Competitiveness of Participation. Polity IV.
| Quick info | |
|---|---|
| Data type | Numeric |
| Scale | Multinomial |
| Value labels |
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| Technical name | polnat_polity_parcomp |
| Category | Political factors |
| Label | Competitiveness of Participation |
| Related indicators | |
The competitiveness of participation refers to the extent to which alternative preferences for policy and leadership can be pursued in the political arena.
Coding rules
Political competition implies a significant degree of civil interaction, so polities which are coded Unregulated (1) on Regulation of Participation (PARREG) are not coded for competitiveness. Polities in transition between Unregulated and any of the regulated forms on PARREG also are not coded on variable PARCOMP.
Competitiveness is coded on a five category scale:
(0) Not Applicable: This is used for polities that are coded as Unregulated, or moving to/from that position, in Regulation of Political Participation (variable 2.6).
(1) Repressed: No significant oppositional activity is permitted outside the ranks of the regime and ruling party. Totalitarian party systems, authoritarian military dictatorships, and despotic monarchies are typically coded here. However, the mere existence of these structures is not sufficient for a Repressed coding. The regime's institutional structure must also be matched by its demonstrated ability to repress oppositional competition.
(2) Suppressed: Some organized, political competition occurs outside government, without serious factionalism; but the regime systematically and sharply limits its form, extent, or both in ways that exclude substantial groups (20% or more of the adult population) from participation. Suppressed competition is distinguished from Factional competition (below) by the systematic, persisting nature of the restrictions: large classes of people, groups, or types of peaceful political competition are continuously excluded from the political process. As an operational rule, the banning of a political party which received more than 10% of the vote in a recent national election is sufficient evidence that competition is "suppressed." However, other information is required to determine whether the appropriate coding is (2)
Suppressed or (3) Factional competition. This category is also used to characterize transitions between Factional and Repressed competition. Note 3.6: A newly enacted right to engage in political activities is most likely a change from category 1 to 2.
Examples of "suppression" are:
- i. Prohibiting some kinds of political organizations, either by type or group of people involved (e.g., no national political parties or no ethnic political organizations).
- ii. Prohibiting some kinds of political action (e.g., Communist parties may organize but are prohibited from competing in elections).
- iii. Systematic harassment of political opposition (leaders killed, jailed, or sent into exile; candidates regularly ruled off ballots; opposition media banned, etc.). This is evidence for either Factional, Suppressed, or Repressed, depending on the nature of the regime, the opposition, and the persistence of political groups.
(3) Factional: Polities with parochial or ethnic-based political factions that regularly compete for political influence in order to promote particularist agendas and favor group members to the detriment of common, secular, or cross-cutting agendas.
(4) Transitional: Any transitional arrangement from Restricted, Suppressed, or Factional patterns to fully Competitive patterns, or vice versa. Transitional arrangements are accommodative of competing, parochial interests but have not fully linked parochial with broader, general interests. Sectarian and secular interest groups coexist.
(5) Competitive: There are relatively stable and enduring, secular political groups which regularly compete for political influence at the national level; ruling groups and coalitions regularly, voluntarily transfer central power to competing groups. Competition among groups seldom involves coercion or disruption. Small parties or political groups may be restricted in the Competitive pattern.
Bibliographic info
Citation: Marshall, Monty G., Ted Robert Gurr, and Keith Jaggers. 2017. Dataset Users’ Manual. Polity IV Project. Political Regime Characteristics and Transitions, 1800-2016. Center for Systemic Peace. https://www.systemicpeace.org/inscr/p4manualv2016.pdf.
Related publications: related publications
Misc
Project manager(s): project managers
- Version 0.001: Initial release
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