Politics & International Relations: Datasets & Statistics

Information about books, journals, databases, ofiffical publications and other useful politics resources (including development studies resources).

Data Analysis

UCD IT Services provide access for students to a range of data analysis software packages, including NVivo, SPSS and Stata. These can be downloaded or accessed through the UCD Connect page - selecting the Software Download option for NVivo. Stata and SPSS are available via AppsAnywhere.

A full listing of the applications available and instructions for downloading can be found here.

Please contact IT Services for more information (https://fujitsuireland.service-now.com/itucd)

Useful Datasets

An Garda Siochana
Road accident statistics and other garda publications.
Annual Reports including regional demographic.
Crime data/statistics. Crime Assets Bureau statistics
Central Statistics Office
Hosts databases including StatBank; Census of Population, Agriculture and several other public sector areas.
Includes statistical databases from International Organizations such as Eurostat, ECB, OECD, UNECE, UNSC, & IMF.
Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA)
Surveys included are Growing up in Ireland; Opinion Poll data; Cross National Comparative Data, Social and Political Attitudes Survey, NCPP Employee Attitudes Survey, Irish National Election Study, Ageism and Ageing, Eurostudent and Attitudes to Disability
ESRI (Economic & Social Research Institute)
A leading European research centre in the social sciences focusing on economic and social change in Ireland

Eurostat
The Statistical Office of the European Union. Provides high-quality statistical information on the EU Member States Includes information on Eurostat printed and electronic publications Data is charged for but some key indicator snapshots are free to view.
Transition Reports
Reports on developments in central and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and analysis of the transition to market economies and macroeconomic performance.
Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives
National data archives for social science teaching and research in Europe (also provides links to Australia and USA archives).
UK Data Archive (UKDA)
Contains the largest collection of digital data in the Social Sciences and Humanities in the U.K.

CIA World Factbook
The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.
FedStats
Acts as a portal to the full range of US Government statistical information provided by over 100 US agencies. Topics include economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more.

World Development Indicators Online This link opens in a new window
World Development Indicators Online, published by the World Bank, is a comprehensive database of development information covering more than 575 indicators, 225 countries, and 18 regional and income groups. The extensive collection includes data on population, income, social, economic, financial, natural resources and environmental indicators from 1960 onwards.

WHO World Health Organisation Statistics
Key international health statistics.
ICPSR
Established in 1962, the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction. On campus access only.
United States Census Bureau
Summary data files and selected historical data available.
IMF Statistical Databases
Access to the following International Monetary Fund titles: International Financial Statistics, Direction of Trade Statistics and Balance of Payments Statistics.

OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
OECD iLibrary contains all the publications and datasets released by OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), International Energy Agency (IEA), Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), OECD Development Centre, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), and International Transport Forum (ITF) since 1998. Formerly SourceOECD, the platform comprises 20 Book collections by theme, containing all OECD monographs and reports; 24 periodicals; a reference title; and the OECD statistical databases.

International IDEA
Includes data on voter turnout, gender quotas and voting from abroad. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization with a mission to support sustainable democracy worldwide.

Finding Data Tutorial

As a student you are probably using research data for assignments in which your findings are based on evidence you have gathered. Use this tutorial to help you understand the types of data available for reuse, where to find these data and how to use them in your own research.

At the end of this 10-minute tutorial, you will be able to: