | +2 | |
| Moderate Limitations (3) | +1 | |
| PARREG Regulation of Participation |
Restricted (1) | +2 |
| Sectarian (2) | +1 | |
| PARCOMP Competitiveness of Participation |
Repressed (1) | +2 |
| Suppressed (2) | +1 |
Important Notes
• XROPEN is assessed only if XRCOMP ≥ 2 for democracy scoring
• XROPEN is assessed only if XRCOMP = 1 for autocracy scoring
• Maximum score for both DEMOC and AUTOC is 10 points
• Component variables are coded based on expert assessment
Regime Classification System
Classification Categories
Characteristics:
- Institutionalized democratic practices
- Competitive elections with multiple parties
- Strong executive constraints
- Protected civil liberties
- Open political participation
Characteristics:
- Mixed or incoherent authority patterns
- Combination of democratic and autocratic traits
- Often politically unstable
- Inconsistent institutional practices
- Transitional or hybrid regimes
Characteristics:
- Non-competitive leadership selection
- Limited or no executive constraints
- Repressed or suppressed political participation
- Restricted civil liberties
- Centralized authority structures
Regime Transitions
A regime transition occurs when there is a substantive change in governance structure:
| Transition Type | Definition |
|---|---|
| Major Democratic Transition | POLITY score increases by 6+ points |
| Adverse Regime Transition | POLITY score decreases by 6+ points or central authority collapses |
| Standard Regime Change | DEMOC or AUTOC changes by 3+ points within three years |
Special Codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -66 | Foreign interruption (missing data) |
| -77 | Interregnum/anarchy (no central authority) |
| -88 | Transition period (institutional change in progress) |
Alternative Democracy Indices
While Polity IV is the most widely used academic measure, other established methodologies exist:
- The Economist Democracy Index: 60 indicators across five categories
- V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy): 470+ indicators producing multiple index types
- Freedom House Index: Political rights and civil liberties measurement
- Global State of Democracy Indices (IDEA): 116 indicators across five attributes
Research Applications
✓ Longitudinal analysis of regime changes
✓ Comparative political studies across countries
✓ Correlation with economic, social, and conflict variables
✓ Political geography and governance mapping
No comments:
Post a Comment