Exploring the boundaries of non-state units: Using qualitative techniques for spatial analysis

Scholars that are interested in accounting for space in their research may run into difficulty when studying phenomena at a sub-state unit of analysis. Recent literature argues that theory and causal mechanisms should motivate the incorporation of crucial components of spatial analysis such as the selection of units of analysis (Darmofal 2015; Harbers and Ingram 2018; Soifer 2019) and the construction of spatial weights (Neumayer and Plümper 2016). This can be a challenge for studies that use jurisdictional units, such as provinces, districts, or other government administration units (Soifer 2019, 96). Additionally, this can be particularly difficult for studies that utilize non-jurisdictional units that have some cohesive ethnic, religious, or power grouping, such as Kurdistan, the Uighur region of China, or gangcontrolled territories. This, however, may not just be an issue for informal, occupied, or sub-states, but also those with fluid boundaries. In addition to ethnic or religious groupings, this can be applied to the study of areas controlled by gangs, insurgent territorial control, immigration patterns, or the spread of pandemics, among other topics. These examples elucidate difficulties in selecting the appropriate unit of analysis, especially as people’s perceptions of unit boundaries may be different than that of researchers (Soifer 2019, 104). For nonjurisdictional units it may be particularly difficult to find sufficient available shapefiles and geo-referenced data, which may not exactly line up with the units needed to study outcomes of interest. It is valid to use available data to study subjects that do not follow traditional political boundaries, or phenomena with non-jurisdictional units (Soifer 2019, 108). However, it is important to think critically about how to choose the units of analysis that best align with the outcome under study. In the example provided later (see section “The Hypothetical”), we work through the different ways in which a study to understand civilian support for the Islamic State could be navigated using our approach