DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17219730
title: Data Repository: Consensus Thresholds and Scale-Dependent Impossibility - Evidence from 274 Organizations Across 155 Countries

description: Dataset Description:

This repository contains the complete data and analysis materials for the study "Consensus Thresholds and Scale-Dependent Impossibility: Evidence from 274 Organizations Across 155 Countries" (submitted to World Development, 2025).

Study Overview: This research identifies the mathematical impossibility of achieving consensus in regional-scale organizations through comprehensive empirical analysis. The study establishes a universal consensus threshold (C* = 0.590) using the Coefficient of Unalikeability (CUA) metric, demonstrating that while 100% of community-level organizations exceed this threshold, no regional organizations achieve it.

Data Sources: The dataset integrates responses from 274 community-based organizations across 155 countries, drawn from:



World Values Survey Wave 7 (66 countries)

European Social Survey Round 11 (30 countries)

Afrobarometer Round 8

Latinobarometer 2023

Asian Barometer Wave 5 (18 countries)

Arab Barometer Wave 8 (10 countries)

47 national surveys (2017-2023)


Repository Contents:



01_RAW_DATA: Original survey data from all sources

02_PROCESSED_DATA: Core datasets including 274 organizations and 155 country mappings

03_ANALYSIS_CODE: R scripts for analysis

04_RESULTS: Complete analysis outputs including tables, statistical tests, and regional analyses

05_BOOTSTRAP_RESULTS: 10,000 iteration bootstrap validation confirming threshold stability (SE = 0.003)

06_FIGURES: Publication-ready manuscript figures

07_DOCUMENTATION: Technical documentation and methodology

08_MANUSCRIPT_FILES: Blinded manuscript version 18

09_SUPPLEMENTARY_INFO: Complete supporting information with 20+ supplementary tables

10_VALIDATION: Additional validation files


Key Findings:



Universal consensus threshold: C* = 0.590

Success rate above threshold: 81.3%

Success rate below threshold: 29.0%

Community organizations above threshold: 234/234 (100%)

Regional organizations above threshold: 0/40 (0%)


Significance: This dataset provides the first empirical evidence of scale-dependent impossibility in consensus-based collective action, with profound implications for development practice and institutional design. The findings validate the transformative power of grassroots organizations in development, particularly in countries with weak central governance.

Technical Details:



Total files: 156

Compressed size: 139.6 MB

Data format: CSV for maximum compatibility

Analysis software: R (version 4.0+)

Bootstrap seed: 123 for reproducibility


Usage: All data and code are provided to ensure complete reproducibility of the study findings. Users can replicate the threshold identification, bootstrap validation, and all statistical analyses using the provided materials.

Citation: Dror, D.M. (2025). Consensus Thresholds and Scale-Dependent Impossibility: Evidence from 274 Organizations Across 155 Countries [Dataset]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/[DOI]

Contact: David M. Dror, PhD Email: daviddror@socialre.org ORCID: 0000-0002-8757-4239