Political Science in Australia: State of the Discipline

Transcription

1 Political Science in Australia: State of the Discipline

2 The study of politics is facing unprecedented challenges at present. These challenges include core questions such as how we should evaluate quality of scholarship, how we should confront the increasing internationalisation of the discipline, and importantly, how we should train the next generation of scholars. The material collected here is intended to inform our continuing conversation regarding these and related questions. It does not claim to be comprehensive or conclusive. But it does present useful information to inform our discussions. This material is also available at the Centre for Governance and Public Policy web site ( For more information, including individual data requests, please see the contacts details on the back cover of this report. Professor Haig Patapan Director, Centre for Governance and Public Policy Griffith University November,

3 Rationale and Overview Since 2006, successive Australian governments have sought to better capture the research productivity of Australian universities across disciplines, by grouping, collecting and analysing detailed evidence. Universities and discipline groupings can often benefit from this evidence to better understand the nature of a particular field, to identify trends and changes within that field, and to make comparisons of relative standing. Though there is no such thing as perfectly objective evidence, seeking to base such judgments on the basis of explicit criteria and publicly available data provides a superior, though not perfect, picture of a discipline, especially when compared with impressionistic judgments and anecdotes. In line with this goal, this report summarises two recent projects analysing research output and doctoral studies in political science (including international relations) in Australia carried out by students and staff at the Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Griffith University. The first project captures output among A* and A political science journals among all Australian and selected international universities. The second project is the first national survey of Australian PhD students within the discipline. It was carried out and managed by two doctoral students, Glenn Kefford and Lee Morgenbesser. All the data used to compile this report are freely available on request. Project I: Journal Output Rankings The aim of this project is to provide a fuller and more accurate picture of research output within leading political science and international relations journals. This enables relevant discipline groupings to track and benchmark their performance over time, as well as against other domestic and international institutions. To do so, articles published by academics from 45 Australian universities and 13 international universities were coded. The international sample was chosen to include old and new as well as public and private universities from a range of different countries. They are: Cambridge University Columbia University Copenhagen Business School Keio University Nanyang Technological University Northwestern University Peking University Seoul National University Simon Fraser University University of British Columbia University of California, San Diego University of Wales/Aberystwyth University of Warwick Using the ERA 2010 Rankings, every article published across 84 journals between 2003 and 2012 was coded (for the journal list, see appendix 1). Affiliations were taken from the by-line of each article or the list of contributors section, if it existed. No effort was made, however, to weight results by the size of department because no data are available to do so. Importantly, articles less than 10 pages long and other outputs such as commentaries, book reviews and research notes were excluded. In terms of the actual coding, fractional values were assigned based on how many authors there were for each article (one author (= 1), two authors (=.50), three authors (=.33), four authors (=.25), and so forth). This allowed articles published by multiple academics at different universities to be properly distributed, as the following example shows. Year Author Title Vol/Iss University Value Australian Journal of International Affairs 2006 Linda Weiss 60/3 University of Sydney.33 Free trade in mad cows: how to kill a beef 2006 Elizabeth Thurbon 60/3 University of New South Wales.33 industry 2006 John Matthews 60/3 Macquarie University.33 3

4 The presentation of the results begins with a summary of the publishing output for each university across each journal ranking tier between 2003 and 2012 (see graph 1). Australian National University Columbia University University of California, San Diego University of Warwick University of Queensland Griffith University Cambridge University Northwestern University University of British Columbia University of Sydney University of Melbourne University of Wales/Aberystwyth Monash University University of New South Wales La Trobe University Nanyang Technological University University of Adelaide Murdoch University University of Tasmania Flinders University Macquarie University University of Western Australia Simon Fraser University Curtin University Copenhagen Buisness School Deakin University University of Wollongong University of Newcastle Queensland University of Technology University of New England Seoul National University University of South Australia RMIT University of Western Sydney University of Technology, Sydney Peking University University of Canberra Charles Sturt University Keio University Swinburne University of Technology University of the Sunshine Coast University of Southern Queensland James Cook University Edith Cowan University Victoria University Southern Cross University Graph 1: Articles ( ) A Publications A* Publications While some Australian universities have achieved strong results amongst leading international universities, there are two underlying problems with this graph. First, the sample includes three A ranked Australian journals Australian Journal of International Affairs, Australian Journal of Political Science and Australian Journal of Politics and History - which are widely patronised by Australian scholars but ignored by international scholars. So much so that the 13 international 4

5 universities made up only 1.5 percent of the articles in these journals between 2003 and Some might therefore argue that the inclusion of these journals may skew the sample in favour of Australian authors. In an effort to address this issue, the graph below excludes AJIA, AJPS and AJPH from the sample. Graph 2: Articles ( ) - Excluding Australian Journals Columbia University Australian National University University of California, San Diego University of Warwick Cambridge University Northwestern University University of British Columbia University of Wales/Aberystwyth University of Queensland Griffith University University of Sydney University of Melbourne Nanyang Technological University Simon Fraser University University of New South Wales Monash University Copenhagen Buisness School La Trobe University Murdoch University University of Tasmania University of Adelaide Seoul National University Curtin University University of Western Australia Macquarie University Flinders University University of Newcastle Deakin University University of Wollongong Queensland University of Technology Peking University University of South Australia Keio University RMIT University of Technology, Sydney University of New England University of the Sunshine Coast University of Canberra University of Southern Queensland Edith Cowan University University of Western Sydney Swinburne University of Technology Charles Sturt University Southern Cross University A Publications A* Publications Unsurprisingly, Australian universities suffered a significant drop in their rankings. However, Graphs 1 and 2 may be criticised for counting A* and A articles equally, whereas the former have been ranked higher than the latter, and thus intuitively should count for more. In the following graphs, an A* publication is weighted as three times more valuable than an A publication for the sake of comparison. This weighting reflects the 1:3 ratio of A*:A journals (the former being 5 per 5

6 cent of total journals, the latter 15 per cent) that has structured all the discipline s journal rankings from 2006 to the present. Graph 3: Articles ( ) - Weighted Columbia University Australian National University University of California, San Diego Northwestern University University of Warwick Griffith University University of Queensland Cambridge University University of British Columbia University of Sydney University of Melbourne University of Wales/Aberystwyth Nanyang Technological University Monash University University of New South Wales Simon Fraser University University of Tasmania Murdoch University La Trobe University Flinders University Copenhagen Business School University of Western Australia University of Adelaide Macquarie University Curtin University Deakin University Seoul National University University of Newcastle University of Wollongong Queensland University of Technology University of New England RMIT University of Technology, Sydney University of Canberra Peking University University of South Australia University of Western Sydney Keio University Charles Sturt University University of the Sunshine Coast Swinburne University of Technology University of Southern Queensland James Cook University Edith Cowan University Southern Cross University Victoria University Central Queensland University "A" Publications (1:1) "A*" Publications (3:1) The main change here is the increase in rankings of most international universities, including Copenhagen Business School (+4), Nanyang Technological University (+3), Northwestern 6

7 University (+4) and Simon Fraser University (+7). This comes at the expense of the University of Adelaide (-6), La Trobe University (-4) and Macquarie University (-3) to name but a few. The results show not only a greater focus on publishing in A* journals by overseas institutions, but significant variance amongst Australian universities, six of which improved their standing using the weighting. Given the mass of data, it was possible to analyse them in a number of different ways. The results presented below divide the publications according to sub-field: public administration, political science, and international relations (IR) (see appendix 2 for each list of journals). The data in the following three graphs, all of which are weighted according to the same 3:1 A*:A ratio, will therefore give a more valid account of research performance by sub-field between 2003 and Graph 4: 'A' and 'A*' Public Administration ( ) - Weighted Australian National University Griffith University University of Warwick Columbia University University of Tasmania University of Melbourne University of Western Australia University of Queensland Seoul National University Flinders University Cambridge University University of Sydney Macquarie University University of Canberra Copenhagen Business School Monash University Northwestern University University of New South Wales Queensland University of University of Wales/Aberystwyth Simon Fraser University University of British Columbia University of Adelaide University of South Australia University of California, San Nanyang Technological University Murdoch University Charles Sturt University "A" Publications "A*" Publications 7

8 Graph Graph 5: 'A' and 6: 'A' 'A*' and Political 'A*' IR Science ( ) ( ) - Weighted - Weighted University Australian Columbia of California, National University University San Diego Columbia University Australian National University Northwestern University of University Warwick University University of California, of British San Columbia Diego University Griffith of Queensland University Cambridge University Cambridge University University of Sydney University University of Queensland of Warwick Nanyang Technological Griffith University University University of Wales/Aberystwyth of Melbourne Monash University University of Sydney Simon Fraser University 41 University of of New British South Columbia Wales University Northwestern of Wales/Aberystwyth University University Macquarie University Flinders of Melbourne University Murdoch University 35 University of Western Australia Copenhagen University Business of Adelaide School University of La New Trobe South University Wales Curtin University Monash of University Tasmania La Trobe University University of Newcastle University Deakin of University Adelaide University Deakin of New University England Murdoch Curtin University Queensland University of Seoul National University University of Wollongong 13 University Simon of Fraser South University Australia Royal University Melbourne of Wollongong Institute of 8 11 University University of Western of Tasmania Sydney Nanyang Technological University 7 Seoul National Flinders University University University of Technology, Peking University Sydney Charles Macquarie Sturt University Copenhagen University Business of Newcastle School Peking University 5.25 Royal Melbourne Institute of 8.50 University of Canberra 5.15 University Swinburne of Technology, University Sydney of James Cook Keio University 4 7 University University of Western of Australia Southern University Edith of the Cowan Sunshine University Coast Victoria University 3.25 Queensland University of 4 University of the Sunshine Coast 1.66 University of Western Keio University Sydney University of New England University of Canberra University of South Australia 1 "A" Publications "A*" Publications "A" Publications "A*" Publications 8

9 The graph bellow summarises these results for the entire field in Australia. It shows an extraordinary growth in output since More specifically, IR publications have increased so rapidly that this sub-field is set to eclipse political science publications in the near future. Graph 7: 'A' and 'A*' by Sub-Discipline ( ) - Australia Only Number of Articles Year Political Science International Relations Public Administration/Policy Another way to arrange the data is by time period. The following table combines output across A* and A journals (non-weighted) over a two year period. These absolute numbers have then been converted into a rank in order to give each university an idea of their relative performance over time. Table 1: Top 20 Universities by Journal Output (Ranked) University Australian National University Curtin University Deakin University Flinders University Griffith University La Trobe University Macquarie University Monash University

10 Murdoch University Queensland University of Technology RMIT University of Adelaide University of Newcastle University of New South Wales University of Melbourne University of Queensland University of Sydney University of Tasmania University of Western Australia University of Wollongong Similarly, data is presented below in the form of rolling averages (graph 8). This was calculated by taking the sum of weighted articles published in three consecutive years (e.g., 2004, 2005 and 2006) and dividing them by a factor of three in order to arrive at the average for the middle year. As no data was available for 2002 and 2013, the averages for 2003 and 2012 were calculated by dividing by a factor of two. Graph 8: Articles (Top 5 Australian Universities) - Weighted Average Number of Articles Rolling Average ANU Griffith University University of Queensland University of Sydney University of Melbourne This section of the research paper concludes by showing how the field in Australia has significantly increased its research output in A* and A journals (non-weighted), though growth is much more pronounced in the former than the latter. 10

11 Graph 9: Articles by Australian Universities ( ) Number of Articles Year "A" Articles "A*" Articles Project II: Survey of PhD Students The second project was a nationwide survey of political science and international relations PhD students. Created and managed by two doctoral students from Griffith University, Glenn Kefford and Lee Morgenbesser, it gauged the views of students across several themes. These included candidate choices, degree structure, research interests, workload pressures and the role of the Australian Political Studies Association (APSA). Until now information about PhD students has been limited to the practices at a particular university or to informal discussions between students and staff. There has been no way of knowing what kind of support students required at a national level or even their openness to that support (see Kefford and Morgenbesser, 2013). Suitable participants were considered those with an active affiliation to an Australian university and who were currently enrolled in a Doctor of Philosophy degree. This yielded an overall response rate of 186 students (52.7 percent female and 47.3 percent male, respectively). Responses were received from 22 universities, with the most coming from the Australian National University (29) and the least from James Cook University, the University of Canberra, the University of Newcastle, the University of Technology Sydney, and the University of the Sunshine Coast (1). In what follows, some of the key findings of the survey are analysed. 1. What is your age? Response Percent Response Count

12 2. How many years do you estimate it will take you to Response Percent Response Count complete your PhD? Less than Other than your native language, how many foreign Response Percent Response Count languages do you understand well enough to conduct scholarly research? None One Two Three or more Are you full-time or part-time? Response Percent Response Count Full-time Part-time Do you have a scholarship? Response Percent Response Count Yes No What was the single most important reason for you Response Percent Response Count choosing your current university? Research expertise International reputation Specific academics specialised in your field Offered scholarship Relationship with supervisor Geographic location Other How much did the following impact on your choice of primary supervisor? Large Impact Limited Impact No Impact Has intellectual interests that match mine 74.6% 17.8% 7.7% Is doing interesting research 40.2% 41.4% 18.3% Is a leading academic in the subject matter 37.3% 41.4% 21.3% Is knowledgeable in the techniques and methods I will 45.6% 40.8% 13.6% employ Was willing to take me on 80.5% 16.0% 3.6% Will make sure I will do a rigorous dissertation 56.2% 33.1% 10.7% Has a reputation for being a good supervisor 47.3% 33.1% 19.5% A major focus was the range of pressures currently faced by PhD students. In discussions with students, it is suggested that, to be competitive for an entry-level position, they need a high quality dissertation, journal publications, teaching experience and methodology training within the space of 3-4 years. In terms of publishing, a clear divide has emerged between what students think is required to attain an academic position and what they believe they can actually produce. The following figure illustrates the extent of this divergence. 12

13 Percentage Figure 1: Rumour vs. Reality Don't Know Number of Publications Student Prediction of Output Student Prediction of Expectation For example, while 53.4 per cent predict they will have one or two publications around the end of their candidature, only 1.8 per cent judge that to be enough to meet the field s expectations. Likewise, one in four students believed they will need five or six publications. At no point in fact do the two views come close to be reconciled. Importantly, these results say nothing about the quality of publications. While many students are presumably aware of the ranking system used within the field, there is widespread confusion about how these rankings actually translate into promoting their academic career. This was recently confirmed at the APSA postgraduate workshop in Perth. 8. Do you think you received enough methodology Response Percent Response Count training during your PhD? Yes No Don t know Do you feel that a coursework component with subjects Response Percent Response Count related to your topic area would improve the quality of your PhD? Yes No Don t know Do you believe that a job candidate who completed Response Percent Response Count his or her PhD in a US or UK university is generally advantaged compared to one who completed his or her PhD in an Australian university? Yes No Don t know Table 1: How optimistic are you of achieving a full-time academic position after completing your PhD and within the following time frames? Very (%) Somewhat (%) Don t Know (%) Not Very (%) Not At All (%) Under a year Years

14 2+ Years Years Table 2: How helpful would the following support be during your PhD candidature and after? Option Very Somewhat Not Helpful Helpful Helpful Cross-university, research methodology workshops tailored to the IR and political science field 56.8% 34.3% 8.9% Professional development workshops or advice to help with publishing, CV and grant-writing, and job applications 54.4% 35.5% 10.1% Professional blog, Facebook page, or linked-in group that you could contribute to 16.6% 46.7% 36.7% Networking events at conferences 39.6% 52.1% 8.3% Website for IR and/or political science in Australia with information about events, grants, jobs 63.9% 30.2% 5.9% Mentoring programme tailored to IR and/or political science involving academics across universities 55.0% 37.3% 7.7% 11. Which three (3) career options are you most interested Response Percent Response Count in? Academic (Research and Teaching) Academic (Research) Research in the private sector Working independently (Consultant, Writer) Research in non-profit or government Manager in the private sector Start own business Manager in a non-profit or government Non-university teaching University administrator Other Are you a member of the Australian Political Science Response Percent Response Count Association (APSA)? Yes No (if not, why?) No awareness of organisation Lack of interest, laziness or membership had lapsed Excessive costs No reason given

15 Bibliography Kefford, G. and L. Morgenbesser. Bridging the Information Gap: A Survey of Politics and International Relations PhD Students in Australia, Australian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 48, No. 4 (2013). Appendix 1: List of Journals The following journals were included: Administration and Society, American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, Annual Review of Political Science, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Australian Journal of Political Science, Australian Journal of Politics and History, British Journal of Political Science, Business and Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Comparative Politics, Contemporary Political Theory, Democratization, Electoral Studies, Environmental Politics, Ethics and International Affairs, European Journal of International Relations, European Journal of Political Research, European Journal of Political theory, Global Environmental Politics, Global Governance, Government and Opposition, History of Political Thought, Human Rights Quarterly, International Organization, International Affairs, International Feminist Journal of Politics, International Political Science Review, International Politics, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, International Security, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of East Asian Studies, Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Genocide Research, Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Political Philosophy, Journal of Public Policy, Journal of the History of Ideas, Journal of Theoretical Politics, Latin American Research Review, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Millennium New Left Review, New Political Economy, Pacific Affairs, Pacific Review, Party Politics, Patterns of Prejudice, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Policy and Politics, Political Communication, Political Geography, Political Analysis, Political Psychology, Political Research Quarterly, Political Science Quarterly, Political Studies, Political Theory, Politics and Gender, Politics and Society, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Public Administration, Public Administration Review, Public Choice, Public Opinion Quarterly, Publius, Review of International Political Economy, Review of International Studies, Review of Politics, Security Dialogue, Security Studies, Social Identities: journal for the study of race, nation and culture, South European Society and Politics, Studies in Comparative International Development, Survival, The Journal of Politics, Third World Quarterly, Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, West European Politics and World Politics. The following journal could not be accessed: La Nouvelle Revue Francaise. Appendix 2: List of Journals by Sub-Discipline Political Science The following A* journals were included: American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, Annual Review of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, European Journal of Political Research, Political Analysis, Political Studies, and Public Opinion Quarterly. The following A journals were included: Australian Journal of Political Science, Australian Journal of Politics and History, Business and Politics, Comparative Politics, Contemporary Political Theory, Democratization, Electoral Studies, Environmental Politics, European Journal of Political Theory, Government and Opposition, History of Political Thought, International Feminist Journal of Politics, International Political Science Review, Journal of Genocide Research, Journal of Political Philosophy, Journal of the History of Ideas, Journal of Theoretical Politics, Legislative 15

16 Studies Quarterly, Millennium, New Left Review, Party Politics, Patterns of Prejudice, Political Communication, Political Geography, Political Psychology, Political Research Quarterly, Political Science Quarterly, Political Theory, Politics and Gender, Politics and Society, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Public Choice, Publius, Review of Politics, Social Identities, Studies in Comparative International Development, The Journal of Politics, Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, and West European Politics. International Relations The following A* journals were included: European Journal of International Relations, International Organization, International Security, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Pacific Review, Review of International Political Economy, and World Politics. The following A journals were included: Australian Journal of International Affairs, Ethics and International Affairs, Global Environmental Politics, Global Governance, Human Rights Quarterly, International Affairs, International Politics, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of East Asian Studies, Journal of Peace Research, Latin American Research Review, New Political Economy, Pacific Affairs, Review of International Studies, Security Dialogue, Security Studies, South European Society and Politics, Survival, and Third World Quarterly. Public Administration The following A* journals were included: Administration and Society, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Public Administration Review and Public Administration. The following A journals were included: Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Public Policy, and Policy and Politics. 16

17 Centre for Governance and Public Policy Glyn Davis Building (N72) Griffith University 170 Kessels Road Nathan QLD, 4111 Telephone: (07) Fax: (07) Project Manager Professor Jason Sharman Deputy Director, Centre for Governance and Public Policy Telephone: (07) Data Requests Lee Morgenbesser Doctoral Candidate, Centre for Governance and Public Policy 17