Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Previous research has shown that people appear to use television fiction memories when asked to make a judgment about social reality. It has been argued that such memory based judgment occurs because people mislabel fictitious memories or because they do not take information about source validity into account. This study argues that fiction contains cues which tell some viewers that some of what they see resembles reality. In that case a viewer makes an on line, stimulus based judgment and learns a fact while watching fiction. This “sudden insight” was called the data setting effect.
In a sample of 501 Flemish students 29 1f thirteen year olds had knowledge about police procedures in the USA which they could only have obtained by watching TV fiction. Knowledge levels increased with age. 74.4 1003410535f eighteen year olds possessed the same knowledge.
The paper argues fist, that that the data setting effect is strong and persistent. Second, that it may occur at an early age, which may explain why little or no association between measures of viewing volume and knowledge of the TV world is found in adult age groups. Third, the implication of the first two conclusions is that in TV effects research age should not be treated as a demographic background variable, but rather as a measure of overall lifetime TV viewing.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: We compare the treatment of Colombia in large cross-country conflict datasets with the information of the detailed micro dataset of Restrepo, Spagat and Vargas (2003) and find a general tendency of the big datasets to underestimate the magnitude of the conflict. We evaluate more generally the quality of these datasets through the lens of how they treat Colombia and argue that the data from the University of Uppsala and the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo are the most accurate and complete, although they too underestimate the intensity of the Colombian conflict.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Although often downplayed, ethnic factors are among the strongest determinants of internal conflict. In recent studies ethnicity is usually analyzed in the form of demographic measures such as fractionalization, polarization or domination. However, these measures are aggregated at the country level and neglect the geographic distribution of ethnic groups. In order to set the stage for new, disaggregated studies of conflict, it is necessary to pinpoint the location of the ones who fight ? the various ethnic groups. This paper describes a data collection project that has resulted in a global, geo-referenced dataset on ethnic groups. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), we have transformed the maps in the classical Soviet Atlas Naradov Mira into GIS layer which will make systematic studies on ethnicity feasible. We explain the benefits and drawbacks for this source of information as well as a validation approach and some demonstration on how the dataset can be used to increase our understanding of ethnic factors in conflict situations.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Data on regime types such as democracy and autocracy are frequently applied in quantitative research of international relations. For a large part, type of regime has been analyzed in the context of interstate and intrastate conflict. Theoretically however

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Once considered a “hot topic” among scholars, research on coups d’état has waned in recent years. This decline is surprising given that 3 coups were attempted in 2008 alone, not to mention almost three dozen coups in the past decade. One explanation for the lack of coup research is the absence of a comprehensive dataset to test theories across time and space. Also absent is a discussion of what makes coups distinct from other forms of anti-regime activity, and evidence that these differences matter for scholars studying a wide variety of topics. This article seeks to remedy these problems. We begin by previewing a new dataset on coups from 1950 to 2008, describing our theoretical definition and coding procedures. Second, we examine general trends in the data compared to other forms of anti-regime activity (e.g., civil wars, riots and protests). Third, we demonstrate the relevance of coups by examining how studies of civil war duration are altered by more closely considering coups. Overall, we find strong evidence that (1) coups are distinct forms of anti-regime activity that are not subsumed into other measures and (2) coups have the potential to significantly alter empirical studies on civil conflicts. We conclude by urging scholars studying a variety of topics, including regime stability, democratization, and regime imposition, to pay closer attention to coups.