Sovereignty Referendums Explode in Number: What Does It Mean for Governance?

Recent years have seen a surge in sovereignty referendums worldwide. This article introduces a groundbreaking dataset with over double the entries previously available, spanning from 1776 to 2012 and covering key regions.

New Dataset Development

Drawing on refined conceptual frameworks and theory-driven typologies, we've compiled comprehensive records of these political events, addressing issues like vague definitions and inconsistent categorizations that plagued earlier studies.

🔍 Data & Methods

• Created a new compilation with 602 sovereignty referendums entries
• Time period: 1776–2012
• Geographic coverage includes major regions (Europe, Americas, Asia)

⚡ Key Discoveries

Our exploratory analysis reveals:

• Eight distinct clusters of referendum activity
• Clear patterns emerge across different time periods and geographic locations
• Consistent outcome categorization becomes possible for future research

This robust dataset provides political scientists with the foundation needed to systematically investigate sovereignty referendums' historical trajectory, spatial distribution, and varied outcomes.