Top ranking for political science expertise at Essex

The international strength of political science research at the University of Essex is recognised in a new global ranking of research productivity.

Essex’s Department of Government is ranked in the top five in Europe for citations, impact based on ‘journal impact factors’, top publications, recent impact and recent top publications.

The study authors said European institutions are performing increasingly better compared to their North American counterparts, and cite Essex as an example of the trend thanks to its upward trajectory in ‘recent impact’, which places it in the global top 20 - above leading institutions such as Harvard and MIT. Essex is also in the global top 20 for ‘recent top publications’.

The comprehensive study, published in the American Political Science Association journal PS: Political Science & Politics, collected data from 115,427 articles and 12,696 books from 5,586 faculty members in 178 departments in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Oceania, and Africa.

Departments were then ranked in terms of citations to articles published by faculty members, impact factors of journals in which they published and number of top publications in which they published.

Professor Faten Ghosn, Head of the Department of Government said: “We are incredibly proud that the Department of Government at the University of Essex has been recognised among the top political science departments in Europe overall, and globally for recent impact.

“This achievement is a testament to the tireless dedication, intellectual rigor, and collaborative spirit of our colleagues, who continue to uphold and advance our department’s longstanding reputation for research excellence.”

Departmental rankings are seen as essential tools for evaluation in academia, as well as helping students decide where they want to study and governing bodies in charge of research funding and recruitment.

Department of Government academics Professors Kristian Gleditsch, Lawrence Ezrow and Tobias Bohmelt were also ranked among Europe’s top political science scholars for number of citations, impact, top publications and recent impact.

Professors Kristian Gleditsch, who is Regius Professor of Political Science in the Department of Government, added: “This article provides further evidence of the strong scholarly influence and impact of political science researchers at Essex, and I applaud my colleagues and the collective achievement of the Department of Government. It is particularly encouraging that we perform so well on recent top publications impact. This gives hope for the future, despite the many challenges confronting Essex and UK higher education.”