(iPoster) The Hybrid Discipline: Knowledge Flows in a Century of Political Science

• In Event: Poster Sessions: Political Methodology & Foreign Policy I – Great Power Competition and Strategic Rivalry
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Political Methodology

Abstract

Contemporary political science developed as a distinct field through a process of borrowing concepts, theories, and methodologies from neighbouring disciplines. While this interdisciplinary borrowing is widely acknowledged, there is limited quantitative insight into when, how, and what political science has integrated from other fields. This paper examines this process over the past one hundred years using data from the Scopus database. By analyzing the reference network structure of political science articles in relation to other disciplinary fields, we trace patterns of interdisciplinary borrowing by decade and geographic region. We also examined the co-authorship and faculty movement network and found a geographic divide and differences in research topics between them. Our study provides a systematic map of how political science has evolved through cross-disciplinary influences, offering a clearer view of its intellectual growth and global diversity.

Authors

• Chiaki Miura, The University of Tokyo

• Yuko Kasuya, Waseda University

• Kimitaka Asatani, The University of Tokyo

• Mitsuo Yoshida