To create the new measures, we relied on the IDEA framework (Bond et al. 2003). IDEA is a data set of all daily events in Reuters Global News Service. These data were organized in a “who” did “what” to “whom” manner for each particular event, over 10 million events in the complete data set (King and Lowe 2003).
For our variables, we isolated events where… (1) a domestic group or individual is the “who,” (2) the “what” is either violent or nonviolent protest, and (3) the “whom” is either a state agent or a state physical office. As mentioned earlier, violent protests are protests with the threat or use of force. Attacking a government official or office, destroying government property, or a bombing of a government official’s home are all examples of violent protest. Conversely, protest marches, demonstrations, boycotts, and sit-ins are some of the many examples of nonviolent protest.
Their online replication materials (SI) are available in Murdie Bhasin JCR Online Replication Materials 05.13.10.doc and from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/0022002710374715.
We proceed in several steps:
Load the raw idea data.
Create a data frame for the “what”—the actions that we consider dissent.
From the raw data, filter out all events that are dissent events using the definition above.
Load Raw IDEA Data
The raw IDEA data are available for download on Dataverse (King and Lowe 2003).
# load packageslibrary(tidyverse)# read data from 1990-1994idea90_raw <-read_tsv("data/king-lowe-2008/1990-1994-data-(n=2_679_938).txt")# read data from 1995-1999idea95_raw <-read_tsv("data/king-lowe-2008/1995-1999-data-(n=4_108_102).txt")# read data from 2000-2004 and wrangle to match previous data setsidea00_raw <-read_tsv("data/king-lowe-2008/2000-2004-data-(n=3464898).txt") %>%setNames(toupper(names(.))) |>rename(EVENTDAT = EVENTDATE,EVENTFOR = EVENTFORM,SRCSECTO = SRCSECTOR,TGTSECTO = TGTSECTOR)# bind three datasets together and wrangle for consistent capitalizationidea_raw <-bind_rows(idea90_raw, idea95_raw) |>bind_rows(idea00_raw) |>mutate(SRCNAME =toupper(SRCNAME),TGTNAME =toupper(TGTNAME),PLACE =toupper(PLACE)) |># update IDEA codes to distinguish West Germany from Germany; 3 October 1990mutate(PLACE =ifelse(mdy(EVENTDAT) <ymd("1990-10-03") & PLACE =="FRG", "FRGpre", PLACE)) %>%write_csv("output/idea-all-events.csv")
Warning: There was 1 warning in `mutate()`.
ℹ In argument: `PLACE = ifelse(...)`.
Caused by warning:
! 3464897 failed to parse.
# load data set with description of sectorssector_codes <-read_csv("data/king-lowe-2008/sectors-of-source-_-target.txt", col_names =c("TGTSECTO", "target_description"))# load data set with description of levelslevel_codes <-read_csv("data/king-lowe-2008/levels-of-source-_-target.txt", col_names =c("SRCLEVEL", "source_description", "source_detailed_description"))# load data set with description of namesnames_codes <-read_csv("data/king-lowe-2008/names-of-source-_-target.txt", col_names =c("SRCNAME", "name_description"))
Define the “What”
Nonviolent Dissent
We categorize nonviolent dissent following Murdie and Bhasin (2011). See the first table in the file Murdie Bhasin JCR Online Replication Materials 05.13.10.doc available for download here.
Code
mb_si_nonviolent <- tibble::tribble(~ACTIVITY, ~IDEA.CODE, ~DEFINITION,"Break relations", "<BREL>", "Formal severance of ties.","Defy norms", "<DEFY>", "Open defiance of laws and norms, civil disobedience.","Demonstrate", "<DEMO>", "Demonstrations not otherwise specified.","Formally complain", "<FCOM>", "Written and institutionalized protests and appeals, and all petition drives and recalls.","Informally complain", "<ICOM>", "Verbal protests and rebukes, and all other informal complaints.","Protest altruism", "<PALT>", "Protest demonstrations that place the source (protestor) at risk for the sake of unity with the target.","Protest demonstrations", "<PDEM>", "All protest demonstrations not otherwise specified.","Protest procession", "<PMAR>", "Picketing and other parading protests.","Protest obstruction", "<POBS>", "Sit-ins and other non-military occupation protests.","Protest defacement", "<PPRO>", "Damage, sabotage and the use of graffiti to desecrate property and symbols.","Reduce routine activity", "<REDR>", "Reduction of routine and planned activities.","Rally support", "<SRAL>", "Gatherings to express or demonstrate support, celebrations and all other public displays of confidence; includes protest vigils and commemorations.","Strikes and boycotts", "<STRI>", "Labor and professional sanctions reported as strikes, general strikes, walkouts, withholding of goods or services and lockouts.","Threaten to boycott or embargo", "<TBOE>", "Threaten to boycott or impose embargoes, restrict normal interactions presented explicitly as a protest or retaliatory measure.","Threaten to reduce or break relations", "<TRBR>", "Threaten to reduce or formally sever ties.","Sanctions threat", "<TSAN>", "Threats of non-military, non-physical force social, economic and political sanctions.","Give ultimatum", "<ULTI>", "Threats conveyed explicitly as an ultimatum.") %>%mutate(TYPE ="Nonviolent")# create nice tablekableExtra::kable(mb_si_nonviolent)
ACTIVITY
IDEA.CODE
DEFINITION
TYPE
Break relations
<BREL>
Formal severance of ties.
Nonviolent
Defy norms
<DEFY>
Open defiance of laws and norms, civil disobedience.
Nonviolent
Demonstrate
<DEMO>
Demonstrations not otherwise specified.
Nonviolent
Formally complain
<FCOM>
Written and institutionalized protests and appeals, and all petition drives and recalls.
Nonviolent
Informally complain
<ICOM>
Verbal protests and rebukes, and all other informal complaints.
Nonviolent
Protest altruism
<PALT>
Protest demonstrations that place the source (protestor) at risk for the sake of unity with the target.
Nonviolent
Protest demonstrations
<PDEM>
All protest demonstrations not otherwise specified.
Nonviolent
Protest procession
<PMAR>
Picketing and other parading protests.
Nonviolent
Protest obstruction
<POBS>
Sit-ins and other non-military occupation protests.
Nonviolent
Protest defacement
<PPRO>
Damage, sabotage and the use of graffiti to desecrate property and symbols.
Nonviolent
Reduce routine activity
<REDR>
Reduction of routine and planned activities.
Nonviolent
Rally support
<SRAL>
Gatherings to express or demonstrate support, celebrations and all other public displays of confidence; includes protest vigils and commemorations.
Nonviolent
Strikes and boycotts
<STRI>
Labor and professional sanctions reported as strikes, general strikes, walkouts, withholding of goods or services and lockouts.
Nonviolent
Threaten to boycott or embargo
<TBOE>
Threaten to boycott or impose embargoes, restrict normal interactions presented explicitly as a protest or retaliatory measure.
Nonviolent
Threaten to reduce or break relations
<TRBR>
Threaten to reduce or formally sever ties.
Nonviolent
Sanctions threat
<TSAN>
Threats of non-military, non-physical force social, economic and political sanctions.
Nonviolent
Give ultimatum
<ULTI>
Threats conveyed explicitly as an ultimatum.
Nonviolent
Violent Dissent
We categorize violent dissent following Murdie and Bhasin (2011). See the fsecond table in the file Murdie Bhasin JCR Online Replication Materials 05.13.10.doc available for download here.
Code
mb_si_violent <- tibble::tribble(~ACTIVITY, ~IDEA.CODE, ~DEFINITION,"Abduction", "<ABDU>", "Abducting, hijacking and capturing of people.","Missile attack", "<AERI>", "Launching of intermediate to long-range conventional ballistic missiles and aerial dropping of conventional explosive devices or bombs.","Assassination", "<ASSA>", "Murder that is explicitly characterized as political killing and assassination.","Beatings", "<BEAT>", "Beatings (physical assaults without the use of weapons).","Chem-bio attack", "<CBIO>", "Use of chemical or biological weapons.","Unconventional weapons attack", "<CBRU>", "All uses of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).","Armed battle", "<CLAS>", "Initiation of armed hostilities or engagement between two or more armed forces, includes truce violations (use as default for war and battles).","Bodily punishment", "<CORP>", "The infliction of bodily injury, death or pain for the explicit purpose of punishment.","Coups and mutinies", "<COUP>", "Coups, mutiny and other rebellion by armed forces.","Declare war", "<DWAR>", "Formal or official statement that a state of war exists.","Force Use", "<FORC>", "All uses of physical force not otherwise specified.","Artillery attack", "<GRPG>", "Use of short to intermediate range tank-mounted, ship-based or field guns and cannons, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.","Hostage taking and kidnapping", "<HTAK>", "Hostage taking or kidnapping of people.","Hijacking", "<JACK>", "All commandeerings of vehicles.","Torture", "<MAIM>", "Maiming and all other reports explicitly characterized as torture.","Armed force blockade", "<MBLO>", "Use of armed forces to seal off a territory to prevent exit or entry of goods or personnel.","Mine explosion", "<MINE>", "Land and underwater mine explosions.","Armed force occupation", "<MOCC>", "Use of armed forces to take over or occupy the whole or part of a territory.","Armed force threats", "<MTHR>", "All threats to use armed force.","Other physical force threats", "<NMFT>", "All threats to use non-armed, physical force.","Physical assault", "<PASS>", "All uses of non-armed physical force in assaults against people not otherwise specified.","Small arms attack", "<PEXE>", "Shooting of small arms, light weapons and small explosives, including the use of all handguns, light machine guns, rifles and hand grenades.","Armed actions", "<RAID>", "Ambiguous initiation of the use of armed forces to fire upon another armed force, population or territory.","Riot", "<RIOT>", "Civil or political unrest explicitly characterized as riots, as well as behavior presented as tumultuous or mob-like. This behavior includes looting, prison uprisings, crowds setting things on fire, general fighting with police (typically by protestors).","Suicide bombing", "<SBOM>", "A bombing in which the bomber perishes during detonation of the explosive.","Seize", "<SEIZ>", "All seizures not otherwise specified.","Seize possession", "<SEZR>", "Take control of positions or possessions.","Threaten forceful attack", "<TATT>", "Explicit threat to use armed forces in an attack or invasion.","Threaten forceful blockade", "<TBLO>", "Explicit threat to use armed ships, airplanes or forces to prevent entry or exit.","Threaten biological or chemical attack", "<TCBR>", "Explicit threat to use biological or chemical weapon against armed forces, a population or territory.","Threaten", "<THRT>", "All threats, coercive warnings not otherwise specified.","Threaten nuclear attack", "<TNUC>", "Explicit threat to use a nuclear or radioactive weapon against armed forces, a population or territory.","Threaten forceful occupation", "<TOCC>", "Explicit threat to use armed forces to occupy the whole or part of a territory.","Threaten war", "<TWAR>", "Explicit threat to declare a state of (military) war.","Vehicle bombing", "<VBOM>", "Bombing explicitly characterized as a vehicle bombing (car bombing, etc.), except for suicide bombings, which are coded separately.") %>%mutate(TYPE ="Violent")# create nice tablekableExtra::kable(mb_si_violent)
ACTIVITY
IDEA.CODE
DEFINITION
TYPE
Abduction
<ABDU>
Abducting, hijacking and capturing of people.
Violent
Missile attack
<AERI>
Launching of intermediate to long-range conventional ballistic missiles and aerial dropping of conventional explosive devices or bombs.
Violent
Assassination
<ASSA>
Murder that is explicitly characterized as political killing and assassination.
Violent
Beatings
<BEAT>
Beatings (physical assaults without the use of weapons).
Violent
Chem-bio attack
<CBIO>
Use of chemical or biological weapons.
Violent
Unconventional weapons attack
<CBRU>
All uses of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
Violent
Armed battle
<CLAS>
Initiation of armed hostilities or engagement between two or more armed forces, includes truce violations (use as default for war and battles).
Violent
Bodily punishment
<CORP>
The infliction of bodily injury, death or pain for the explicit purpose of punishment.
Violent
Coups and mutinies
<COUP>
Coups, mutiny and other rebellion by armed forces.
Violent
Declare war
<DWAR>
Formal or official statement that a state of war exists.
Violent
Force Use
<FORC>
All uses of physical force not otherwise specified.
Violent
Artillery attack
<GRPG>
Use of short to intermediate range tank-mounted, ship-based or field guns and cannons, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.
Violent
Hostage taking and kidnapping
<HTAK>
Hostage taking or kidnapping of people.
Violent
Hijacking
<JACK>
All commandeerings of vehicles.
Violent
Torture
<MAIM>
Maiming and all other reports explicitly characterized as torture.
Violent
Armed force blockade
<MBLO>
Use of armed forces to seal off a territory to prevent exit or entry of goods or personnel.
Violent
Mine explosion
<MINE>
Land and underwater mine explosions.
Violent
Armed force occupation
<MOCC>
Use of armed forces to take over or occupy the whole or part of a territory.
Violent
Armed force threats
<MTHR>
All threats to use armed force.
Violent
Other physical force threats
<NMFT>
All threats to use non-armed, physical force.
Violent
Physical assault
<PASS>
All uses of non-armed physical force in assaults against people not otherwise specified.
Violent
Small arms attack
<PEXE>
Shooting of small arms, light weapons and small explosives, including the use of all handguns, light machine guns, rifles and hand grenades.
Violent
Armed actions
<RAID>
Ambiguous initiation of the use of armed forces to fire upon another armed force, population or territory.
Violent
Riot
<RIOT>
Civil or political unrest explicitly characterized as riots, as well as behavior presented as tumultuous or mob-like. This behavior includes looting, prison uprisings, crowds setting things on fire, general fighting with police (typically by protestors).
Violent
Suicide bombing
<SBOM>
A bombing in which the bomber perishes during detonation of the explosive.
Violent
Seize
<SEIZ>
All seizures not otherwise specified.
Violent
Seize possession
<SEZR>
Take control of positions or possessions.
Violent
Threaten forceful attack
<TATT>
Explicit threat to use armed forces in an attack or invasion.
Violent
Threaten forceful blockade
<TBLO>
Explicit threat to use armed ships, airplanes or forces to prevent entry or exit.
Violent
Threaten biological or chemical attack
<TCBR>
Explicit threat to use biological or chemical weapon against armed forces, a population or territory.
Violent
Threaten
<THRT>
All threats, coercive warnings not otherwise specified.
Violent
Threaten nuclear attack
<TNUC>
Explicit threat to use a nuclear or radioactive weapon against armed forces, a population or territory.
Violent
Threaten forceful occupation
<TOCC>
Explicit threat to use armed forces to occupy the whole or part of a territory.
Violent
Threaten war
<TWAR>
Explicit threat to declare a state of (military) war.
Violent
Vehicle bombing
<VBOM>
Bombing explicitly characterized as a vehicle bombing (car bombing, etc.), except for suicide bombings, which are coded separately.
Violent
Code
# combine into single tibblemb_si_df <- mb_si_violent %>%bind_rows(mb_si_nonviolent) %>%select(ACTIVITY, IDEA.CODE, TYPE, DEFINITION)# write to filewrite_csv(mb_si_df, "output/murdie-bhasin-events.csv")
Filter Dissent Events
For our variables, we isolated events where (1) a domestic group or individual is the “who,” the “what” is either violent or nonviolent protest, and the “whom” is either a state agent or a state physical office.
# the whowho <-c("<GROU>", "<INDI>")# the what (created above)mb_events <-read_csv("output/murdie-bhasin-events.csv")what <- mb_events$IDEA.CODE# the whomstate_agents <-c("<GAGE>", # government agents"<JUDI>", # judiciary"<DIPL>", # diplomats"<MILI>", # military"<NEXE>", # national executive"<NLEG>", # legislators"<OFFI>", # officials"<SNOF>", # sub-national officials"<PKOS>", # peace-keeping forces"<POLI>") # police# create a vector of sources and targets to dropnames_to_drop <-c(# see lines 178-195 of `RepressDissentCoding.do` from Murdie and Bhasin's SI"UN", "_AFR", "_ARC","_ASA", "_CAM", "_EUR", "_NAM", "_SAM", "_WOR", # we also drop these "_AF", "_AS", "_CA", "_EU", "_WO", "ARBL", "CAS", "CASA", "EEC", "EEU", "GAZ", "MES", "MEST", "NAT", "NATO", "OAS", "OIN", "OIND", "OPA", "OSCE", "SAS", "SASA","SCA", "SEAS", "SEE", "SEEU", "WAF", "WAFR", "WBK", "WSA") # filter dissent eventsidea <- idea_raw |>filter(EVENTFOR %in% what) |># what: violent or non-violent protests filter(SRCLEVEL %in% who) |># who: group or individual filter(SRCNAME == TGTNAME) |># who: domestic (see lines 36-37 of `data/RepressDissentCoding.do`)filter(!(SRCNAME %in% names_to_drop)) |># who: domestic (see lines 178-195 of `data/RepressDissentCoding.do`)filter(!(TGTNAME %in% names_to_drop)) |># who: domestic (see lines 178-195 of `data/RepressDissentCoding.do`)filter(TGTSECTO %in% state_agents) # whom: state agent# join in additional information about sectors, levels, and namesdissent <- idea |>left_join(sector_codes) |>left_join(level_codes) |>left_join(names_codes) |>left_join(mb_events, by =c("EVENTFOR"="IDEA.CODE")) |>select(date = EVENTDAT,where = name_description,what = ACTIVITY, who = source_description,whom = target_description,where_idea = PLACE,what_idea = EVENTFOR,who_idea = SRCLEVEL,whom_idea = TGTSECTO) |>separate(date, c("date", "time"), sep =" ", fill ="right", remove =TRUE) |>mutate(date =mdy(date)) # write data filewrite_csv(dissent, "output/idea-dissent-events.csv")