Series

World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators Series

The World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators series was initiated in 1963 by the World Data Analysis Program at Yale University. The project was directed in different phases by Arthur S. Banks, Bruce M. Russett, and Robert B. Textor (first edition), Charles Lewis Taylor and Michael C. Hudson (second edition), and Charles Lewis Taylor and David A. Jodice (third edition). The series is intended as an aid in the study of political processes and political change. It provides "hard data" relevant to the analysis of current political phenomena. The first edition, World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators I, is of a direct political nature, but a considerable amount of environmental data is also included. The second edition, World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators II: Cross-National Aggregate Data, 1950-1965, is based upon aggregate data for the years 1950, 1955, 1960, and 1965 and events data for 1948-1967 in order to generate a comprehensive set of cross-national data. The third edition, World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators III: 1948-1977, adds aggregate base dates of 1970 and 1975 and continues the events data collection for the years 1968 to 1977. The data were collected from a number of different sources and the sample consists of between 141 to 156 countries that were all independent polities as of April 1, 1963. The independent polity is the unit of analysis. Efforts were made to include all countries significant in comparative or international politics with great attention given to countries like Russia, China, and Japan.