Dario Caldara and Matteo Iacoviello construct a measure of adverse geopolitical events and associated risks based on a tally of newspaper articles covering geopolitical tensions, and examine its evolution and economic effects since 1900. The geopolitical risk (GPR) index spikes around the two world wars, at the beginning of the Korean War, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and after 9/11. Higher geopolitical risk foreshadows lower investment, stock prices, and employment. Higher geopolitical risk is also associated with higher probability of economic disasters and with larger downside risks to the global economy.
The Recent GPR Index uses 10 newspapers and starts in 1985. The Historical Index uses 3 newspapers and starts in 1900. Country-specific indexes are also constructed for 39 different countries.