The Correlates of War project seeks to expand available data for IR research in two ways. First, we have a number of projects ongoing "in house." Second, we are encouraging scholars within the Correlates of War community to engage in guided research through the Data Set Hosting Program. This page lists projects and activities ongoing under the COW rubric.

Highest Priority

• Dyadic War Data: We are currently working to identify, in each multilateral interstate war, which states actually engaged each other militarily, and at what level of violence (e.g. did not interact, declared war, had air/ground combat only, engaged each other extensively). Work proceeding in conjunction with Resat Bayer, Koc University.

Lower Priority

• Geopolitical Units: While a key element of the international system since 1816, formal and recognized states have not always covered the globe in the manner they largely do today. This data set traces the status of non-state territorial units in the system, including colonies, mandates, autonomous territories, and so on, their relationship, and their eventual incorporation in/transformation to states.

Ongoing hosted projects

• Cultural Attributes of States: Cultural differences between and within states are thought by some to contribute to conflict. In order to test these speculations a data set delineating the linguistic, religious, and ethnic composition of states was created. It records this information for all states at 10-year intervals from 1820 to 1990. Hosted by Errol Henderson, Penn State University.
• Interstate/Extrastate War Data: We are currently working to update the interstate war data through 2003, through the auspices of data set hosts Meredith Sarkees, Saint Mary's University, and Frank Wayman, Wayne State University.
• Intrastate War Data: We are currently considering updates, extensions, and some possible redefinitions in the intrastate war data, through the auspices of data set hosts Jeff Dixon, Wright State, and Meredith Sarkees, Saint Mary's University.