The subfield of International Relations has seen a proliferation of exciting new theories over the past twenty years. Important theories have been advanced to account for the onset and diffusion of war among both superpowers and smaller states, the dynamics of international arms races, the structure and operation of the international economy including trade flows and international development, and the causes of internal violence including revolutions, rebellions, coups d'etat, and assassination to cite only a few of the fronts on which social science theory has been advanced. Although considerable energy also has been devoted to efforts to test these theories empirically, the absence of an extensive body of reliable time- series data on international events has impeded progress. This award supports continuation of a long term project -- Data Development in International Research (DDIR) -- to maintain, extend and improve the quality of major databanks for the study and analysis of cross-national and international political events. The first stage of DDIR filled in and updated major international data sets. This second stage will continue to update the collections while establishing a more permanent base for future data collection efforts. Specifically, the project has two principal thrusts: 1) to update and extend the four main event datasets, COPDAB, WEIS, BCOW, and SHERFACS, and 2) to develop the computer technology that will simplify data collection efforts and reduce their costs to levels that do not require continuing federal support. When completed this project will provide a much larger, more complete, and more reliable set of data with which to test and refine existing theories in international and cross-national politics.
