Introduction to Latin America

Instructions

  • For the data, right-click, “save/download file as…”
  • Open the data
  • Complete all of the tasks associated with that data and keep track of your answers / images
  • Once you are done, go on Canvas and answer the questions related to the assignment
    • the Canvas assignment is timed; if you open it prior to completing the tasks you will run out of time

Skills used:

  • counting categories / percentages
  • plotting
  • sorting / filtering

My awkward Google Sheets video tutorials are here

Economic growth over time

Download this data on GDP per capita in Latin America.

  1. Filter the data so you are looking at the first year for which data is available. What country had the lowest GDP per capita in that year?

  2. Filter the data so you are looking at the last year for which data is available. What country had the highest GDP per capita in that year (excluding the United States)?

  3. Pick a country, filter so you’re only looking at its data, and make a plot of GDP per capita (y) over time (x). Save the plot so you can upload it.

  4. Are there any periods of rapid increase or decrease? Pick one and Google around to see what was going on in the country in that time. Briefly describe.

Leader ideology

Using this database of leader ideology across Latin America, answer the following:

Variable dictionary
Variable Description
hog The formal head of government, typically in charge of domestic affairs
leader The country's actual leader, the most politically powerful individual, typically in charge of foreign policy

  1. Sort the data: who was the centrist head of government from the post-Cold War period in Honduras who held office for only one year?

  2. Look them up. Why did they only hold office for one year?

  3. Filter the data: in how many cases in all of Latin American history did the leader and head of government of a country have opposite ideologies (i.e., a left-right split)?

  4. Count the number of observations (country-years) by leader ideology. Overall, in what PERCENT of observations have rightist leaders held power in Latin America?

  5. Count the number of observations (country-years) by leader party. Sort the data: excluding “none”, which party has held power the longest?