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Revealing the Networked Power and Pathologies of Global Ratings and Rankings

Global ratings and rankings, such as the Failed States Index and the World Governance Indicators, are used to justify a host of policy and business decisions. Global indices frequently build their aggregate ratings and rankings by borrowing indicators from other global indices. Until now, there has been no way to detect and analyze interdependence among indices. The Global Indices Network Project (GIN Project) is using social network analysis (and dogged determination) to attain a systems-level view of the global network of indices. 
To get the latest updates on our work, follow us on Twitter and Medium.

Step 1 - Deconstruct

First, our team consults the methodology of the target index. Every single indicator is deconstructed into its constituent variables. Each index is broken down so that its dependencies are clear and the variable types are accurate. 

Step 2- Connect

We use the information about 'dependencies' that we gathered in step 1 to create a network of indices, indicators, and variables. This opens up entirely new forms of analysis and enables us to explore global ratings and rankings from an entirely new perspective. 

Meet the Team

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Abigail Kuchek
Major: Politics, Philosophy, and Economics

Abby is a sophomore pursuing a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, a minor in French, and a certificate in Human Rights and Social Justice. She is interested in refugee issues, international development, and foreign and economic policy. Abby also volunteers on campus with Liberal Arts Refugee Alliance, Voices Against Violence, and Interpersonal Violence Peer Support.

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Eun Young Kim
Major: PhD, Public Policy
IPD member since Spring 2017

Eun Young is a PhD student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Her research interests encompass topics of program evaluation in the international development context, statistics and open data for policymaking, and policy transfer. Previously, she worked as a researcher at the Center for International Development Evaluation at Seoul National University while doing her  masters, participating in projects for evaluation framework design and helping organize workshops for evaluation capacity-building. She received her MPP as well as BAs in economics and in political science from Seoul National University.

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Katherine Corley
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies; MA, Journalism
IPD member since Fall 2017
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Katherine is a dual degree Master’s student in Global Policy Studies and Journalism with an interest in Global Health.  She completed her undergraduate degree in Philosophy at Rice University, and later completed a M.S. in Mental Health Counseling at the University of Rochester.  Professionally, she worked as a mental health therapist for five years.  Before that, she spent two years at a governmental consulting firm and also completed an AmeriCorps year working in the field of food security. 

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Abby Marcus
Abby is a Masters of Global Policy Studies candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She is interested in economic development. She received a BA in Political Science and French from Rice University. As an undergraduate, she interned with the Institute Francais des Relations Internationales in Paris and studied development in Yaounde, Cameroon. After graduating, Abby spent a year teaching English in France and two years as a civics instructor with the Close Up Foundation in Washington, D.C.

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​Caleb Ray 
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies
IPD member since Fall 2017


Caleb is a Master's of Global Policy Studies candidates at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He is interested in climate change, development, and security, as well as open data analysis. Caleb has a BA in Anthropology from Laurence University in Appleton, WI. As an undergraduate, Caleb studied abroad in Tanzania. After graduating, Caleb served as an agroforestry Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Guinea

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Mea​​gan Volquardsen
Major: BS Neuroscience
IPD Member since Fall 2017


Meagan is a Research Technician for the Johnston Lab in the Center for Learning & Memory. Her first love is human behavior. She ultimately wants to study decision-making, motivation and behavior, and how it pertains to the MicroEconomics of poverty. She received her BS in Neuroscience at Baylor University in December 2014. She has been in research ever since and is looking forward to focusing her work in hopes to pursue the MGPS program at the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs. 

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Katherine Whitton
Katherine Whitton is a 2nd year Master of Global Policies Studies candidate at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. She joined LBJ after two years as an education volunteer in U.S. Peace Corps Ethiopia. At LBJ, she has joined the Graduate Public Affairs Council (GPAC) and now serves on the executive committee. In addition, she has served as an admitted students ambassador, traveled to Nepal to conduct field research, and worked with IPD since fall 2016. Over the summer, Katherine served as an AidData Summer Fellow at the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) and the Resilient African Network (RAN) Lab in Kampala, Uganda focusing on GIS and open data principles. Her specialization at LBJ is international development and governance. ​Katherine currently co-leads the Global Indices team at IPD.

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Ryan Williams
Ryan Williams
is a third year master’s student in Global Policy Studies and Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. He is interested in the intersection of emerging technology and public policy. Ryan received his BA in Political Science and Russian from Texas A&M University in 2014. In 2014 he also started a small business that produced media for real estate agents all over Texas.  Ryan’s current work at IPD is focused on mapping the connections between global rankings. He also researches the lifecycles of NGOs in Russia since 1991. This summer he worked as an Advanced Research Intern on the Unconventional Weapons Team at the Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. Ryan currently co-leads the Global Indices team at IPD.

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Innovations for Peace and Development
BEL 2.14, The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX, 78712