Bastian joined us in 2021. He works on human rights, democracy, armed conflict, and violence.
Contact him if you have questions about his topics or related data, need advice on which data source to use, or have suggestions for new articles or data sources.
Bastian has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago and an MA in Political Science and Economics from Heidelberg University.
He is a Project Lead at the Global Change Data Lab and an Honorary Researcher at the Oxford Martin School.
Bastian joined us in 2021. He works on human rights, democracy, armed conflict, and violence.
Contact him if you have questions about his topics or related data, need advice on which data source to use, or have suggestions for new articles or data sources.
Bastian has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago and an MA in Political Science and Economics from Heidelberg University.
He is a Project Lead at the Global Change Data Lab and an Honorary Researcher at the Oxford Martin School.
Topics covered by Bastian on Our World in Data
Many more people have democratic rights than in the past. Some of this progress has recently been reversed.
There are many ways to classify and measure political systems. What approaches do different sources take? And when is which approach best?
Half of all countries are democracies. But how many people enjoy democratic rights?
How old are democracies across the world?
How democratic have countries been across the world? And how big are the differences between them?
Women have gained the right to vote and sit in parliament almost everywhere. But they remain underrepresented, especially in the highest offices.
There are many ways to measure democracy. Here is how the Varieties of Democracy project — one of the leading sources of global democracy data — does it.
There are many ways to measure democracy. Here is how the Regimes of the World classification does it, one of the leading sources of global democracy data.
How has democracy spread across countries? Are we moving towards a more democratic world? Explore global data and research on democracy.
Do governments worldwide have the ability to implement their policies? How is this changing over time? Explore research and data on state capacity.
Women have gained the right to vote and sit in parliament almost everywhere. But they remain underrepresented, especially in the highest offices.
Despite progress, same-sex marriage, adoption, gender marker changes, and third genders remain unrecognized in many countries. Some have even imposed more regressive policies.
How has the protection of human rights changed over time? How does it differ across countries, and between social groups? Explore global data on human rights.
How has the protection of women’s rights changed over time? How does it differ across countries? Explore global data and research on women’s rights.
How has the protection of LGBT+ rights changed over time? How does it differ across countries? Explore global data on LGBT+ rights.
There are several ways to measure human rights. Here is how the Varieties of Democracy project does it, one of the leading sources of human rights data.
Deaths in the Middle East and deaths from violence targeting civilians have also been common.
There are many ways to measure armed conflicts and conflict deaths. What approaches do different researchers take? And when is which approach best?
How common are armed conflict and peace between and within countries? How is this changing over time? Explore research and data on war and peace.
How many states have nuclear weapons, and how many warheads do they have? How is this changing over time? Explore research and data on nuclear weapons.
Do governments worldwide have the ability to implement their policies? How is this changing over time? Explore research and data on state capacity.
How large are countries’ militaries? How much do they spend on their armed forces? Explore global data on military personnel and spending.
There are several ways to capture how common and deadly armed conflicts are. What are they? And when is which measure best?
Browse our two detailed data explorers on armed conflicts and war, with almost 300 interactive visualizations across six data sources.
There are several ways to measure homicides. What approaches do different sources take? And when is which approach best?
There are different approaches to measuring terrorism. Here is the approach of the Global Terrorism Database, a leading source of terrorism data.
How common are homicides? How does this differ across countries? And how is this changing over time? Explore global data on homicides.
How common is terrorism? How does this differ across countries? And how is it changing over time? Explore research and data on terrorism.
Researchers have developed several indices that aim to capture human development. How do they work?
Who gives and receives foreign aid? Which forms does it take? What are examples of when it was (un-)successful?
In many parts of the world famines have been common in the past. What causes famines? How can famines be averted?
How many people are affected by homelessness? How is their number changing over time? Explore global data and research on homelessness.
How do people across the world spend their time? How do daily activities differ across countries, and how do these differences matter for people’s lives? Explore data and research on time use.
How is the institution of marriage changing? What percentage of marriages end in divorce? Explore global data on marriages and divorces.
How often do people travel for pleasure? What role does tourism play in economies across the world? Explore global data on tourism.
Our peer-reviewed article outlines seven ways to publish data better.
On Our World in Data, we present thousands of metrics on hundreds of topics. How do we choose them?
