• MacroDataGuide
  • About
  • Contribute
  • Contact

• Data sources
  • Sources A - Z
  • By country
  • By topic

• Macro data
  • What is macro data?
  • Quality and comparability

 

Update of the CNTS Data Archive

The new edition (July 2012) of the CNTS Data Archive from Databanks International contains 196 years of global data, from 1815 through 2011. A new option this year is the Domestic Conflict Event Variable LINKS, which provides links to news reports of each event, starting with the 2011 data. Additionally, the World Bank country codes and country names have been matched to the data.

Global Health Observatory (GHO)

The Global Health Observatory database is the World Health Organization's main health statistics repository. It provides data and analyses for key health themes, as well as direct access to the full database. The WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) has been upgraded and incorporated into the latest version (February 2011) of the GHO, to provide more data, more tools, more analysis and more reports.

World Bank Frees up Data

In April 2010 the World Bank Group opened up the World Development Indicators database (and several other databases) and offered free access to more than 2,000 financial, business, health, economic and human development statistics that had mostly been available only to paying subscribers. The decision was part of a larger effort to increase access to information at the World Bank. And, for the first time, data was made available in languages other than English, with an initial 330 indicators translated into French, Spanish and Arabic.

European Social Survey: Contextual data

This 2008 report formed the origins of this website. It examines the availability and comparability of extant sources of contextual statistics of particular interest to users of ESS data. This website seeks to broaden the scope and be a valuable resource for social science data users worldwide (PDF).

 

 

Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive

Institution

The Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive (CNTS) was initiated by Arthur S. Banks in 1968 with the aim of assembling, in machine readable, longitudinal format, certain of the aggregate data resources of The Statesman’s Yearbook. The CNTS offers a listing of international and national country-data facts. The dataset contains statistical information on a range of countries, with data entries ranging from 1815 to the present.

Dataset

Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive (CNTS)

Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive

Data types and sources

Expert-coded variables and information from official registers and national accounts. The data are based on various sources; the main source for the early data is The Statesman’s Yearbook, while more recent data are gathered from a number of international sources.

Data download

Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive

Topics

The dataset contains close to 200 variables, which are organized in groups:

1. Area and population
2. Computer Usage Data
3. Domestic Conflict Event Data
4. Electoral Data
5. Energy Data
6. Highway Vehicle Data
7. Industrial and Labor Force
8. Industrial Production
9. International Status Indicators
10. Legislative Process Data
11. Mail Data
12. Media Data
13. Military Data
14. National Government Revenue and Expenditure Data
15. National Income and Currency Data
16. Percent Annual Increase Data
17. Phone Data
18. Physician Data
19. Political Data
20. Railroad Data
21. School Enrollment Data
22. Telegraph Data
23. Trade Data
24. Urbanization Data

Geographical coverage

The dataset covers more than 200 present and historical countries.

Time coverage and updates

The latest edition of the CNTS Data Archive currently contains 196 years of global data, from 1815 through 2011. The dataset is updated annually.

The latest update of the CNTS dataset was released in 2012 and included, among other things, the Domestic Conflict Event variables, now updated through 2011. A new option in the latest edition is the Domestic Conflict Event Variable LINKS, which provides links to news reports of each event, starting with the 2011 data.

Additionally, in the latest version the World Bank country codes and country names have been matched to the data.

Documentation

The zip file distributed after ordering contains seven files: Contents.doc, the entire Archive (CNTSDATA.xls), User's Manual.doc, Codebook.xls, Bibliography.xls, the list of countries (Independent States Since 1815.xls) and License Agreement.doc.

Coverage and codebook files are available online.

Access conditions and cost

The dataset must be purchased. The cost varies from $550 for an academic licence for a single user, up to $6.200 for unlimited users from multiple locations.

Access procedures

Predefined table. Distributed by Databanks International via e-mail in an Excel format.

Data formats

Excel

Comparability and data quality

The coding used by the makers of the CNTS dataset has become a standard of reference for many scholars. A drawback with the dataset is the costs associated with obtaining it.

Copyright © 2012 Norsk samfunnsvitenskapelig datatjeneste AS • Om personvern •