Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What agreements are included in the database?
A. The database includes all UN conventions, covenants, and protocols created between 1945 and 2006. The total number of agreements is 44. You can access the list of agreements here.
Q. How is the database organized?
A. The database is organized in the standard country-year format, using Correlates of War country codes as identifiers. Users can select several different variables relating to ratification, entry into force, issue-area, etc. They can also restrict the sample by country, year, issue-area, and/or agreement. Although it was beyond the scope of this project to collect compliance data, the output can easily be linked to existing measures the researcher may wish to use.
Q. What variables are available?
A. Country code, country, year of observation, issue area, agreement number, agreement title, agreement year of creation, agreement type, year of signature, signature status, year of ratification, ratification status, year of entry into force, entry into force status, alternate issue area.
Q. How do I cite the data?
A. Jana von Stein. Database of UN Human Rights Agreements. Institute for Social Research, http://www.isr.umich.edu/humanrights/.
Q. Is there anything else I need to know?
A. This probably goes without saying, but please be sure to adapt the variables to the particular question you are asking (in particular, note that the data are available for all years -- even years prior to the agreement's creation. You may need to drop observations prior to the agreement's creation, depending on your research question). I also recommend that you read this page for important notes about coding decisions for countries that underwent transitions during the sample time-period.
