The Polity data series is a data series in political science research. Along with the V-Dem Democracy Indices project and The Economist Democracy Index, Polity is among prominent datasets that measure democracy and autocracy.
The Polity study was initiated in the late 1960s by Ted Robert Gurr and is now continued by Monty G. Marshall, one of Gurr's students. It was sponsored by the Political Instability Task Force (PITF) until February 2020. The PITF is funded by the Central Intelligence Agency.Polity IV Country Report 2010: Canada
The data series has been criticized for its methodology, Americentrism, and connections to the CIA. Seva Gunitsky, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, stated that the data series was appropriate "for research that examines constraints on governing elites, but not for studying the expansion of suffrage over the nineteenth century".
Scoring chart +Polity Score ranges from -10 to +10Polity score range106 to 91 to 5−5 to 0−10 to −6Regime typeFull DemocracyDemocracyOpen AnocracyClosed AnocracyAutocracy
Scores for 2018 CountryDemocracy scoreAutocracy scorePolity IV scorePolity IV regime type12−1Closed Anocracy909Democracy312Open Anocracy24−2Closed Anocracy909Democracy707Democracy10010Full Democracy10010Full Democracy07−7Autocracy010−10Autocracy06−6Autocracy07−7Autocracy808Democracy707Democracy707Democracy707Democracy808Democracy808Democracy909Democracy716Democracy23−1Closed Anocracy04−4Closed Anocracy15−4Closed Anocracy10010Full Democracy10010Full Democracy716Democracy13−2Closed Anocracy10010Full Democracy07−7Autocracy707Democracy03−3Closed Anocracy Congo Brazzaville04−4Closed Anocracy Congo Kinshasa14−3Closed Anocracy10010Full Democracy909Democracy16−5Closed Anocracy10010Full Democracy909Democracy10010Full Democracy303Open Anocracy817Democracy918Democracy615Open Anocracy04−4Closed Anocracy808Democracy06−6Autocracy07−7Autocracy909Democracy321Open Anocracy404Open Anocracy10010Full Democracy909Democracy413Open Anocracy Gambia404Open Anocracy817Democracy10010Full Democracy808Democracy10010Full Democracy918Democracy404Open Anocracy716Democracy817Democracy615Open Anocracy707Democracy10010Full Democracy909Democracy909Democracy07−7Autocracy606Democracy10010Full Democracy716Democracy10010Full Democracy514Open Anocracy909Democracy10010Full Democracy25−3Closed Anocracy06−6Autocracy909Democracy808Democracy07−7Autocracy808Democracy07−7Autocracy808Democracy606Democracy918Democracy817Democracy10010Full Democracy10010Full Democracy909Democracy606Democracy606Democracy707Democracy615Open Anocracy02−2Closed Anocracy10010Full Democracy808Democracy909Democracy10010Full Democracy909Democracy15−4Closed Anocracy615Open Anocracy808Democracy606Democracy817Democracy10010Full Democracy10010Full Democracy716Democracy615Open Anocracy817Democracy010−10Autocracy10010Full Democracy08−8Autocracy707Democracy909Democracy505Open Anocracy909Democracy909Democracy808Democracy10010Full Democracy10010Full Democracy010−10Autocracy909Democracy514Open Anocracy03−3Closed Anocracy010−10Autocracy707Democracy918Democracy817Democracy24−2Closed Anocracy Slovak Republic10010Full Democracy10010Full Democracy918Democracy505Open Anocracy909Democracy808Democracy10010Full Democracy716Democracy04−4Closed Anocracy615Open Anocracy09−9Autocracy10010Full Democracy10010Full Democracy09−9Autocracy10010Full Democracy14−3Closed Anocracy413Open Anocracy03−3Closed Anocracy13−2Closed Anocracy10010Full Democracy707Democracy04−4Closed Anocracy08−8Autocracy12−1Closed Anocracy514Open Anocracy08−8Autocracy808Democracy808Democracy10010Full Democracy09−9Autocracy14−3Closed Anocracy07−7Autocracy606Democracy514Open Anocracy
Criticism
The 2002 paper "Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy" claimed several problems with commonly used democracy rankings, including Polity, opining that the criteria used to determine "democracy" were misleadingly narrow.
The Polity data series has been criticized by Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting for its methodology and determination of what is and isn't a democracy. FAIR has criticized the data series for Americentrism with the United States being shown as the only democracy in the world in 1842, being given a nine out of ten during slavery, and a ten out of ten during the Jim Crow era. The organization has also been critical of the data series for ignoring European colonialism in Africa and Asia with those areas being labeled as no data before the 1960s. FAIR has also been critical of the data series' connection to the Central Intelligence Agency. Max Roser, the founder of Our World in Data, stated that Polity IV was far from perfect and was concerned at the data series' connections with the Central Intelligence Agency.
Seva Gunitsky, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, wrote in The Washington Post where he stated that "Polity IV measures might be appropriate for research that examines constraints on governing elites, but not for studying the expansion of suffrage over the nineteenth century". Gunitsky was critical of the data series for ignoring suffrage.
See also Democracy-Dictatorship Index Democracy Index Democracy Ranking V-Dem Democracy indices List of democracy indices List of freedom indices Freedom in the World
References
External links Polity IV Project webpage