| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| hamlet_id | 9-digit HES identifier |
| month | Month |
| selective_terror | Did Vietcong use selective violence? (1 = yes, 0 = no) |
| control | Who controlled hamlet? (1 = full state, 2 = partial state, 3 = contested, 4 = partial rebel, 5 = full rebel) |
| bombed | How many bombing sorties in hamlet? |
| urban | Is hamlet mostly urban? (1 = yes, 0 = no) |
| pop | Hamlet population |
| border | Distance to closest international border |
| dev_index | Development index (note: this is an index so the exact numbers are not interpretable. Lower numbers = less developed, larger numbers = more developed.) |
| buddhist | Predominantly Buddhist hamlet? (1 = yes, 0 = no) |
| vietnamese | Predominantly Vietnamese hamlet? (1 = yes, 0 = no) |
The war of the flea
Instructions
- For the data, right-click, “save/download file as…”
- Open the data
- Complete all of the tasks associated with that data and keep track of your answers / images
- Once you are done, go on Canvas and answer the questions related to the assignment
- the Canvas assignment is timed; if you open it prior to completing the tasks you will run out of time
Skills used:
- grouped summary counts
- grouped summary statistics
My awkward Google Sheets video tutorials are here
Warning
You must complete all of the tasks here BEFORE opening the Canvas quiz; otherwise, you will run out of time!
The Vietnam War
Here, you’ll be working with hamlet level data on territorial control, selective violence, and indiscriminate violence during the Vietnam War. Each row is a hamlet in a given month in the year 1969. Using the data (variable dictionary below), answer the following questions.
- Download this: Vietnam HES data
- What was the Strategic Hamlet Program during the Vietnam War? Look it up, describe in your own words, four to five sentences. Tell us what the program did and what its intended objective was. (4 points)
- HOW MANY bomb sorties were launched, in total, against the most attacked hamlet in Vietnam? Note: you’ll want to “group by” hamlet ID to answer this question. (1 point)
- Calculate the PERCENT of observations in each control category. Overall, what is the most common control status? (1 point)
- About HOW MANY MORE bomb sorties, in total, were aimed at places that had full rebel control than places where the government had full control? (1 point)
- How common was the use of selective violence during the war? Take the average of selective violence across areas of control (note: remember what the average of a 0/1 variable tells you!). Where was it most or least common? How common would you say it was overall? Reference specific quantities in your answer. (2 points)
- Do anything else you want with the data. Describe what you did and what you found. (2 points)