Via the following button you are able to request a link to download the Constitutional Court Database (CCDB) as an .odb-file. We ask you to provide your email address and to accept our terms of use. Afterwards you will receive an email with a link to download the data. Please note that an emailed link is valid for one download only.
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The CCDBodb.zip-file available for download includes:
- CCDB_V22.01-Mar.odb [-> the database in open office format]
- Codebook_CCDB_V22.01-Mar.pdf, which is also available here.
- File: mergeGesta
- mergeGesta.R [-> R script to merge legislative proceedings to the data]
- TABgesta.csv [-> .csv data to establish the merge of the legislative proceedings]
Usage of the files:
The CCDB_V22.01-Mar.odb is an .odb database file that can be processed with the open source software Open Office. The Open Office database includes all tables from the CCDB and listed in the Codebook_CCDB_V22.01-Mar.pdf. Using the queries options in Open Office the different tables can be connected and information of interest can be extracted. Open Office also allows for queries in design view (graphical).
Think of the CCDB as a database that summarizes different pieces of information in different tables to prevent multidimensional issues and the coding of redundant information. For example, the CCDB summarizes 2006 senate decisions made by the German Federal Constitutional Court between 1972 to 2010. The general case characteristics of these 2006 decisions are coded in a table called „cases.“ However, multiple proceedings are combined by the court in one decision. Thus, the table called „proceedings“ summarizes the characteristics of 3284 different proceedings. To connect the proceedings to the case characteristics one can use the queries in design view and connect the bverfgeId in the table „bverfge“ to the bverfgeId in the table „cases“ and the table „proceedings“ (see codebook). Executing the query will lead to a table with duplicated entries from the table „cases“ according to the number of entries in the table „proccedings.“ This is in the nature of a database and one reason why data is stored in separate tables that can be linked in the .odb database file.
The file mergeGesta provides a script that can be executed using the open source software package R. The script entail extensive comments on how to use it. The script mergeGesta.R allows to connect information on the legislative process regarding federal laws from 1972 to 2005 (with some missing data) that were referred to the German Federal Constitutional Court for review to the information on the table „issue“ in the database. The link is done with the information on the table „gesta.“ This table is also included as .csv file (TABgesta.csv) in the file mergeGesta. The legislative proceedings are stored in existing external data that was collected by Simone Burkhart (2008). Comments in the script and the codebook outline how to merge her data to the CCDB. It is necessary to download her dataset provided by GESIS.
Open source software of help:
- .odb is a database format that can be processed using the open source software Open Office Base.
- The R script can be processed with the open source software solution R (which we suggested to be used with R-Studio).
The links to external software are being provided for convenience only; this does not constitute an endorsement or an approval by us of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization. We bear no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links.