Dataset creation has been a passion of mine since graduate school. I've been particularly drawn to building individual-level data on political institutions within dictatorships — a task that presents real difficulties, since source materials are often intentionally hidden, destroyed, or simply never existed in accessible form. Even so, the process is a genuine pleasure, and it has led me to develop collections on a surprisingly wide range of subjects.
Some of these datasets have resulted in publications and grants, which tells me people have found them useful. I'm especially proud of my collaborative work with the GetGov team, where I've had the opportunity to join like-minded scholars in chronicling the history of cabinet ministers since the 19th century. Other pursuits have been esoteric enough that I struggle to imagine a clear publication path for them, but I believe collecting and presenting this information is a worthwhile academic contribution even when it doesn't go on a CV. Sometimes the materials come from rare books or obscure archival sources, which makes the work feel as much like preservation as research.
Below (coming soon) are some of the specific datasets I've developed (in no particular order). I hope you find something interesting here. If anything sparks an idea, I'd love to collaborate! The more eyes on this material, the better our collective understanding of these systems and the people who shaped them.
Communist politburo members in Eastern Europe
Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) delegates
Chiefs of secret police in dictatorships
Shinsengumi agents in 19th C. Japan
Senior officials in Meiji Japan
Chiefs of General Staff; Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs