The V-Dem project has a global network of around 4000 Country Experts, who provide crucial information via our online surveys. We are now looking to expand our number of Country Experts for the coming data collection cycle.
Experts come from almost every country in the world, and approximately two-thirds are nationals or residents of the country they provide information on. Each expert only codes indicators in his/her areas of expertise and we aim to have a minimum of five experts for each indicator per country. This means we usually have twenty-five or more experts per country. This unique approach allows V-Dem to detect subtle changes to the institutional environments of countries from one year to the next.
Who we are looking for
We are looking for mainly academics or professionals with specialist and documented knowledge in one or more domains, for a specific country. Among the areas of expertise are, for example, elections, political parties, civil society, media, or digital society.
For a full list, see the application form and the V-Dem codebook.
How we select our experts
We use the following criteria when we select our experts:
- Expertise – Validated expert knowledge in the country and specific areas to be coded
- Local, In-Depth Knowledge - By design, two-thirds of Country Experts providing data on a country should be nationals or permanent residents of that country
- Seriousness of purpose - Willingness to devote time to the project and to deliberate carefully over the questions in the survey
- Impartiality - V-Dem aims to recruit Country Experts who will answer survey questions in an impartial manner
- Diversity - In professional background among the Country Experts chosen for a particular country
How to apply
If you'd like to be part of the largest ever data collection project on democracy, apply by filling out the form at this link.
We accept applications continuously, but if you want to be part of this year’s data collection cycle, the application deadline is November 30.
More information
You can read more about the V-Dem project, our methodology, and Country Experts here.
Please note that we do not reveal the identity of our Country Experts: their confidentiality is protected by law through the whole process.
