International Studies Quarterly
Introducing the Rebel Internal Governance (RIG) Dataset
2026-07-14
Abstracts Existing research shows that rebel groups develop strategies to mitigate principal-agent problems and align the preferences of rank and file fighters with those of leaders, and that these strategies influence conflict processes. Yet, systematic cross-national data on how groups regulate fighters, foster cohesion, and punish disobedience remain absent. To address this gap, we introduce the Rebel Internal Governance (RIG) Dataset, which codes original, time-variant information on 14 internal institutions and practices of 166 rebel groups across 57 countries between 1990 and 2012. By capturing both written and de facto regulatory frameworks, judicial procedures, and disciplinary practices used to regulate fighter behavior, the dataset provides new leverage to examine how internal governance or its absence shapes rebels’ violent behavior and relations with civilian populations. We demonstrate the utility of the dataset through an empirical application to wartime rape, reassessing the argument that weak discipline or efforts to foster cohesion precipitate rebel-perpetrated sexual violence. By leveraging groups’ internal governance practices as a more direct proxy of cohesion and discipline, we bring new evidence to this debate. The RIG advances research on rebel governance by adding a new dimension: how groups govern their own members, alongside how they govern civilians.