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Abstract

This article presents a test of a judgmental measurement strategy which has been proposed as a partial solution to some problems of cross-national data. It has been suggested that existing cross-national data, which are limited in scope and often uncertain in reliability. might be supplemented by having panels of area experts code nations on new political scales. We test this approach by having a sample of African-area experts code 39 African nations on several scales tapping attributes central to comparative political analysis and relevant especially to democratic theory. The results indicate considerable uncertainty and disagreement among our sample of scholars. On only one scale is there sufficient consensus for a number of nations such that the results would be useful for measurement purposes. While there are aspects of our test which make it a rigorous one for regional experts, the results urge caution in the use of any data generated by similar panels of judges.

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Area Experts' Images of African Nations

Abstract

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