Release Updates
Review new additions to SIGLA data, recent changes to SIGLA features and functionality, and important updates to the SIGLA website.
October 2024: Version 3.2
Data Highlights
- SIGLA added data on “Electoral Calendar and Outcomes” for presidential and legislative elections, and “Presidential Election Calendar” for the 20 Latin American countries that all SIGLA institutional categories will eventually include.
- For each election, SIGLA provides:
- Date and result of the election
- Summary of electoral process governing the election
- Electoral integrity score from Freedom House and V-Dem
- Date of the next election
- For the presidential election calendar, SIGLA provides:
- Date of last presidential election
- Date of next presidential election
Tech Highlights
- Electoral Calendar and Outcomes is accessible under Explore Data;
- Users may filter Electoral Outcomes by inputting key terms in the search bar above the table;
- Users may download Electoral Outcomes in an Excel file;
- Presidential Election Calendar is accessible through a link on the Electoral Calendar and Outcomes page;
- Users may filter the Election Calendar by inputting key terms in the search bar above the table;
- Users may download the Election Calendar in an Excel file.
Website Highlights
- “Research Methodology” has been updated to reflect the addition of data on Electoral Calendar and Outcomes” and “Presidential Election Calendar”.
- “Technical Codebook” has been updated to include all variables included in SIGLA version 3.2.
Contributing team members: Simón Ballesteros, Louisa Christen, Juan David Gelvez, Howard Xuan
October 2024: Version 3.1.2
Data Highlights:
- SIGLA pushed changes and updates to variables in the following institutional categories: Codes, Constitutions, Executive, Judiciary and Other Court Systems, Legislature, and International Institutions
- Updated institutions include:
- In Codes: various codes
- In Constitutions: amendments
- In Elections: Institutions of Electoral Governance;
- In Executive: Presidency, and Ministries;
- In Judiciary and Other Court Systems: High Court, Ordinary Courts, and Specialized Court Systems;
- In Legislatures: Legislature in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico; and
- In International Institutions: various international institutions
- For each institution, SIGLA updated the data on leadership and membership.
Contributing team members: Juan Acosta, Simón Ballesteros, Andrés Celis-Madrid, Louisa Christen, Juan David Gelvez, Eva Goethals, Lucia Gonzalez Camelo, Kate Huckaby, Hannah Kurowski, Samantha Monteiro, Patty Robben, Riley Swain, Carolina Wesley, Howard Xuan
May 2024: Version 3.1.1
Data Highlights
- SIGLA pushed changes to variables in the following institutional categories: Elections, Executive, Judiciary and Other Court Systems, Legislature, and International Institutions.
- Updated institutions include:
- In Elections: Institutions of Electoral Governance;
- In Executive: Presidency and Ministries;
- In Judiciary and Other Court Systems: High Courts, Ordinary Courts, and Specialized Court Systems;
- In Legislatures: Legislature in Colombia; and
- In International Institutions: various international institutions
- For each institution, SIGLA updated the data on leadership and membership.
Website Highlights
- On the SIGLA website, the term SIGLA’s Answer, referring to a synthesis of all data pertaining to a variable, was renamed to SIGLA’s Summary.
- “Research Methodology” has been updated to reflect the change in terminology.
- “Technical Codebook” has been updated to reflect the change in terminology.
Contributing team members: Juan Acosta, Simón Ballesteros, Emily Bechtel, Hannah Bomberg, Andres Celis-Madrid, Alesia De Armas-Kucich, Cate Howell, To Huynh, Sophia Lima, Albert Sanchez, Victoria Scholtz, Riley Swain, Howard Xuan
October 2023: Version 3.1
Data Highlights
- This beta version of SIGLA includes data on additional institutions in the Judiciary and Other Court Systems institutional category in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
- New institutions within the institutional category of Judiciary and Other Court Systems include:
- Judicial Council;
- Military, Electoral, Administrative Court Systems; and
- Other Specialized Court Systems specific to each country.
- For each institution, SIGLA provides:
- Data on general characteristics, functioning, institutional positioning and interaction within the state, members, and leaders; and
- Customized variables to capture important institution-specific data such as the channels of appeal between the Specialized Court Systems and the High Court.
- Each institution includes a Body of Law variable that links to a set of important laws and regulations about the institution’s creation and functioning.
Tech Highlights
- SIGLA’s four browsing routes have been updated to add additional institutions to the institutional category of Judiciary and Other Court Systems
- The Browse by Country route allows users to explore one or more institutional categories and institutions for a single country.
- The Browse by Institution route allows users to choose one institutional category and explore its institutions across multiple countries.
- The Compare route allows users to compare any institution across different countries. Users may also use this feature to compare international institutions.
- The Custom Browse route allows users to view data for individual variables associated with as many institutions and countries as they wish.
Website Highlights
- “Research Methodology” has been updated to reflect the addition of new institutions within the Judiciary and Other Court Systems institutional category.
- “Technical Codebook” explains how SIGLA structures data, introduces principles and types of variables, and lists all variables included in SIGLA version 3.1.
Contributing team members: Estefania Acosta, Simón Ballesteros, Hannah Bomberg, Sarah Bryant, Francesca Burke, Andrés Celis-Madrid, Robert Dohrman, Chris Dorado, Sebastian Garcia, Alexis Gorfine, Caroline Hamilton, To Huynh, Felipe Lobo Koerich, Ana Martinez, Bernardo Medeiros, Victoria Scholtz, Riley Swain, Elisabeth Wachtel, Ethan Williams, and Howard Xuan
August 2023: Version 3.0
Data Highlights
- This beta version of SIGLA includes data on institutions in the Judiciary and Other Court Systems institutional category in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
- Institutions within the institutional category of Judiciary and Other Court Systems include:
- Judiciary Overview;
- High Courts; and
- Ordinary Courts.
- For each institution, SIGLA provides:
- Data on general characteristics, functioning, institutional positioning and interaction within the state, members, and leaders; and
- Customized variables to capture important institution-specific data such as the channels of appeal involving Ordinary Courts and High Courts.
- Each institution includes a Body of Law variable that links to a set of important laws and regulations about the institution’s creation and functioning.
- Furthermore, SIGLA updated data on Elections and Legislature in response to electoral changes in Brazil and Colombia.
Tech Highlights
- SIGLA’s four browsing routes have been updated to include the new institutional category and institutions
- The Browse by Country route allows users to explore one or more institutional categories and institutions for a single country.
- The Browse by Institution route allows users to choose one institutional category and explore its institutions across multiple countries.
- The Compare route allows users to compare any institution across different countries. Users may also use this feature to compare international institutions.
- The Custom Browse route allows users to view data for individual variables associated with as many institutions and countries as they wish.
Website Highlights
- “Research Methodology” has been updated to reflect the addition of institutions in the Judiciary and Other Court Systems institutional category.
- “Technical Codebook” explains how SIGLA structures data, introduces principles and types of variables, and lists all variables included in SIGLA, up to version 3.0.
Contributing team members: Estefania Acosta, Simón Ballesteros, Hannah Bomberg, Sarah Bryant, Francesca Burke, Andrés Celis-Madrid, Robert Dohrman, Chris Dorado, Sebastian Garcia, Alexis Gorfine, Caroline Hamilton, To Huynh, Felipe Lobo Koerich, Ana Martinez, Bernardo Medeiros, Victoria Scholtz, Riley Swain, Elisabeth Wachtel, Ethan Williams, and Howard Xuan.
July 2023: Version 2.0.1
Data Highlights
- SIGLA pushed changes to variables in Elections and Legislature.
- Updated institutions include:
- In Elections: Electoral Results in Colombia; and
- In Legislatures: Legislature in Colombia.
- For each institution, SIGLA updated the data according to the results of the Colombian presidential and legislative elections.
Contributing team members: Estefania Acosta, Simón Ballesteros, Hannah Bomberg, Sarah Bryant, Francesca Burke, Andrés Celis-Madrid, Robert Dohrman, Chris Dorado, Cristina Cuervo Rengifo, Sebastian Garcia, Alexis Gorfine, Caroline Hamilton, To Huynh, Felipe Lobo Koerich, Ana Martinez, Bernardo Medeiros, Victoria Scholtz, Riley Swain, Elisabeth Wachtel, Ethan Williams, and Howard Xuan.
April 2023: Version 2.0
Data Highlights
- This beta version of SIGLA includes data on Annual Chief Executive Reports in the 20 Latin American countries that all SIGLA institutional categories will eventually include.
- For each country, SIGLA provides:
- Information on the most recent report, including links to videos and transcripts;
- Summary of the constitutionally mandated executive report procedure; and
- Original Text and Source describing the constitutionally mandated executive report
Tech Highlights
- Annual Chief Executive Reports is accessible under Explore Data;
- Users may filter Annual Chief Executive Reports by inputting key terms in the search bar above the table; and
- Users may download Annual Chief Executive Reports in an Excel file
Website Highlights
- “Research Methodology” has been updated to reflect the addition of the Annual Chief Executive Report.
- “Technical Codebook” has been updated to include all variables included in SIGLA version 2.0.
Contributing team members: Estefania Acosta, Hannah Bomberg, Sarah Bryant, Francesca Burke, Robert Dohrman, Chris Dorado, Cristina Cuervo Rengifo, Sebastian Garcia, Alexis Gorfine, Caroline Hamilton, To Huynh, Felipe Lobo Koerich, Ana Martinez, Bernardo Medeiros, Victoria Scholtz, Ethan Williams, and Howard Xuan.
September 2022: Version 1.0.1
Data Highlights
- SIGLA pushed changes to variables in the following institutional categories: Elections, Executive, Legislature, and International Institutions.
- Updated institutions include:
- In Elections: Institutions of Electoral Governance in Brazil and Colombia;
- In Executive: Presidency and Ministries in Colombia;
- In Legislatures: Legislature in Colombia; and
- In International Institutions: the Andean Community (CAN) and Central American Integration System (SICA).
- For each institution, SIGLA updated data on membership and leadership.
Contributing team members: Estefania Acosta, Hannah Bomberg, Sarah Bryant, Francesca Burke, Robert Dohrman, Chris Dorado, Cristina Cuervo Rengifo, Sebastian Garcia, Alexis Gorfine, Caroline Hamilton, To Huynh, Felipe Lobo Koerich, Ana Martinez, Bernardo Medeiros, Victoria Scholtz, Ethan Williams, and Howard Xuan.
August 2022: Version 1.0
Data Highlights
- The beta version of SIGLA includes data on institutions of governance in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
- Users may view data on institutions in the following categories: Constitution, Codes, Executive, Legislature, Elections, and International Institutions.
- Institutions within the five national institutional categories above include:
- Constitution;
- Civil Code, Civil Procedural Code, Commercial Code, Criminal Code, Criminal Procedural Code, Electoral Code, Labor Code and Tax Code;
- Executive Overview, Presidency, Ministries Overview, and Ministries;
- Legislature; and
- Electoral System, Electoral Results, and Institutions of Electoral Governance.
- For each institution, SIGLA provides:
- Data on general characteristics, functioning, institutional positioning and interaction within the state, members, and leaders; and
- Customized variables to capture important institution-specific data such as presidential powers under Presidency and constitutional amendments and rights under Constitution.
- Excluding Constitution and Codes, each institution includes a Body of Law variable that links to a set of important laws and regulations about the institution’s creation and functioning.
Tech Highlights
- SIGLA offers four browsing routes through which users can view data.
- The Browse by Country route allows users to explore one or more institutional categories and institutions for a single country.
- The Browse by Institution route allows users to choose one institutional category and explore its institutions across multiple countries.
- The Compare route allows users to compare any institution across different countries. Users may also use this feature to compare international institutions.
- The Custom Browse route allows users to view data for individual variables associated with as many institutions and countries as they wish.
- Users may pin variables of interest to a personalized page for easier access.
- Users may download pinned data in an Excel file.
- The “Report an Issue” button allows users to provide feedback on SIGLA data and the SIGLA website.
Website Highlights
- The SIGLA website introduces SIGLA and offers information to orient users.
- “User Guide” offers information on SIGLA’s features and functionality and provides information to help users view data.
- “Institutional Matrix” indicates the data that are currently available on SIGLA and projects what data SIGLA will eventually provide.
- “Cite SIGLA” offers the format to use when citing SIGLA.
- “Research Methodology” describes SIGLA’s conceptual scheme, the data SIGLA provides, and the procedures SIGLA uses to collect, update, and verify data.
Contributing team members: Estefania Acosta, André D.S. Amaral, Elizabeth Ash, Simón Ballesteros, Alicia Barry, Coleen Baxley, Binio Binev, Hannah Bomberg, Luis E. Borrero, Sarah Bryant, Francesca Burke, Leticia Chacón, Louisa Christen, Bianca Clark, Cristina Cuervo Rengifo, Sean Fulmer, Chloe Gilroy, Alexis Gorfine, Caroline Hamilton, To Huynh, Arnosh Keswani, Anna Landre, Will Linde, Felipe Lobo Koerich, Colin Maloney, Andres Marquez, Catalina Martínez Sarmiento, Katja Newman, Andrea Ocando, Paulina Ortega Madrid, Stacey Pirtle, Eric Salgado, Ben Schatz, Ian Scholer, Maria Victoria Silveira e Silva, Colton Wade, Nic Weber, and Howard Xuan.