Interdisciplinary Research In International Political Science
Global politics, sometimes called world politics, refers to both the broad field of studies which studies the global political patterns and the socio-economic patterns of the world. In the midst of this broad field are the various processes of socio-economic globalization in relation to issues of national social power. There has been a proliferation of journals and research in this field as globalization has taken center stage in world politics. The main areas of concentration have been globalization as a set of phenomena (an increasing trend towards de globalization), national identities and international trade, economic policies of developing countries, globalisation and global governance. Some of the key journals of this genre have been developed as: Comparative Politics, International Political Economy, Journal of Economic Analysis and Research, Economic and Social Studies, Journal of Economic History, Journal of Economic Research, Theory and Policy.
Comparative Politics has considered global political economy as the central yardstick against which comparative studies can be performed. It has endeavored to develop a more comprehensive view of the relations between nations, as well as between regions within nations. It has traced the development of world politics since prehistoric times to the rise of states and empires. Comparative Politics has made contributions towards theories in international relations, such as International Trade and Politics. Some of the key works of this genre are: Comparative Political Science, Conflict and Cooperation, edited with Peter Arens, International Political Economy, edited with Ronald Numbers and Robert Kaplan, International Political Theory, edited with George Borjas and Peterruck.
Interdisciplinary studies have grown out of Comparative Politics and have sought to sharpen methods and research interests within comparative political economy. They are independent from the other field of socio-economic theory. A variety of interdisciplinary works have emerged in the last couple of decades which include Critical Perspectives in International Business, edited with Mark Weisler, which brought forth contributions from prominent scholars across disciplines; International Political Economy, edited with Max Horvath, which brings together Ebert Pellet and John Van Reenen; and International Political Economy, edited by Stevensten and Stein, which brought out contribution from many scholars in this field. In addition, several journals related to political economy have also come up, such as Journal of Comparative International Trade, Comparative Politics Reviews, Review of International Studies, Journal of Economic Analysis and Theory and Policy.
Another form of interdisciplinary activity is Methods in Globalization and Globalisation Studies (MIGAS). This group looks into issues connected to international trade, growth, international organizations and politics in the twenty first century. As of now, there are many universities that offer interdisciplinary programs in MIGAS. Many think that these programs have contributed to developments in theoretical physics. However, these programs are still at early stage, and there are doubts about their applicability in practice.
History and politics are two other important areas that are interdisciplinary in nature. The history of world politics and the study of international relations offer many opportunities for scholars to specialize in particular fields of interest. Some of them specialize in colonial and postcolonial studies, global and trans-regional political theory, gender and cultural politics, or alternative approaches to political theory. These areas of concentration have helped in development of a range of distinctive political science themes that are influential in the making of world politics and international relations.
There are many different concentrations of concentration available in the various departments of political science and international relations. These include thematic foci, which are concerned with specific areas of historical research; discursive thematic foci, which traces the development of discourses across the diverse strands of these thematic elements; and multidimensional thematic foci, which involves multi-dimensional reading of these topical elements. The different concentrations provide scholars a wide range of alternatives to choose from, while taking up the work of those specialists who are best qualified to conduct thematic research. This way, interdisciplinary research has offered wider access to the material and theories from other disciplines. It has also made it easier for scholars to come up with their own interpretations of world politics.