The QoG Social Policy Data
Note: Those scholars who wish to use this dataset in their research are kindly requested to both cite the original source (as stated in this codebook) and use the following citation: Samanni, Marcus, Jan Teorell, Staffan Kumlin & Bo Rothstein. 2008. The QoG Social Policy Dataset, version 4Nov08. University of Gothenburg: The Quality of Government Institute, http://www.qog.pol.gu.se. The aim of the QoG Social Policy Dataset is to promote cross-national comparative research on social policy output and its correlates, with a special focus on the connection between social policy and quality of government (QoG). To accomplish this we have compiled a number of freely available data sources, including aggregated public opinion data. The data comes in three versions: one cross-sectional dataset with global coverage pertaining to the year 2002 (or the latest year available), and two cross-sectional time-series datasets for a selection of 40 countries. The first time-series dataset (long) has country year as its unit of observation, spanning the time period 1946-2007. The other time-series dataset (wide), which is specifically tailored for the analysis of public opinion data over time, instead uses country as its unit of observation, and one variable for every 5th year from 1970-2005 (or, one per module of each public opinion data source).
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| The data contains six types of variables, each provided under its own heading in the codebook: |
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| ▪ Social policy variables, such as welfare spending and replacement rates in the social security system. |
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| ▪ Tax system variables, such as tax rates and government income from different types of taxes. |
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| ▪ Indicators on the structural conditions for social policy, a broad category encompassing things like economic inequality, GDP, unemployment, educational levels, health conditions, trade openness and foreign direct investment. |
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| ▪ Public opinion data, including attitudes to social policy, taxes and the government in general, but also more general orientations such as left-right placement and interpersonal trust. In this category we have aggregated individual-level public opinion data from five cross-national comparative survey projects with over-time coverage: The Comparative Study of Electoral Systems; The Eurobarometer (including the Central and Eastern Eurobarometer and single Candidate Countries Eurobarometers); The European Social Survey; The International Social Survey Program; and the World Value Surveys. |
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| ▪ Political indicators, including election results and policy positions of governments and parliaments, as well as political institutions such as forms of government and electoral systems. |
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| ▪ Quality of government variables, pertaining to the core areas of QoG (such as corruption, bureaucratic quality, and democracy). |
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The dataset was created as part of a research project titled “Quality of Government and the Conditions for Sustainable Social Policy” financed by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Policy Research (project # 2005:0493). The aim of the project is to investigate the relation between, on the one hand, trustworthy, reliable, predictable, impartial, uncorrupted and competent government institutions, and, on the other hand, the possibilities to establish encompassing and universal social policies. |
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We would be very grateful for any comments or suggestions, please address them to: marcus.samanni@pol.gu.se |
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