Introducing the Intergovernmental Policy Output Dataset (IPOD).

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• International Relations
• Public Policy

Background:

• International organizations (IOs) are increasingly significant in global policy-making for challenges like climate change and pandemics.
• IOs produce diverse policy outputs, from landmark decisions to routine administrative tasks.
• Existing research on comparative IO policy output lacks fine-grained, comprehensive data.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce the Intergovernmental Policy Output Dataset (IPOD) for comparative analysis of IO policy.
• Provide researchers with a detailed dataset covering policy acts across multiple IOs and time periods.
• Facilitate research on IO policy dynamics, responsiveness, performance, and legitimacy.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of approximately 37,000 individual policy acts from 13 multi-issue IOs.
• Data collection spans the period from 1980 to 2015.
• Dataset construction includes description of coverage and identification of temporal and cross-sectional patterns.

Main Results:

• The IPOD dataset offers a fine-grained perspective on the structure of IO policy output.
• Key temporal and cross-sectional patterns in IO policy-making are revealed.
• Application of punctuated equilibria models illustrates the relationship between institutional features and policy agenda dynamics.

Conclusions:

• The IPOD dataset is a unique resource for granular analysis of international organization policy output.
• Researchers can utilize IPOD to explore questions of IO responsiveness, performance, and legitimacy.
• The dataset supports comparative studies across time, policy areas, and organizations.