Diplomatic Gifts to U.S. Presidents from 2001 to 2018

Neil Ketchley's dataset supports research on diplomatic gift-giving to U.S. presidents from 2001 to 2018. It is used to analyze how regime type, such as autocracy versus democracy, influences the value and nature of gifts. The data underpins findings that autocratic regimes systematically spend more on diplomatic gifts.

Use Cases

• Analyze the correlation between donor regime type and the monetary value of diplomatic gifts to test claims about domestic accountability.
• Investigate temporal trends in gift-giving practices across U.S. presidential administrations from 2001 to 2018.
• Study the relationship between media scrutiny in democracies and the characteristics of diplomatic gifts presented.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 17-year period from 2001 to 2018, providing a longitudinal view.
• Dataset is designed to test a specific hypothesis linking regime type to diplomatic spending.
• Source is associated with academic research and peer-reviewed publication.

Limitations

• The specific number of gift records, columns, and sample data are unavailable for assessment.
• Geographic coverage is limited to gifts received by U.S. presidents, not a global sample.
• Relies on reported or discovered gifts, which may not represent the complete universe of diplomatic gifts.

Provenance

Source

Neil Ketchley's Dataverse

Collection Method

Compiled for academic research on diplomatic gifts and regime types.

Time Range

2001 to 2018

Freshness

Dataset was last updated on January 22, 2026.

Geography

Gifts presented to U.S. presidents; donor countries unspecified.