Text as Data

Methods of text as data convert a large quantity of inherently unstructured text into structured data to be analyzed through statistical models. This group of techniques has been at the forefront of the latest methodological developments in comparative politics in recent years. However, their usage in the study for the study of international relations and foreign policy has been much more limited. The aim of this chapter is showing how text as data methods can be employed to address fundamental issues of international politics, including states’ cooperation on climate change and violations of human rights. The chapter will first provide a definition of what it means to treat text as data and then will review the most well-known techniques of quantitative text analysis. Finally, it will highlight potentialities and challenges for the applications of such methods to the study of foreign policy.