ARACInt/bti-data

Transformation Index (BTI) Dataset — ARAC International

Overview

This repository hosts curated datasets from the Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI) covering the period 2006–2024. The BTI is a global benchmark study that evaluates political, economic, and governance transformations in 137 countries. It is unique in combining qualitative, expert-based country assessments with standardized quantitative scoring, producing two composite indices:

• Status Index – measures political and economic transformation.
• Governance Index – measures the quality of political leadership and governance performance.

The dataset is available in multiple formats for user flexibility:

• CSV – tabular, human-readable format.
• DTA – for direct use in Stata statistical software.
• Parquet – optimized for efficient querying and web-based applications.

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About the BTI

The BTI is published biennially by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, Germany. It is designed to answer a core question:

How successfully are countries steering social change toward democracy under the rule of law and a market economy anchored in social justice?

Unlike indices that focus narrowly on electoral processes, the BTI adopts a broad concept of democracy, incorporating rule of law, separation of powers, civil liberties, and state capacity. Similarly, its economic transformation framework includes competition, private property rights, fiscal stability, welfare regimes, and sustainability. Governance is assessed in terms of steering capacity, consensus-building, resource efficiency, and international cooperation.

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Methodology

The BTI methodology combines qualitative expert surveys with a multi-stage review and calibration process:

1. Country Expert Assessments – Independent scholars produce detailed country reports following a standardized codebook of 17 criteria and 49 indicators.
2. Peer Review – A second country expert reviews the assessment, adding an external perspective.
3. Regional & Interregional Calibration – Regional coordinators and the BTI team adjust scores to ensure comparability across regions.
4. Final Review – The BTI Board conducts a global review to validate consistency.

The BTI thus generates 7,124 individual scores per edition, which are then aggregated into the Status Index (political + economic transformation) and the Governance Index (leadership performance).

Structure of Measurement

• Political Transformation (5 criteria / 18 indicators): stateness, political participation, rule of law, stability of democratic institutions, political and social integration.
• Economic Transformation (7 criteria / 14 indicators): socioeconomic development, market organization, monetary stability, private property, welfare regime, economic performance, sustainability.
• Governance (5 criteria / 20 indicators): steering capacity, resource efficiency, consensus-building, international cooperation, level of difficulty.

More details are available in the BTI 2024 Methodology Document.

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Purpose of This Repository

The datasets here are intended to support:

• Research & Analysis – Political science, economics, governance, and development studies.
• Custom Data Curation – Users can filter, subset, and export the data they need.
• Application Development – The included Parquet file powers an interactive HTML application (to be published separately) that allows users to:
  • Query BTI indicators dynamically.
  • Visualize transformations across regions and time.
  • Export custom subsets into CSV format for further research or integration into other workflows.

This approach supports flexible, user-driven exploration while maintaining methodological rigor.

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File Contents

• 2024-2006_bti_data.csv – Full dataset in CSV format.
• 2024-2006_bti_data.dta – Stata-formatted dataset.
• 2024-2006_bti_data.parquet – Optimized Parquet dataset for efficient querying.
• BTI2024_Codebook.pdf – Full definitions of indicators and scoring rules.
• BTI2024_Methodology.pdf – Detailed methodology of the BTI process.
• Relevant_info.pdf – Supplementary notes.
• index.html – Interactive application template (built on the same framework as the V-Dem dashboard, powered by DuckDB-WASM for Parquet querying).

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Citation

If using this dataset in research or analysis, please cite as:

Bertelsmann Stiftung. Transformation Index BTI 2024. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung. Available at: https://bti-project.org

When referencing this repository, please acknowledge:

ARAC International Inc. – Global Security Analysis & Independent Research

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License

The BTI data is © Bertelsmann Stiftung. Redistribution in this repository is for educational, research, and analytical purposes under fair-use principles. Always cite the original source.