Advancing data infrastructures on democratic representation: an open-source version of ParlGov

This research note presents an open-source version of the ParlGov website and discusses the state of cross-national data on parties, elections, and cabinets. The ParlGov project is a prominent political science data infrastructure with information for EU and OECD democracies since 1900. The data has been publicly available since 2010. ParlGov is an example of a new type of data infrastructure in political science that uses modern software tools, collaborative data collection, and open data principles. In this research note, I introduce a new open-source software of ParlGov that demonstrates how modern software practices enhance the accessibility, transparency, and reliability of political science data. In addition, I assess the contribution of the ParlGov project to advances in comparative political data collection by comparing it with four key datasets on elections and cabinets (EJPR-PDY, PPEG, V-Party, and PAGED). I emphasize the importance and benefits of open science principles, arguing that their full potential has yet to be realized in political science. By adhering to open science principles, ParlGov provides a reference point for future data projects aiming to increase the availability and interoperability of research data in political science.