Rebel Contraband Dataset
This dataset measures if and how rebel groups earn income from the exploitation of natural resources or criminal activities. The Rebel Contraband dataset makes three contributions to data in this area. First, it covers a wide range of natural resources and types of crime. Second, it measures rebel engagement in these activities over time. Third, it distinguishes between different resources that rebel groups can exploit (such as specific minerals and drugs) and the strategies that rebel groups can employ, such as extortion and smuggling. Research can use the dataset to explore questions about the onset, location, severity, and outcomes of civil conflicts.
You can download the data, codebook, detailed list of notes and sources, and article describing the data here.
Global Resources Dataset
The Global Resources Dataset (GRD) is the world’s largest time-varying, spatial natural resources dataset. The current version of the GRD covers 197 resources and in 116 countries. All 77,000 observations have latitude and longitude coordinates, and most observations contain resource output information as well as price/value details from multiple sources.
You can download the data, codebook, and article describing the data here.
Human Rights Violations During Civil Wars
For decades, political scientists have collected and analyzed data on the degree to which governments respect a wide range of human rights. This project extends this approach, measuring violations of physical integrity rights (such as extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, and so on) by rebel forces during civil wars.
You can download the data, codebook, and article describing the data here.
Territorial Control in Civil Wars
This project develops a new methodology for measuring territorial control during civil conflicts. It permits measurement of specific locations, takes into account the surrounding geography, including the road network, and measures territorial control at multiple levels.