Data & Methods
The Global Policy Tracker is the lab's dataset of subnational policies that localize the Women, Peace and Security agenda and related gender-equality frameworks.
Figures are read live from the tracker.
What's in a record
Each record is one policy instrument, such as an action plan, ordinance or resolution, adopted or proposed by a city, district, province, state or region. Students locate each policy in official sources and code it on the fields below.
Place
- City, State/Province, Country
- The jurisdiction that adopted the policy.
- Region
- One of nine world regions used to compare across the dataset.
- Scope
- The level the policy applies to, for example city, district, province or region.
- Latitude, Longitude
- An approximate point for the jurisdiction, used to place it on the map.
Policy
- Name
- The official or commonly used title of the policy.
- Policy type
- Action plan, ordinance, resolution, decree, motion or procedural effort, or other (defined below).
- Status
- Whether the policy was proposed, drafted, passed, implemented, ongoing or completed.
- Year and date
- When the policy was adopted. Most dates are recorded to the year.
- Policy description
- A short summary of what the policy commits the jurisdiction to.
Evidence
- Implementation
- What has been done to put the policy into practice, where evidence could be found.
- Funding
- Budget lines, grants or other resources attached to the policy, where reported.
- Source
- A link to the policy text or the most authoritative public source.
Policy types
Counts are the number of records of each type currently in the tracker. The colours match the map.
Action Plan
A strategy that sets out goals, actions and responsibilities, such as a Local Action Plan on WPS or a gender equality action plan.
Ordinance
A binding local law adopted by a municipal, county or provincial legislature. Often described as local hard law.
Other
Laws, policies, programmes and bodies that do not fit the categories above, such as commissions or strategies.
Resolution
A formal statement of support or intent by a legislative body. Usually not binding on its own.
Decree
An executive order issued by a mayor, governor or other executive authority.
Motion/Procedural Effort
A procedural step, such as a council motion directing staff to study or prepare a policy.
Coverage by region
Known gaps
- Funding is often not reported in the sources students could find, so the absence of funding information does not always mean a policy is unfunded.
- Coverage reflects where sources were publicly available and findable by the research team. It is not a census of every local policy.
- Map points mark the adopting jurisdiction, not the exact place a policy applies, and dates are usually recorded to the year.
- Some records describe regional or national instruments that are implemented locally. Their scope is noted in each record.
Get the data
The tracker is a public ArcGIS feature layer. Download a snapshot, or query the live layer directly.
REST endpoint
https://services2.arcgis.com/PYn6bWCjT6bhw1z3/arcgis/rest/services/policy_data_arcgis_dated/FeatureServer/0
How to cite
Local Diplomacy Lab. (2026). Global Policy Tracker [Data set]. Benson-Bertsch Center for International Trade and Security, University of Georgia. [site URL]
Spotted an error or a missing policy? Email [lab email address] with a link to the source.