regimesfrom

Regimesfrom is a term used in political science and data analysis to denote the source regime in a transition between regime types. It is commonly applied in transition datasets and analyses of regime change to pair each observation with the preceding regime, enabling researchers to study pathways from one political order to another.

In practice, regimesfrom is often used alongside a counterpart variable, regimesto, to characterize transitions such as from authoritarian rule to liberal democracy or from military rule to civilian governance. The variable is typically categorical, with values reflecting the regime classifications used in a given study (for example, military, one-party, hybrid, democratic, or other scheme as defined by the dataset). In time-series and panel data, regimesfrom can be time-varying, updating whenever a transition is observed or at defined intervals.

Applications of regimesfrom include construction of transition matrices, analysis of path dependence, and modeling how the origin regime influences post-transition outcomes such as policy changes, governance quality, and stability. It supports methods like Markov models, event history analysis, and causal pathway examinations by providing the historical context of each regime change.

Limitations and considerations include variations in coding schemes across datasets, retroactive reclassification, and incomplete transition records. Researchers must align regimesfrom with consistent regime definitions and document coding rules to ensure comparability across studies. See also: regime type, regime change, political transition, dataset coding, transition matrix.