Measuring political democracy: Case expertise, data adequacy

Mahoney is the corresponding author. Total Word Count (includes all text, footnotes, and references): 10,056 1MEASURING POLITICAL DEMOCRACY: CASE EXPERTISE, DATA ADEQUACY, AND CENTRAL AMERICA Recent writings concerning the measurement of political democracy offer sophisticated discussions of the problems of conceptualization, operationalization, and aggregation. Yet they have less to say about the error that derives from the use of inaccurate, partial, or misleading data sources. Drawing on evidence from five Central American countries, we show that this data-induced measurement error compromises the validity of the principal, long-term cross-national scales of democracy. In response, we call for an approach to index construction that relies on case expertise and the use of a wide range of data sources. We employ this approach in developing a new index of political democracy for the Central American countries during the 20th century. The index draws on a comprehensive set of secondary and primary sources even as it rigorously pursues standards of conceptualization, operationalization, and aggregation. We illustrate the value of the index by showing how it suggests new lines of research in the field of Central American politics