research questions politics

Research Topics & Ideas: Politics

100+ Politics-Related Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation or thesis. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a politics-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of politically-related research ideas across a range of disciplines, including political theory and philosophy, comparative politics, international relations, public administration and policy.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. Also, be sure to sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic from scratch.

Overview: Politics-Related Topics

• Political theory and philosophy
• Comparative politics
• International relations
• Public administration
• Public policy
• Examples of politics-related dissertations

Topics & Ideas: Political Theory

• An analysis of the impact of feminism on political theory and the concept of citizenship in Saudi Arabia in the context of Vision 2030
• A comparative study of the political philosophies of Marxism and liberalism and their influence on modern politics
• An examination of how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the relationship between individual freedom and collective responsibility in political philosophy
• A study of the impact of race and ethnicity on French political philosophy and the concept of justice
• An exploration of the role of religion in political theory and its impact on secular democracy in the Middle East
• A Review of Social contract theory, comparative analysis of the political philosophies of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
• A study of the concept of the common good in political philosophy and its relevance to the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe
• An examination of the relationship between political power and the rule of law in developing African countries
• A study of the impact of postmodernism on political theory and the concept of truth, a case study of the US
• An exploration of the role of virtue in political philosophy and its impact on the assessment of moral character in political leaders

Topics & Ideas: Comparative Politics

• A comparative study of different models of federalism and their impact on democratic governance: A case Study of South American federalist states
• The impact of ethnic and religious diversity on political stability and democracy in developing countries, a review of literature from Africa
• An analysis of the role of civil society in promoting democratic change in autocratic regimes: A case study in Sweden
• A comparative examination of the impact of globalization on political institutions and processes in South America and Africa.
• A study of the factors that contribute to successful democratization in authoritarian regimes, a review of the role of Elite-driven democratization
• A comparison of the political and economic systems of China and India and their impact on social development
• The impact of corruption on political institutions and democracy in South East Asia, a critical review
• A comparative examination of the impact of majoritarian representation (winner-take-all) vs proportional representation on political representation and governance
• An exploration of Multi-party systems in democratic countries and their impact on minority representation and policy-making.
• A study of the factors that contribute to successful decentralization and regional autonomy, a case study of Spain

Topics & Ideas: International Relations

• A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of diplomacy and military force in resolving international conflicts in Central Africa.
• The impact of globalization on the sovereignty of nation-states and the changing nature of international politics, a review of the role of Multinational Corporations
• An examination of the role of international aid organizations in promoting peace, security, and development in the Middle East.
• A study of the impact of economic interdependence on the likelihood of conflict in international relations: A critical review of weaponized interdependence
• A comparative analysis of the foreign policies of the EU and the US and their impact on international stability in Africa
• An exploration of the relationship between international human rights and national sovereignty during the Covid 19 pandemic
• A study of the role of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO)s in international politics and their impact on state behaviour
• A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of international regimes in addressing global challenges such as climate change, arms control, and terrorism in Brazil
• An examination of the impact of the rise of BRICS on the international system and global governance
• A study of the role of ideology in shaping the foreign policies of states and the dynamics of international relations in the US

Tops & Ideas: Public Administration

• An analysis of the impact of digital technology on public administration and the delivery of public services in Estonia
• A review of models of public-private partnerships and their impact on the delivery of public services in Ghana
• An examination of the role of civil society organizations in monitoring and accountability of public administration in Papua New Guinea
• A study of the impact of environmentalism as a political ideology on public administration and policy implementation in Germany
• An exploration of the relationship between public administration and citizen engagement in the policy-making process, an exploration of gender identity concerns in schools
• A comparative analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of public administration, decentralisation and pay and employment reform in developing countries
• A study of the role of collaborative leadership in public administration and its impact on organizational performance
• A systematic review of the challenges and opportunities related to diversity and inclusion in police services
• A study of the impact of corrupt public administration on economic development and regional growth in Eastern Europe
• An exploration of the relationship between public administration and civil rights and liberties, including issues related to privacy and surveillance, a case study in South Korea

Topics & Ideas: Public Policy

• An analysis of the impacts of public policy on income inequality and poverty reduction in South Sudan
• A comparative study of the effectiveness of legal and regulatory, economic and financial, and social and cultural instruments for addressing climate change in South Korea
• An examination of the role of interest groups in shaping public policy and the policy-making process regarding land-use claims
• A study of the impact of globalization on the development of public policies and programs for mitigating climate change in Singapore
• An exploration of the relationship between public policy and social justice in tertiary education in the UAE
• A comparative analysis of the impact of health policies for the management of diabetes on access to healthcare and health outcomes in developing countries
• Exploring the role of evidence-based policymaking in the design and implementation of public policies for the management of invasive invertebrates in Australia
• An examination of the challenges and opportunities of implementing educational dietary public policies in developing multicultural countries
• A study of the impact of public policies on urbanization and urban development in rural Indonesia
• An exploration of the role of media and public opinion in shaping public policy and the policy-making process in the transport industry of Malaysia

Examples: Politics Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a politics-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various politics-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• We, the Righteous Few: Immoral Actions of Fellow Partisans are Judged as Less Possible (Varnam, 2020)
• Civilizing the State: Civil Society and the Politics of Primary Public Health Care Provision in Urban Brazil (Gibson, 2012)
• Political regimes and minority language policies: evidence from Taiwan and southeast Asia (Wu, 2021)
• The Feminist Third Wave: Social Reproduction, Feminism as Class Struggle, and Contemporary Women’s Movements (Angulo, 2019)
• The Politics of Immigration under Authoritarianism (Joo, 2019)
• The politics of digital platforms: Sour Dictionary, activist subjectivities, and contemporary cultures of resistance (Okten, 2019)
• Vote choice and support for diverse candidates on the Boston City Council At-Large (Dolcimascolo, 2022)
• The city agenda: local governance and national influence in the policy agenda, 1900-2020 (Shannon, 2022)
• Turf wars: who supported measures to criminalize homelessness in Austin, Texas? (Bompiedi, 2021)
• Do BITs Cause Opposition Between Investor Rights and Environmental Protection? (Xiong, 2022)
• Revealed corruption and electoral accountability in Brazil: How politicians anticipate voting behavior (Diaz, 2021)
• Intersectional Solidarity: The Political Consequences of a Consciousness of Race, Gender and Sexuality (Crowder, 2020)
• The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Coalitional Representation of Latinxs in the U.S. House of Representatives (Munoz, 2019)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. In other words, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

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If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your dissertation or research project, check out our Topic Kickstarter service below.

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Political Science Research Paper Topics

800 Political Science Research Paper Topics

Political science is a dynamic field that offers a multitude of avenues for exploration and inquiry. Whether you are passionate about the intricacies of American politics, fascinated by global affairs, or interested in the intersection of politics with social issues, there’s a wealth of research opportunities awaiting you. This comprehensive list of political science research paper topics has been meticulously curated to help students like you find inspiration and direction for your academic endeavors. Spanning various categories, these topics encompass both foundational principles and contemporary issues, ensuring a diverse range of subjects for your research. As you navigate this extensive collection, let your intellectual curiosity guide you towards a research topic that resonates with your interests and academic goals.

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African Politics

• The Role of Youth Movements in African Politics
• Assessing the Impact of Neocolonialism on African Nations
• Conflict Resolution Strategies in African States
• Corruption and Governance Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Women’s Participation in African Political Leadership
• Comparative Analysis of Post-Colonial African Constitutions
• Environmental Policies and Sustainability in African Governments
• The African Union’s Role in Regional Stability
• Ethnic Conflict and Politics in East Africa
• Human Rights Violations and Accountability in African Nations
• The Influence of International Aid on African Politics
• Media Censorship and Press Freedom in African Nations
• Ethnicity and Identity Politics in West Africa
• Healthcare Access and Quality in African Countries
• Indigenous Governance and Rights in African Societies
• Political Economy and Resource Allocation in Oil-Producing Nations
• The Impact of Globalization on African Economies
• The Legacy of Apartheid in South African Politics
• The African Diaspora’s Influence on Homeland Politics
• Environmental Conservation and Natural Resource Management in Africa

American Politics

• The Role of Third Parties in American Elections
• Analyzing the Influence of Lobbying on U.S. Policy
• The Impact of Social Media on Political Campaigns
• Immigration Policies and the American Dream
• Gerrymandering and Its Effects on Electoral Outcomes
• The Role of the Electoral College in Presidential Elections
• Gun Control and Second Amendment Debates
• Healthcare Policy and Access in the United States
• Partisanship and Polarization in American Politics
• The History and Future of American Democracy
• Supreme Court Decisions and Their Political Implications
• Environmental Policies and Climate Change in the U.S.
• Media Bias and Political Discourse in America
• Political Conventions and Their Significance
• The Role of Super PACs in Campaign Financing
• Civil Rights Movements and Their Impact on U.S. Politics
• Trade Policy and Global Economic Relations
• National Security and Counterterrorism Strategies
• Populism and Its Influence on American Politics
• Electoral Reform and Voting Rights in the United States

Asian Politics

• China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Global Politics
• Democracy Movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan
• India’s Foreign Policy and Regional Influence
• The North Korea Nuclear Crisis
• Environmental Challenges in Southeast Asian Nations
• Ethnic Conflict and Identity Politics in South Asia
• Economic Growth and Inequality in East Asian Countries
• ASEAN’s Role in Regional Security
• Japan’s Approach to Pacifism and Defense
• Cybersecurity and Cyber Warfare in Asia
• Religious Extremism and Political Stability in the Middle East
• China-India Border Dispute and Geopolitical Implications
• South China Sea Disputes and Maritime Politics
• The Rohingya Crisis and Humanitarian Interventions
• Political Reform and Authoritarianism in Central Asia
• Technological Advancements and Political Change in Asia
• The Belt and Road Initiative and Its Impact on Asian Economies
• Environmental Conservation Efforts in Asian Nations
• Geopolitical Rivalries in the Indo-Pacific Region
• Media Censorship and Freedom of Expression in Asia
• Comparative Politics
• Comparative Analysis of Political Regimes: Democracies vs. Authoritarian States
• Theories of State Formation and Governance
• Electoral Systems Around the World
• Social Welfare Policies in Western and Non-Western Societies
• The Role of Civil Society in Political Change
• Political Parties and Their Impact on Governance
• Analyzing Political Culture in Diverse Societies
• Case Studies in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding
• Federal vs. Unitary Systems of Government
• Gender and Political Representation Across Countries
• Immigration Policies and Integration Strategies
• Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination Movements
• Environmental Policies and Sustainability Practices
• Populist Movements in Contemporary Politics
• The Impact of Globalization on National Identities
• Human Rights Violations and Accountability Mechanisms
• Comparative Analysis of Welfare States
• Ethnic Conflict and Power Sharing Agreements
• Religious Diversity and Its Political Implications
• Social Movements and Political Change Across Regions
• Constitutions and Constitutionalism
• The Evolution of Constitutional Law: Historical Perspectives
• Judicial Review and Constitutional Interpretation
• Federalism and State Powers in Constitutional Design
• Comparative Analysis of National Constitutions
• Human Rights Provisions in Modern Constitutions
• Constitutional Amendments and Reform Efforts
• Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances
• Constitutional Design in Post-Conflict Societies
• Constitutionalism and Indigenous Rights
• Challenges to Constitutional Democracy in the 21st Century
• Constitutions and Cultural Pluralism
• Environmental Provisions in Constitutions
• The Role of Constitutional Courts in Political Systems
• Social and Economic Rights in Constitutions
• Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law
• The Impact of Technological Advancements on Constitutional Governance
• Constitutional Protections for Minority Rights
• Constitutional Referendums and Public Participation
• Constitutional Provisions for Emergency Powers
• Gender Equality Clauses in National Constitutions
• Democracy and Democratization
• The Role of Civil Society in Democratization
• Democratic Backsliding: Causes and Consequences
• Comparative Analysis of Electoral Systems and Democracy
• The Impact of Media on Political Awareness and Democracy
• Political Parties and Their Role in Democratic Governance
• Women’s Political Participation and Representation in Democracies
• Democratic Transitions in Post-Authoritarian States
• Youth Movements and Their Influence on Democratization
• Populism and Its Effect on Democratic Norms
• Comparative Analysis of Direct vs. Representative Democracy
• Democratization and Economic Development
• Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Democratization
• The Role of International Organizations in Promoting Democracy
• Religious Diversity and Democracy in Multiethnic Societies
• The Challenges of Democratic Consolidation
• Media Freedom and Democratization in the Digital Age
• Human Rights and Democratic Governance
• Democratization and Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies
• Civil-Military Relations in Emerging Democracies
• Assessing the Quality of Democracy in Different Countries

Political Corruption

• The Impact of Corruption on Political Stability
• Corruption and Economic Development: A Comparative Analysis
• Anti-Corruption Measures and Their Effectiveness
• Corruption in Public Procurement and Government Contracts
• Political Scandals and Their Influence on Public Opinion
• The Role of Whistleblowers in Exposing Political Corruption
• Corruption and Its Impact on Foreign Aid and Investments
• Political Patronage and Nepotism in Government
• Transparency and Accountability Mechanisms
• Corruption and Environmental Exploitation
• Cultural Factors and Perceptions of Corruption
• Corruption in Law Enforcement and the Judiciary
• The Role of Media in Investigating Political Corruption
• Corruption and Political Party Financing
• Comparative Analysis of Corruption Levels in Different Countries
• Ethnicity and Corruption: Case Studies
• Political Corruption in Post-Conflict Societies
• Gender, Power, and Corruption
• Corruption and Human Rights Violations
• Strategies for Combating Political Corruption

European Politics

• The European Union’s Role in Global Governance
• Brexit and Its Implications for European Politics
• European Integration and Supranationalism
• Euroscepticism and Anti-EU Movements
• Immigration and European Identity
• Populist Parties in European Elections
• Environmental Policies in European Countries
• The Eurozone Crisis and Economic Governance
• EU Enlargement and Eastern European Politics
• Human Rights and European Integration
• Nationalism and Secession Movements in Europe
• Security Challenges in the Baltic States
• EU-US Relations and Transatlantic Cooperation
• Energy Policies and Dependency on Russian Gas
• The Common Agricultural Policy and Farming in Europe
• European Social Welfare Models and Inequality
• The Schengen Agreement and Border Control
• The Rise of Far-Right Movements in Western Europe
• EU Environmental Regulations and Sustainability
• The Role of the European Court of Justice in Shaping European Politics
• Comparative Analysis of Federal Systems
• Fiscal Federalism and Taxation in Federal States
• Federalism and Ethnic Conflict Resolution
• The Role of Governors in Federal Systems
• Intergovernmental Relations in Federal Countries
• Federalism and Healthcare Policy
• Environmental Federalism and Conservation Efforts
• Federalism and Immigration Policies
• Indigenous Rights and Self-Government in Federal States
• Federalism and Education Policy
• The Role of Regional Parties in Federal Politics
• Federalism and Disaster Response
• Energy Policy and Federal-State Relations
• Federalism and Criminal Justice Reform
• Local Autonomy and Decentralization in Federal Systems
• The Impact of Federal Systems on Economic Development
• Constitutional Reform and Changes in Federalism
• Federalism and Social Welfare Programs
• The European Model of Federalism
• Comparative Analysis of Dual and Cooperative Federalism
• Foreign Policy
• Diplomatic Strategies in International Relations
• The Influence of Public Opinion on Foreign Policy
• Economic Diplomacy and Trade Negotiations
• The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Foreign Policy
• Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping Efforts
• International Human Rights Advocacy and Foreign Policy
• Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy
• Nuclear Proliferation and Arms Control
• Cybersecurity and Foreign Policy Challenges
• Climate Diplomacy and Global Environmental Agreements
• Refugee and Migration Policies in International Relations
• The Impact of International Organizations on Foreign Policy
• Energy Security and Geopolitical Strategies
• Regional Alliances and Security Agreements
• Terrorism and Counterterrorism Strategies
• Humanitarian Interventions and Responsibility to Protect
• The Role of Intelligence Agencies in Foreign Policy
• Economic Sanctions and Their Effectiveness
• Foreign Aid and Development Assistance
• International Law and Treaty Negotiations
• Gender and Politics
• Gender Representation in Political Leadership
• The Impact of Women’s Movements on Gender Policy
• Gender-Based Violence and Political Responses
• Intersectionality and Identity Politics in Gender Advocacy
• Gender Mainstreaming in Government Policies
• LGBTQ+ Rights and Political Movements
• Women in Conflict Resolution and Peace Negotiations
• The Gender Pay Gap and Labor Policies
• Female Political Empowerment and Quotas
• Masculinity Studies and Political Behavior
• Gender and Environmental Justice
• The Role of Men in Promoting Gender Equality
• Gender Stereotypes and Political Campaigns
• Reproductive Rights and Political Debates
• Gender, Race, and Political Power
• Feminist Foreign Policy and Global Women’s Rights
• Gender and Healthcare Policy
• Gender Disparities in Education Access
• Gender, Technology, and Digital Divide
• Patriarchy and Its Effects on Political Systems
• Globalization and Politics
• The Impact of Globalization on National Sovereignty
• Trade Agreements and Their Political Implications
• Globalization and Income Inequality
• Environmental Policies in the Globalized World
• Cultural Diversity in a Globalized Society
• Globalization and Labor Movements
• Global Health Governance and Pandemics
• Migration and Political Responses to Globalization
• Technology and Global Political Connectivity
• Globalization and Political Populism
• Human Rights in a Globalized Context
• Globalization and the Spread of Political Ideas
• Global Supply Chains and Political Vulnerabilities
• Media and Information Flow in Global Politics
• Globalization and Terrorism Networks
• Transnational Corporations and Political Influence
• Globalization and Political Identity
• The Role of International Organizations in Managing Globalization
• Globalization and Climate Change Politics
• Globalization and Post-Pandemic Political Challenges
• Political Ideologies
• Liberalism and Its Contemporary Relevance
• Conservatism in Modern Political Thought
• Socialism and Its Variations in Different Countries
• Fascism and the Rise of Far-Right Ideologies
• Anarchism and Political Movements
• Marxism and Its Influence on Political Theory
• Environmentalism as a Political Ideology
• Feminism and Its Political Manifestations
• Populism as an Emerging Political Ideology
• Nationalism and Its Role in Contemporary Politics
• Multiculturalism and Political Pluralism
• Postcolonialism and Its Impact on Global Politics
• Postmodernism and Its Critique of Political Discourse
• Religious Political Ideologies and Fundamentalism
• Libertarianism and Minimalist Government
• Technological Utopianism and Political Change
• Eco-Socialism and Environmental Politics
• Identity Politics and Intersectional Ideologies
• Indigenous Political Thought and Movements
• Futurism and Political Visions of Tomorrow

Checks and Balances

• The Role of the Executive Branch in Checks and Balances
• Congressional Oversight and Accountability
• The Separation of Powers in Parliamentary Systems
• Checks and Balances in Local Government
• Media and Public Opinion as Checks on Government
• Bureaucratic Agencies and Their Role in Oversight
• The Balance of Power in Federal Systems
• The Role of Political Parties in Checks and Balances
• Checks and Balances in Authoritarian Regimes
• The Role of Interest Groups in Government Oversight
• The Influence of Lobbying on Checks and Balances
• The Role of the Courts in Presidential Accountability
• Checks and Balances in Times of National Crisis
• The Use of Veto Power in Checks and Balances
• Checks and Balances and the Protection of Civil Liberties
• The Role of Whistleblowers in Exposing Government Misconduct
• Checks and Balances and National Security Policies
• The Evolution of Checks and Balances in Modern Democracies
• Interest Groups and Lobbies
• The Influence of Corporate Lobbying on Public Policy
• Interest Groups and Campaign Finance in Politics
• Advocacy Groups and Their Impact on Legislative Agendas
• The Role of Unions in Interest Group Politics
• Environmental Organizations and Lobbying Efforts
• Identity-Based Interest Groups and Their Political Power
• Health Advocacy Groups and Healthcare Policy
• The Influence of Foreign Lobbying on U.S. Politics
• Interest Groups and Regulatory Capture
• Interest Groups in Comparative Politics
• The Use of Social Media in Interest Group Campaigns
• Gun Control Advocacy and Interest Group Dynamics
• Religious Organizations and Political Lobbying
• Interest Groups and Human Rights Advocacy
• Farming and Agricultural Interest Groups
• Interest Groups and Education Policy
• LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Political Representation
• Interest Groups and Criminal Justice Reform
• Veterans’ Organizations and Their Political Clout
• Interest Groups and Their Role in Shaping Public Opinion
• International Relations
• Theories of International Relations: Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism
• Power Politics and International Security
• The Role of Diplomacy in Conflict Resolution
• Multilateralism vs. Unilateralism in International Relations
• International Organizations and Their Influence on World Politics
• Global Governance and Challenges to Sovereignty
• Humanitarian Interventions and the Responsibility to Protect
• Non-State Actors in International Relations
• International Law and Its Application in Conflict Zones
• Arms Control Agreements and Nuclear Proliferation
• International Trade Agreements and Economic Diplomacy
• International Environmental Agreements and Climate Change
• Cybersecurity Threats in the Digital Age
• Refugee Crises and Forced Migration on the Global Stage
• Geopolitics of Energy Resources
• Peacekeeping Operations and Conflict Prevention
• Global Health Diplomacy and Pandemic Response
• The Role of Intelligence Agencies in International Relations
• The Changing Dynamics of U.S.-China Relations

International Security

• Cybersecurity Threats and Global Security
• Arms Control and Nuclear Non-Proliferation
• Regional Conflict and Security Implications
• Humanitarian Interventions and Security Dilemmas
• Intelligence Sharing and National Security
• Environmental Security and Resource Conflicts
• Non-State Actors in Global Security
• Maritime Security and Freedom of Navigation
• The Role of International Organizations in Global Security
• Military Alliances and Collective Defense
• Space Security and Militarization of Outer Space
• Cyber Warfare and State-Sponsored Hacking
• Security Challenges in Post-Conflict Zones
• Refugee Crises and Security Implications
• Emerging Technologies and Security Risks
• Energy Security and Geopolitical Tensions
• Food Security and Global Agricultural Policies
• Biological and Chemical Weapons Proliferation
• Climate Change and Security Threats

Latin American Politics

• Populism in Latin American Politics
• Drug Trafficking and Security Challenges
• Political Instability and Regime Changes
• Indigenous Movements and Political Representation
• Corruption Scandals and Governance Issues
• Environmental Politics and Conservation Efforts
• Social Movements and Protests in Latin America
• Economic Inequality and Poverty Reduction Strategies
• Human Rights Violations and Accountability
• The Role of the United States in Latin American Politics
• Regional Integration and Trade Agreements
• Gender Equality and Women in Politics
• Land Reform and Agrarian Policies
• Indigenous Rights and Land Conflicts
• Media Freedom and Political Discourse
• Migration Patterns and Regional Impacts
• Authoritarian Regimes and Democratic Backsliding
• Drug Legalization Debates in Latin America
• Religious Influence in Politics
• Latin American Diplomacy and International Relations
• Law and Courts
• Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law
• Constitutional Interpretation and Originalism
• Supreme Court Decision-Making and Precedent
• Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
• Criminal Justice Reform and Sentencing Policies
• Civil Rights Litigation and Legal Activism
• International Law and Its Application in Domestic Courts
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms
• The Role of Judges in Shaping Public Policy
• Access to Justice and Legal Aid Programs
• Gender Bias in Legal Systems
• Intellectual Property Rights and Legal Challenges
• Immigration Law and Border Control
• Environmental Law and Sustainability
• Corporate Governance and Legal Compliance
• Privacy Rights in the Digital Age
• Family Law and Custody Disputes
• Law and Technology: Legal Issues in AI and Robotics
• Legal Education and Training of Lawyers
• Legal Pluralism and Customary Law Systems
• Legislative Studies
• The Role of Legislative Bodies in Policy-Making
• Parliamentary Systems vs. Presidential Systems
• Legislative Oversight and Government Accountability
• Party Politics and Legislative Behavior
• Committee Structures and Decision-Making Processes
• Electoral Systems and Their Impact on Legislation
• Minority Rights and Representation in Legislatures
• Lobbying and Interest Group Influence on Legislators
• Legislative Ethics and Codes of Conduct
• The Evolution of Legislative Bodies in Modern Democracies
• Legislative Responses to Crises and Emergencies
• Legislative Innovations and Reforms
• Legislative Responsiveness to Public Opinion
• Legislative Term Limits and Their Effects
• Gender Parity in Legislative Representation
• Legislative Coalitions and Majority Building
• Legislative Role in Budgetary Processes
• Legislative Oversight of Intelligence Agencies
• Subnational Legislatures and Regional Autonomy
• Comparative Analysis of Legislative Systems

Middle Eastern Politics

• The Arab Spring and Political Transformations
• Sectarianism and Conflict in the Middle East
• Authoritarianism and Political Repression
• The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Peace Efforts
• Oil Politics and Resource-Driven Conflicts
• Terrorism and Insurgency in the Middle East
• Foreign Interventions and Proxy Wars
• Human Rights Abuses and Accountability
• Religious Politics and Extremism
• Migration and Refugees in the Middle East
• Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
• Political Islam and Islamist Movements
• Water Scarcity and Regional Tensions
• Media and Censorship in Middle Eastern States
• Kurdish Politics and Autonomy Movements
• Sectarianism and Its Impact on State Structures
• Economic Challenges and Youth Unemployment
• Environmental Issues and Sustainability
• Iran’s Role in Regional Politics
• Middle Eastern Diplomacy and Global Relations

Nation and State

• National Identity and Its Influence on Statehood
• Secession Movements and the Question of Statehood
• Stateless Nations and the Right to Self-Determination
• State-Building in Post-Conflict Zones
• Failed States and International Interventions
• Ethnic Nationalism and Nation-Building
• Federalism and Devolution of Powers
• State Symbols and Nationalism
• Nationalism and Economic Policies
• Colonial Legacy and the Formation of Nations
• Territorial Disputes and State Sovereignty
• Ethnic Minorities and Their Political Rights
• Globalization and the Erosion of Statehood
• Nationalism in the Era of Transnationalism
• Nationalist Movements and Regional Autonomy
• The Role of Education in Shaping National Identity
• National Symbols and Their Political Significance
• Migration and Its Impact on National Identity
• Cultural Diversity and Nation-Building Challenges
• The Role of Language in Defining Nationhood

Political Behavior

• Voter Turnout and Political Participation Rates
• Political Socialization and Civic Engagement
• Partisan Loyalty and Voting Behavior
• Political Trust and Public Opinion
• Political Apathy and Its Causes
• Political Mobilization Strategies
• Protest Movements and Activism
• Electoral Behavior and Decision-Making
• Political Communication and Information Sources
• Political Social Networks and Online Activism
• Political Behavior of Youth and Generational Differences
• Political Behavior of Minority Groups
• Gender and Political Participation
• Social Media Influence on Political Behavior
• Public Opinion Polling and Its Impact
• Political Psychology and Behavioral Analysis
• Political Behavior in Non-Democratic Systems
• Voting Behavior in Swing States
• Political Behavior in Times of Crisis
• Political Behavior Research Methodologies

Political Change

• Regime Change and Democratization
• Revolution and Political Transformation
• Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconciliation
• Political Leadership and Change Initiatives
• Nonviolent Movements and Political Change
• Social Movements and Policy Reforms
• The Role of Technology in Political Change
• Political Change in Authoritarian Regimes
• Youth-Led Political Change Movements
• Resistance Movements and Their Strategies
• Cultural Movements and Political Change
• Environmental Movements and Policy Impact
• Economic Crisis and Political Change
• International Influence on Political Change
• Indigenous Movements and Political Empowerment
• Women’s Movements and Gender-Driven Change
• Grassroots Movements and Local Governance
• The Impact of Global Events on Political Change
• Political Change and Human Rights
• Comparative Studies of Political Change

Political Communication

• Media Influence on Political Attitudes
• Political Advertising and Campaign Strategies
• Political Rhetoric and Persuasion Techniques
• Social Media and Political Discourse
• Political Debates and Public Perception
• Crisis Communication and Political Leadership
• Media Ownership and Political Influence
• Propaganda and Information Warfare
• Fact-Checking and Media Accountability
• News Framing and Agenda Setting
• Political Satire and Public Opinion
• Political Communication in Multicultural Societies
• Crisis Communication and Government Response
• Public Relations and Political Image Management
• Political Talk Shows and Public Engagement
• The Role of Polling in Political Communication
• Speechwriting and Political Oratory
• Media Literacy and Critical Thinking
• Political Communication Ethics and Responsibility
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Political Communication

Political Concepts

• Democracy: Theories and Applications
• Justice and Fairness in Political Systems
• Power and Authority in Governance
• Liberty and Individual Rights
• Equality: Political, Social, and Economic Dimensions
• Citizenship: Rights and Responsibilities
• Sovereignty and the State
• Representation and Political Legitimacy
• Political Obligation and Consent
• Rights vs. Welfare: A Philosophical Debate
• The Common Good in Political Philosophy
• Social Contract Theories and Political Order
• Freedom of Speech and Political Discourse
• Political Ideals and Utopian Visions
• The Ethics of Political Decision-Making
• Anarchy and Political Order
• Nationalism and Patriotism as Political Concepts
• Political Realism vs. Idealism
• Human Dignity and Political Values
• Multiculturalism and Cultural Diversity in Politics

Political Economy

• Economic Policies and Political Decision-Making
• The Impact of Global Trade Agreements on National Economies
• Income Inequality and Political Consequences
• Taxation Policies and Political Debates
• Political Influence on Central Banks
• Economic Growth vs. Environmental Sustainability
• Government Regulation of Financial Markets
• Economic Crises and Political Responses
• Populism and Economic Policies
• Economic Development and Political Stability
• Corruption and Economic Performance
• Political Economy of Resource-Rich Nations
• International Trade Wars and Political Tensions
• Fiscal Policies and Government Budgets
• Labor Market Policies and Political Alignment
• Economic Ideologies and Political Parties
• Globalization and Income Redistribution
• Economic Populism and Public Opinion
• Economic Forecasting and Political Decision-Making
• Comparative Studies of Political Economies

Political Parties

• Party Systems and Electoral Politics
• Party Platforms and Policy Agendas
• Coalition Politics and Party Alliances
• Third Parties and Their Influence
• Party Funding and Campaign Finance
• Political Party Polarization
• Party Identification and Voter Behavior
• Party Primaries and Candidate Selection
• Populist Parties and Their Impact
• Minor Parties and Representation
• Party Discipline and Legislative Behavior
• Party Systems in Non-Democratic States
• Party Leadership and Ideological Shifts
• Party Membership and Activism
• Youth Participation in Political Parties
• Party Conventions and Political Strategy
• Party Mergers and Dissolutions
• Ethnic and Religious Parties in Multi-Cultural Societies
• Popularity of Anti-Establishment Parties
• Comparative Studies of Political Party Systems

Political Psychology

• Political Attitudes and Ideological Beliefs
• Personality Traits and Political Preferences
• Political Socialization and Identity Formation
• Political Trust and Distrust
• Group Psychology and Political Behavior
• The Role of Emotions in Political Decision-Making
• Cognitive Biases and Political Judgment
• Political Persuasion and Communication
• Political Polarization and Social Identity
• Fear and Political Behavior
• Voter Apathy and Psychological Factors
• Motivated Reasoning in Politics
• Political Stereotypes and Prejudices
• Political Leadership and Charisma
• Political Participation and Civic Psychology
• Mass Movements and Crowd Psychology
• Political Stress and Mental Health
• The Psychology of Political Extremism
• Political Tolerance and Intolerance
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Political Psychology

Political Theory

• Theories of Justice and Equality
• Democratic Theory and Political Legitimacy
• Social Contract Theories in Political Philosophy
• The Ethics of Political Leadership
• Political Authority and Obedience
• Rights and Liberties in Political Theory
• Political Utopias and Ideal Societies
• Power and Its Distribution in Political Thought
• Political Liberalism vs. Communitarianism
• The Role of Consent in Governance
• Political Anarchism and Stateless Societies
• The Philosophy of Political Revolution
• Political Philosophy and Human Rights
• Theories of Political Representation
• Feminist Political Theory and Gender Equality
• Cosmopolitanism and Global Justice
• Political Conservatism and Traditionalism
• Postmodernism and Deconstruction in Political Theory
• Critical Theory and Social Change
• Comparative Political Theories

Politics and Society

• The Societal Impact of Welfare Policies
• Environmental Policies and Sustainable Societies
• Social Movements and Their Political Goals
• Education Policies and Social Equity
• Healthcare Policies and Public Health
• Criminal Justice Policies and Social Inequality
• Immigration Policies and Integration Challenges
• Social Media and Political Activism
• Identity Politics and Social Cohesion
• Economic Policies and Income Distribution
• Civil Society and Political Engagement
• Social Capital and Political Participation
• Family Policies and Social Values
• Multiculturalism and Cultural Diversity
• Social Inclusion and Exclusion in Politics
• Urbanization and Political Dynamics
• Social Stratification and Political Behavior
• Aging Populations and Policy Implications
• Social Norms and Political Change
• Cross-Cultural Studies of Politics and Society

Politics of Oppression

• Political Repression and Human Rights Violations
• The Role of Mass Media in Oppression
• Authoritarian Regimes and Dissent
• Gender-Based Oppression and Activism
• State Surveillance and Privacy Rights
• Indigenous Rights and Anti-Oppression Movements
• Political Exile and Dissident Communities
• Censorship and Freedom of Expression
• Political Violence and Resistance
• Ethnic Conflict and Oppressed Minorities
• The Psychology of Oppression and Compliance
• Political Persecution and International Responses
• Refugees and Asylum Politics
• Oppression in Cyber-Space
• Socioeconomic Oppression and Inequality
• Historical Perspectives on Political Oppression
• Anti-Oppression Legislation and Human Rights Advocacy
• Discrimination and the Law
• The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Oppression
• Comparative Studies of Oppressive Regimes

Public Administration

• Bureaucratic Accountability and Transparency
• Public Sector Reform and Modernization
• Administrative Ethics and Integrity
• Performance Measurement in Public Administration
• E-Government and Digital Transformation
• Public-Private Partnerships in Service Delivery
• Administrative Decision-Making and Policy Implementation
• Leadership and Change Management in the Public Sector
• Civil Service Systems and Human Resource Management
• Administrative Law and Legal Challenges
• Emergency Management and Crisis Response
• Local Government and Municipal Administration
• Public Budgeting and Financial Management
• Public Administration and Social Welfare Programs
• Environmental Administration and Sustainability
• Healthcare Administration and Policy
• Public Diplomacy and International Relations
• Administrative Responsiveness and Citizen Engagement
• Public Administration in Developing Nations
• Comparative Public Administration Studies

Public Policy

• Policy Analysis and Evaluation
• The Role of Think Tanks in Policy Formulation
• Policy Implementation Challenges and Solutions
• Policy Advocacy and Lobbying
• Healthcare Policy and Access to Medical Services
• Education Policy and Curriculum Development
• Social Welfare Policies and Poverty Alleviation
• Environmental Policy and Conservation Efforts
• Technology and Innovation Policy
• Immigration Policy and Border Control
• Security and Defense Policy
• Transportation and Infrastructure Policy
• Energy Policy and Sustainability
• Foreign Aid and Development Policies
• Taxation Policy and Revenue Generation
• Criminal Justice Policy and Sentencing Reform
• Trade Policy and Economic Growth
• Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Strategies
• Social and Cultural Policy Initiatives
• Comparative Policy Studies

Race/Ethnicity, and Politics

• Racial Discrimination and Political Activism
• Ethnic Conflict and Identity Politics
• Minority Rights and Representation
• Racial Profiling and Policing
• Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity
• Indigenous Rights and Autonomy Movements
• Racial and Ethnic Voting Patterns
• The Role of Race in Political Campaigns
• Immigration Policies and Racial Implications
• Intersectionality and Multiple Identities
• Ethnic Diversity and Social Cohesion
• Slavery, Colonialism, and Historical Injustices
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare
• Education and Racial Achievement Gaps
• Media Representation and Stereotyping
• Hate Crimes and Extremist Movements
• Reparations and Compensation for Historical Wrongs
• Cultural Appropriation and Identity Politics
• Multiculturalism and Integration Policies
• Comparative Studies of Race and Politics

Religion and Politics

• The Role of Religious Institutions in Politics
• Religious Freedom and Secularism
• Faith-Based Advocacy and Social Change
• Religion and International Relations
• Religious Extremism and Terrorism
• Religion and Gender Equality
• Religious Minorities and Discrimination
• Political Parties and Religious Affiliation
• Religion and Environmental Ethics
• Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding
• Religious Ethics and Public Policy
• Religion in Education and Curriculum Debates
• Charitable and Faith-Based Organizations
• Religious Symbols and Public Spaces
• Sacred Texts and Political Interpretations
• Pilgrimage and Political Pilgrimage
• Religion and Human Rights
• Religious Conversion and Apostasy
• Faith and Political Leadership
• Comparative Studies of Religion and Politics

Electoral Systems

• The Impact of Electoral Systems on Representation
• Proportional Representation vs. First-Past-the-Post
• Gerrymandering and Electoral Manipulation
• Electronic Voting and Election Security
• Ranked Choice Voting Systems
• Voter Turnout and Participation Rates
• Minority Representation in Electoral Systems
• Campaign Finance and Electoral Outcomes
• Voter Registration and Access to Voting
• Electoral Reforms and Political Parties
• Voting Behavior and Demographic Patterns
• Gender and Electoral Politics
• Electoral Systems in Post-Conflict Nations
• Hybrid Electoral Systems
• Electoral Justice and Redistricting
• Political Parties and Coalition Building
• Election Observation and International Standards
• Electoral Systems and Ethnic Conflict
• Voter Suppression and Disenfranchisement
• Electoral Systems in Non-Democratic Regimes

Rights and Freedoms

• Freedom of Speech and Censorship
• Civil Liberties in Times of Crisis
• Religious Freedom and Freedom of Worship
• LGBTQ+ Rights and Advocacy
• The Right to Protest and Assembly
• Racial Profiling and Discrimination
• Right to Bear Arms and Gun Control
• Refugee Rights and Asylum Seekers
• Indigenous Rights and Land Sovereignty
• Rights of the Accused and Due Process
• Access to Healthcare as a Human Right
• Education as a Fundamental Right
• Economic Rights and Income Inequality
• Children’s Rights and Child Protection
• Disability Rights and Accessibility
• Prisoner Rights and Criminal Justice Reform
• Freedom of the Press and Media Ethics
• Comparative Human Rights Frameworks

Science/Technology and Politics

• Cybersecurity and Election Interference
• Surveillance Technologies and Privacy
• Artificial Intelligence in Governance
• Internet Regulation and Net Neutrality
• Space Exploration and International Cooperation
• Ethical Implications of Biotechnology
• Climate Science and Environmental Policy
• Digital Diplomacy and International Relations
• Technology in Disaster Management
• Data Protection and Online Privacy
• Social Media and Political Influence
• Bioethics and Genetic Engineering
• Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence
• Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation
• Ethical Dilemmas in Scientific Research
• Quantum Computing and National Security
• Robotics and the Future of Labor
• E-Government Initiatives and Digital Services
• Environmental Ethics and Sustainability
• Technology Transfer in Developing Nations

War and Peace

• Conflict Resolution and Diplomacy
• Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
• Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Agreements
• Nuclear Deterrence and Arms Races
• Cyber Warfare and International Law
• Refugee Crises and Forced Displacement
• United Nations Peacekeeping Missions
• War Crimes and International Tribunals
• Security Alliances and Collective Defense
• Civil Wars and State Fragmentation
• Weapons of Mass Destruction and Global Security
• Peace Accords and Conflict Resolution
• Conflict Journalism and Media Coverage
• Civilian Protection and Human Rights in Conflict Zones
• The Ethics of Humanitarian Aid
• Regional Conflicts and Regional Organizations
• Conflict-Induced Migration and Refugee Policies
• The Role of Religion in Peace and Conflict

This comprehensive list merely scratches the surface of the intriguing topics available within the realm of political science. From the intricacies of constitutional law to the dynamics of Asian politics and the complexities of comparative analysis, the field of political science offers a rich tapestry of subjects for your research pursuits. We encourage you to explore these topics, refine your interests, and embark on an academic journey that not only expands your knowledge but also contributes to the broader discourse on politics and governance. As you navigate this list, remember that the key to a successful research paper is your passion for the subject matter. Choose a topic that resonates with you, and let your curiosity drive your exploration of political science research paper topics.

Browse More Political Science Topics:

• African Politics and Society
• American Politics and Society
• Asian Politics and Society
• Culture, Media, and Language
• European Politics and Society
• Federalism and Local Politics
• Institutions and Checks and Balances
• International Security and Arms Control
• Latin American Politics and Society

The Range of Political Science Research Paper Topics

Introduction

Political science, the systematic study of politics and government, provides valuable insights into the complex world of governance, policy-making, and international relations. For students of political science, selecting the right research paper topic can be the key to unlocking a deeper understanding of these intricate issues. This page serves as a comprehensive guide to the rich array of Political Science Research Paper Topics available, offering a detailed overview of the field and highlighting its significant contributions to society.

Exploring Political Science

Political science plays a pivotal role in deciphering the dynamics of the modern world. By analyzing the behavior of individuals, groups, and institutions in political settings, it seeks to unravel the complexities of governance and decision-making. This discipline’s significance extends far beyond the classroom, as it directly informs public policy, governance structures, and international relations.

The research conducted within political science serves as the foundation for crafting effective policies and addressing pressing global challenges. Governments and organizations worldwide rely on the expertise of political scientists to provide evidence-based recommendations and solutions. Whether it’s designing social welfare programs, analyzing international conflicts, or studying voter behavior, political science research is at the forefront of shaping the way societies function.

The Essence of Political Science

Political science is the intellectual foundation of modern political analysis and policy-making. It serves as a bridge between theory and practice, helping individuals understand not only the “what” but also the “why” and “how” of political phenomena. By examining political behavior, institutions, and ideologies, this field equips students with the tools to navigate the complexities of governance and to critically evaluate the policies that shape our lives.

One of the defining features of political science is its interdisciplinary nature. It draws from various disciplines, including history, economics, sociology, psychology, and philosophy, to offer a holistic understanding of political processes. For students passionate about examining the social and political forces that shape our world, political science is a vibrant and intellectually rewarding field of study.

The Relevance of Political Science Research

Political science research is not confined to academic ivory towers; it has a profound impact on society. The evidence-based insights generated by political scientists guide governments, inform public discourse, and influence policy decisions. Research on topics such as voting behavior helps in understanding democratic processes, while studies on international relations contribute to strategies for peacekeeping and diplomacy.

Political scientists also play a crucial role in examining and addressing contemporary global challenges. They explore topics such as climate change, migration, and human rights, offering valuable insights that can shape policies and international cooperation. The relevance of political science research extends to issues of governance, accountability, and the promotion of democratic values.

Range of Research Paper Topics

Within the vast realm of political science, there exists a diverse range of research paper topics that cater to different interests and perspectives. These topics encompass various subfields, each shedding light on distinct aspects of political behavior, institutions, and ideologies. Here, we delve into some of the intriguing areas that can serve as the foundation for your research endeavors:

Democracy and Democratization : The study of democratic systems and processes is a cornerstone of political science. Research in this area may explore topics such as the challenges of democratization in emerging nations, the role of media in shaping public opinion, or the impact of electoral systems on representation.

Political Corruption : Understanding and combating political corruption is critical for the integrity of governments worldwide. Research topics may range from analyzing corruption’s economic and social consequences to exploring strategies for prevention and enforcement.

Globalization and Politics : In an increasingly interconnected world, globalization profoundly influences political dynamics. Research in this area can examine issues like the impact of globalization on national sovereignty, the role of international organizations, or the ethics of global trade.

Political Ideologies : The realm of political ideologies delves into the philosophies and belief systems that underpin political movements and parties. Topics may include the examination of specific ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism, or socialism, and their historical evolution.

Science/Technology and Politics : The intersection of science, technology, and politics is a fertile ground for research. This area covers topics like the influence of digital platforms on political discourse, ethical considerations in artificial intelligence, and the role of technology in election campaigns.

War and Peace : The study of international conflict and peacekeeping efforts remains a central concern in political science. Research may focus on issues like the causes of armed conflicts, peace negotiation strategies, or the ethics of humanitarian interventions.

Religion and Politics : Religion’s impact on political behavior and policies is a subject of ongoing debate. Research in this area can explore the role of religious institutions in politics, the influence of faith on voting patterns, or interfaith relations in diverse societies.

Race/Ethnicity, and Politics : The intersection of race, ethnicity, and politics raises critical questions about representation and equality. Research topics may encompass racial disparities in political participation, the impact of identity politics, or the dynamics of minority-majority relations.

Public Policy and Administration : The field of public policy and administration involves the study of how policies are formulated, implemented, and evaluated. Topics may include healthcare policy, environmental regulations, or the role of bureaucracy in shaping public programs.

International Relations : International relations examine interactions between states and the complexities of the global order. Research topics may focus on diplomacy, international organizations, global conflicts, or the challenges of international cooperation.

Human Rights and Justice : The study of human rights and justice explores ethical dilemmas and legal frameworks. Research may encompass issues like refugee rights, humanitarian law, or the role of international courts in addressing human rights abuses.

Environmental Politics : In an era of environmental challenges, political science research on environmental politics is vital. Topics may cover climate change policy, sustainable development, or the politics of natural resource management.

Evaluating Political Science Research Topics

As students explore these diverse topics, it’s essential to consider various factors when choosing a research paper topic. Here are some key considerations:

• Personal Interest : Select a topic that genuinely interests you. Your passion for the subject matter will fuel your research efforts and maintain your motivation throughout the project.
• Relevance : Consider the relevance of your chosen topic to current political debates, policies, or global issues. Research that addresses pressing concerns often has a more significant impact.
• Feasibility : Assess the availability of data, research materials, and access to experts or primary sources. Ensure that your chosen topic is researchable within your constraints.
• Originality : While it’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel, aim to contribute something new or offer a fresh perspective on existing debates or issues.
• Scope : Define the scope of your research clearly. Determine whether your topic is too broad or too narrow and adjust it accordingly.
• Methodology : Think about the research methods you’ll use. Will you conduct surveys, interviews, content analysis, or use historical data? Ensure that your chosen methods align with your topic.
• Ethical Considerations : Be mindful of ethical considerations, especially when dealing with sensitive topics or human subjects. Ensure that your research adheres to ethical standards.

Political science, as a multifaceted discipline, holds immense relevance in today’s world. Its research not only informs governance and policy-making but also empowers individuals to engage critically with the complex political issues of our time. The spectrum of Political Science Research Paper Topics is vast, reflecting the diversity of political phenomena and ideas.

As students embark on their research journeys in political science, they have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to our understanding of governance, society, and international relations. By choosing topics that resonate with their interests and align with the pressing issues of the day, students can truly make a difference in the field of political science.

In closing, we encourage students to explore the wealth of Political Science Research Paper Topics, delve deep into their chosen areas of study, and harness the power of knowledge to effect positive change in the political landscape.

Choosing Political Science Research Paper Topics

Selecting the right research topic is a crucial step in the journey of academic inquiry. It sets the tone for your entire research paper, influencing its direction, depth, and impact. When it comes to political science research paper topics, the stakes are high, as the field encompasses a wide range of subjects that can shape our understanding of governance, policy-making, and international relations. In this section, we’ll explore ten valuable tips to help you choose political science research paper topics that align with your interests, resonate with current debates, and provide ample research opportunities.

10 Tips for Choosing Political Science Research Paper Topics:

• Follow Your Passion : Begin your quest for the right research topic by considering your interests. Passion for a subject often fuels motivation and ensures your engagement throughout the research process. Whether it’s human rights, international diplomacy, or environmental policy, choose a topic that genuinely excites you.
• Stay Informed : Keep abreast of current political events, debates, and emerging issues. Reading newspapers, academic journals, and reputable websites can help you identify contemporary topics that are both relevant and research-worthy. Being informed about current affairs is essential for crafting timely and impactful research.
• Explore Gaps in Existing Literature : Conduct a thorough literature review to identify gaps or areas where further research is needed. This not only helps you understand the existing discourse but also provides insights into unexplored avenues for your research. Building on or critiquing existing research can contribute significantly to the field.
• Consider Policy Relevance : Think about the practical relevance of your chosen topic. How does it connect to real-world policy challenges? Research that addresses pressing policy issues tends to have a more substantial impact and can attract the attention of policymakers and practitioners.
• Delve into Comparative Studies : Comparative politics offers a wealth of research opportunities by allowing you to examine political systems, policies, or issues across different countries or regions. Comparative studies can yield valuable insights into the impact of context and culture on political outcomes.
• Narrow or Broaden Your Focus : Be mindful of the scope of your research topic. Some topics may be too broad to cover comprehensively in a single paper, while others may be too narrow, limiting available research material. Strike a balance by defining your research question or problem statement clearly.
• Consult Your Professors and Peers : Don’t hesitate to seek guidance from your professors or peers. They can offer valuable insights, suggest relevant literature, and help you refine your research question. Collaboration and mentorship can significantly enhance your research experience.
• Evaluate Feasibility : Assess the feasibility of your chosen topic. Consider the availability of data, research materials, and access to experts or primary sources. Ensure that your research is doable within your constraints, including time and resources.
• Embrace Interdisciplinary Perspectives : Political science often intersects with other disciplines, such as sociology, economics, or environmental science. Explore interdisciplinary angles to enrich your research. Collaborating with experts from related fields can lead to innovative insights.
• Ethical Considerations : When selecting a research topic, be mindful of ethical considerations, especially if your research involves human subjects or sensitive issues. Ensure that your research adheres to ethical standards and obtains the necessary approvals.

Choosing the right political science research paper topic is a dynamic process that requires reflection, exploration, and critical thinking. By following these ten tips, you can navigate the landscape of political science topics with confidence. Remember that your research topic is not set in stone; it can evolve as you delve deeper into your studies and gain new insights.

As you embark on your research journey, keep in mind that the topics you choose have the potential to contribute to our understanding of the political world, inform policy decisions, and shape the future of governance. Embrace the opportunity to explore, question, and discover, for it is through research that we illuminate the path to progress in the field of political science.

Choose your topics wisely, engage in meaningful inquiry, and let your passion for political science drive your pursuit of knowledge.

How to Write a Political Science Research Paper

Writing a research paper in political science is a distinctive journey that allows you to explore complex issues, develop critical thinking skills, and contribute to the body of knowledge in the field. Effective research paper writing is not only about conveying your ideas clearly but also about constructing a compelling argument supported by rigorous evidence. In this section, we’ll delve into ten valuable tips that will help you craft high-quality political science research papers, enabling you to communicate your findings effectively and make a meaningful impact.

10 Tips for Writing Political Science Research Papers:

• Thoroughly Understand the Assignment : Before you start writing, carefully read and understand your assignment guidelines. Clarify any doubts with your professor, ensuring you have a clear grasp of the expectations regarding format, length, and content.
• Choose a Strong Thesis Statement : Your thesis statement is the heart of your research paper. It should be clear, concise, and arguable. Ensure that it presents a central argument or question that your paper will address.
• Conduct In-Depth Research : A robust research paper relies on well-sourced evidence. Explore academic journals, books, reputable websites, and primary sources related to your topic. Take detailed notes and keep track of your sources for accurate citations.
• Structure Your Paper Effectively : Organize your paper logically, with a coherent introduction, body, and conclusion. Each section should flow smoothly, building upon the previous one. Use headings and subheadings to guide your reader.
• Craft a Captivating Introduction : Your introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide context for your research. It should introduce your thesis statement and outline the main points you will address.
• Develop a Compelling Argument : Present a clear and well-reasoned argument throughout your paper. Each paragraph should support your thesis statement, with evidence and analysis that reinforces your position.
• Cite Your Sources Properly : Accurate citations are crucial in political science research papers. Follow the citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) specified in your assignment guidelines. Pay careful attention to in-text citations and the bibliography.
• Edit and Proofread Diligently : Writing is rewriting. After completing your initial draft, take the time to revise and edit your paper. Check for clarity, coherence, grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Consider seeking feedback from peers or professors.
• Stay Objective and Avoid Bias : Political science research requires objectivity. Avoid personal bias and ensure that your analysis is based on evidence and sound reasoning. Acknowledge counterarguments and address them respectfully.
• Craft a Strong Conclusion : Summarize your main points and restate your thesis in the conclusion. Discuss the implications of your research and suggest areas for future study. Leave your reader with a lasting impression.

Writing a political science research paper is not just an academic exercise; it’s an opportunity to engage with critical issues, contribute to knowledge, and develop essential skills. By applying these ten tips, you can navigate the complexities of research paper writing with confidence.

As you embark on your journey to craft high-quality papers, remember that effective communication is the key to making a meaningful impact in the realm of political science. Your research has the potential to shape discussions, influence policies, and contribute to our collective understanding of the political world.

Embrace the writing process, celebrate your achievements, and view each paper as a stepping stone in your academic and intellectual growth. Whether you’re exploring global diplomacy, dissecting political ideologies, or analyzing policy decisions, your research papers can be a force for positive change in the world of politics.

As you tackle the challenges and opportunities of political science research, remember that the knowledge you gain and the skills you develop are valuable assets that will serve you well in your academic and professional journey. Write with passion, rigor, and integrity, and let your research papers be a testament to your commitment to advancing the field of political science.

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• Custom Formatting : Proper formatting is essential in political science research papers. We adhere to the citation style specified in your assignment guidelines, whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, or Harvard, ensuring your paper is correctly formatted.
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Political Science Research Topics: 340 Best Ideas to Choose From

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Political science plays an important role in how we shape the world around us. It offers insight into governments, political systems, public policies, international relations, and more. This makes it a broad subject to explore. But it can also be challenging to find a captivating political science research topic. 

To make things easier, we’ve collected multiple political science research paper topics that suit any taste and need. We made a step further and divided these ideas into accessible categories. Choose the area you are most interested in and get ready to find a bunch of political science research topics in your domain.

But first things first, let’s figure out what politics is all about.

What Are Political Science Research Topics?

Politics is the study of governments, public policies, and political processes. It investigates how societies make decisions. Political science also examines how decisions affect people, both on a small scale, like a neighborhood, and on a global scale, like international relations.

Political science research paper topics can range widely within this discipline. Depending on your interests and goals, you could explore anything from voting behavior to gender equality in politics. You can also study global diplomatic relations, electoral systems, or the influence of media on political outcomes.

Characteristics of Good Political Science Research Paper Topics

Politics shapes our world in myriad ways. Every aspect of it bears relevance and offers a platform for thoughtful discourse, making it a fertile field for academic exploration.

However, good political science topics aren’t just about selecting a subject itself. Great ideas require elements of intrigue, relevance, and potential for in-depth examination, all while showcasing your input. So, what should you consider while choosing between different political research topics? Well, your passion and expertise are pivotal. Your topic should resonate with your interests and align with your academic focus.

Here's a brief overview of characteristics that make up engaging political science research topics:

• Relevant and contemporary
• Balanced in its scope
• Well-documented and containing enough material
• Interesting to you as well as your readers
• Suitable for follow-up studies and/or additional research.

How to Choose a Political Science Research Topic?

Stumped about which political science topic to choose for your research paper? It's a common dilemma for many students. You shouldn’t just pick a theme. You must ensure that your topic sustains your interest, meets academic requirements, and resonates with your audience.

No need to stress, though! This blog is here to help you navigate these tricky waters. Our online essay writer team has shared these step-by-step guidelines to help you choose a successful topic for your political science paper:

• Start with something you’re passionate about. Your enthusiasm and interest will animate the project and guide you to success.
• Come up with an original idea that hasn’t been explored in depth before or is still relevant today.
• Find something that’s timely and engaging to a wider audience. This should be something that people care about and are actively discussing.
• Look for hidden connections, patterns, and solutions. Make sure your political science research topic is complex enough to ensure in-depth research.
• Gather the necessary materials beforehand. Ensure availability of information before you begin analyzing your theme.

List of Political Science Research Topics

Before you plunge into our expertly compiled list, remember to double-check your instructor's guidelines. Aligning your choice with your course requirements is vital. Now, prepare to browse through the most captivating politics research topics that could be the launchpad for your future paper.

• Understanding democracy: An evolving concept.
• Rise of populism in 21st-century politics.
• Climate change and global governance.
• Role of United Nations: Effectiveness and criticisms.
• Politics behind nuclear disarmament.
• Influence of social media on political campaigns.
• Immigration policies: A comparative study.
• Human rights and foreign policy.
• Impact of political instability on economic growth.
• Cybersecurity in international relations.
• Decoding political symbolism in public spaces.
• Feminism and its political impact.
• Role of youth in politics.
• Is healthcare a political issue?
• Examining political bias in media.

Easy Political Science Research Topics

While the field of political science can seem intricate, there are areas within it that are more accessible, yet equally intriguing. If you're new to the discipline or prefer less complex issues, this list of simple political science paper topics could be your go-to. Each topic is designed to offer an easy entry point into political science, but still, provide room for critical analysis .

• Defining basic political ideologies: Liberalism, Conservatism, and Socialism.
• How does voting work? An overview.
• Impact of political cartoons on public opinion.
• Presidential vs. parliamentary systems.
• Role of lobby groups in shaping policy.
• Political satire and its influence.
• Environmental policy: Understanding basics.
• What role does local government play?
• Does every vote count in elections?
• How accurate are public opinion polls?
• Politics in sports.
• Privacy rights in a digital era.
• Gender representation in politics.
• Patriotism vs. nationalism: Understanding the difference.
• Role of celebrities in political campaigns.

Interesting Political Science Research Topics

Political science never falls short of captivating topics. With its dynamic nature and its intricate connection to real-world issues, there's always something noteworthy to explore. We've done our utmost to curate a list of topics in political science that will pique anyone’s curiosity:

• Lessons from literature on dystopian governance.
• The war on drugs policy.
• What influence does propaganda have on contemporary governance?
• How governing ideologies influence art.
• Balancing national security with personal freedoms.
• Importance of whistleblowers in democratic societies.
• Rhetoric and reality behind political speeches.
• Implications of artificial intelligence on governance.
• Attainability of world peace: A critical perspective.
• Dynamics of power in non-democratic systems.
• Global pandemics and their effects on governance.
• Competing for Mars: A new space race.
• Impact of religion on governance.
• Perspective on animal rights from a political viewpoint.
• Food accessibility: Who decides who gets to eat what?

Good Topics for a Political Science Research Paper

Scoring points with your professor often comes down to choosing compelling and thought-provoking research paper ideas . The following list includes good political science research questions that are in tune with contemporary discourse. Each topic offers plenty of room to showcase your analytical skills and knowledge.

• Evaluating e-democracy: Benefits and drawbacks.
• How migration policies shape nations.
• Media as a tool for political persuasion.
• Political philosophy in science fiction literature.
• Trade wars and global relations.
• Is there a global shift towards autocracy?
• Understanding diplomatic immunity: Rights and abuses.
• Role of non-state actors in shaping international policy.
• Rise of nationalism in globalized societies.
• Impact of climate change on national security.
• Examination of censorship laws across nations.
• Can blockchain technology revolutionize voting systems?
• Decoding political rhetoric in campaign promises.
• Gender pay gap: A policy analysis.
• Influence of economic inequality on social unrest.

Best Political Science Research Topics

We have curated an irresistible list of political science topics for a research paper. These ideas range from pressing international issues to more granular policy questions, all guaranteed to challenge your analytical skills.

• Exploring causes and effects of global populism.
• Transparency as a key to ethical political leadership.
• Evaluating the role of social media censorship in political landscapes.
• Influence of multiculturalism on policy development.
• Unpacking the outcomes and justifications of military interventions.
• Corruption's destructive role in democratic systems.
• Merits and pitfalls of technocracy.
• Interplay of bureaucracy and governance.
• Pathways to address political polarization.
• Effects of historical colonization on current government structures.
• Role of extremism in shaping international relations.
• How global climate commitments affect nations.
• Using sanctions as a diplomatic tool.
• Conflict resolution through international law.
• Geopolitics in outer space exploration.

Current Research Topics in Political Science

Political science is a progressing field, so the problems you research will always be relevant. Our list of up-to-date topics of political science will help you make sure your paper is on point.

• Artificial intelligence in global governance.
• Global health governance in pandemics.
• Impact of digital currencies on economies.
• Changes in contemporary immigration attitudes.
• Climate crisis' role in diplomatic dialogues.
• Social movements and societal change.
• Tech giants and information control.
• Civil liberties in pandemic responses.
• Gender disparities in political representation.
• Decolonization trends in the 21st century.
• Cyber warfare and national security.
• Ethics of drone warfare.
• Crypto-anarchy and state sovereignty.
• Right-wing extremism in the digital age.
• Power dynamics in international space law.

Political Science Research Topic Ideas for Students

Navigating politics can be overwhelming for students, given its broad nature and intersecting disciplines. With the right research topics for political science, however, this complexity transforms into an opportunity for a decent study. Our list of political science research topics ideas is designed with students in mind, focusing on engaging, relevant, and manageable themes.

Political Science Research Paper Topics for College Students

For college students, political science topics for research papers should strike a balance between complexity and approachability. With that in mind, here's a collection of college-level political topics to write about.

• Leadership styles across governments.
• Impact of gender roles in election campaigns.
• Role of think tanks in shaping public opinion.
• Studying historical revolutions and their aftermath.
• Influence of socio-economic status on voting behavior.
• Exploring ethical dilemmas in international relations.
• Cultural diplomacy and its effectiveness.
• Sovereignty disputes and their resolution.
• Rise and implications of digital citizenship.
• Evaluating meritocracy as a system of governance.
• Role of peacekeeping operations in conflict resolution.
• Comparing capitalist and socialist economies.
• Decoding cyber diplomacy in the digital age.
• Relationship between economic crises and political changes.
• Minority rights in democratic societies.

Political Science Research Topics for University

When it comes to political topics to talk about in university, politics offers a variety of interesting options. Here's a list of captivating research ideas that are sure to get you top grades:

• Political revolutions in the digital age.
• Comparative study of political systems.
• Effectiveness of international climate agreements.
• Unraveling political consequences of economic sanctions.
• Studying neocolonialism in modern economies.
• Impact of income inequality on social stability.
• Debating political implications of universal basic income.
• Role of international courts in global governance.
• Influence of cultural diversity on national policies.
• Dissecting geopolitics in Arctic resource exploitation.
• Understanding post-conflict reconciliation processes.
• Evaluating state responses to refugee crises.
• Study of civil disobedience in democratic societies.
• Role of soft power in international relations.
• Disentangling politics of global water disputes.

Political Science Research Topics by Subjects

Political science is a diverse field, consisting of multiple subdomains. To help you spot a fitting theme, we've organized research paper topics for political science according to these subjects. From international relations to public policy, this assortment promises a treasure trove of research opportunities just waiting to be explored.

Philosophy Political Science Research Topics

Philosophy politics research topics explore the intersection of political science and philosophical thought. These themes focus on fundamental questions, such as the purpose of politics and its effects on society. Here are a few ideas to get your started:

• Relevance of Machiavelli's theories today.
• Understanding justice in Plato's Republic.
• Influence of Kantian ethics on governance.
• Are human rights universal or culturally relative?
• Interplay of liberty and equality in societies.
• Exploring Hobbes' notion of social contract.
• Rawls versus Nozick: theories of justice compared.
• Feminist perspectives on political participation.
• Role of ethics in bureaucratic institutions.
• Marx's theory of capitalism: A critical review.
• Foucault's perspectives on power and control.
• Locke's influence on modern democracies.
• Concepts of civil disobedience in Thoreau's writings.
• Arendt on violence, power, and authority.
• Exploring Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony.
• Derrida's deconstruction: A political tool?
• Nietzsche’s perspectives on societal structure.
• Understanding politics through Spinoza's lens.
• Evaluating communitarianism in contemporary societies.
• Habermas on communicative action in politics.

>> View more: Philosophy Paper Topics

Political Science Research Topics on Public Law

Public law is one of the most popular subdomains of political science, as it focuses on legal systems and state power. It's a domain that lets you explore how laws are formulated, implemented, and impact society. Below you can find various political research questions in public law, including constitutional issues, administrative governance, and individual rights, among others.

• Role of constitution in shaping governance.
• Impact of judicial activism on democracy.
• Analyzing separation of powers in governments.
• Free speech rights in digital platforms.
• Repercussions of surveillance laws on privacy.
• Comparative study of electoral laws.
• Analyzing federalism in constitutional law.
• Police power and civil liberties.
• Effectiveness of anti-discrimination laws.
• Administrative discretion: Power and accountability.
• Impact of immigration laws on societies.
• Understanding lawmaking process in parliamentary systems.
• Role of supreme courts in constitutional interpretation.
• Law enforcement and minority rights.
• Legal aspects of environmental protection.
• Hate speech laws and freedom of expression.
• Public health laws in times of crisis.
• Legal mechanisms to fight corruption.
• Analyzing gun control laws across nations.
• Legal challenges in the implementation of welfare policies.

>> Learn more:  Law Research Topics

Research Topics in Political Science on Public Administration

Public administration is the study of how governments and other public institutions are managed. It examines their structures, operations, policies, and politics to understand how they work in practice. Here's a collection of project topics for political science on public administration worth attention:

• Understanding bureaucracy in modern governance.
• Role of public administrators in policy implementation.
• Effect of administrative reforms on public services.
• Importance of ethics in public administration.
• Evaluating public financial management systems.
• Role of e-governance in public service delivery.
• Analyzing gender representation in public administration.
• Public administration in urban planning.
• Role of public-private partnerships in governance.
• Crisis management strategies in public administration.
• Leadership challenges in public organizations.
• Role of transparency in public service delivery.
• Organizational culture in public administration.
• Analyzing the politics-administration dichotomy.
• Decision-making processes in public organizations.
• Evaluating accountability mechanisms in public administration.
• Human resource challenges in public services.
• Impact of corruption on public administration.
• Role of citizens' participation in public administration.
• Comparative study of public administration models.

Political Science Research Paper Topics on Comparative Politics

Comparative politics research topics offer a window into how different political systems operate, what works, and what needs reevaluation. It encourages you to step outside the boundaries of your local context and grasp a more global perspective on political processes. The following political essay topics and paper ideas will fit any compare and contrast essay or project.

• Social welfare measures across democracies.
• Examining stability in different governmental systems.
• Comparative analysis of electoral mechanisms.
• Impact of societal culture on governance.
• Federalism versus unitary systems: A comparative study.
• Scrutinizing corruption in diverse economies.
• A cross-nation study of education systems.
• Protection of minority rights across countries.
• Comparing freedom of the press globally.
• Role of armed forces in various governmental structures.
• Analyzing constitutional designs across nations.
• A study on decentralization efforts in different countries.
• Comparative research on party systems.
• Gender and leadership: A cross-country examination.
• Populism in different societal contexts.
• Comparative view of environmental conservation measures.
• Human rights protections in different nations.
• Influence of colonial history on modern governance.
• Cross-national study of immigration rules.
• Role of religion in different governance systems.

Political Science Research Topics on Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is an essential field in political science, focusing on the methods and strategies used to mitigate disputes on local, national, and international levels. It opens up opportunities to explore how peace is achieved, maintained, and sometimes lost. Below you can find political issues to write about if you want to focus on different disputes.

• Peacebuilding strategies in post-war societies.
• Role of diplomacy in averting conflicts.
• Effectiveness of international arbitration.
• Power sharing as a tool for peace.
• Influence of civil society on conflict resolution.
• Role of United Nations in global peacekeeping.
• Mediation strategies in intra-state conflicts.
• Women in peace negotiations.
• Strategies for resolving territorial disputes.
• Analyzing post-conflict reconciliation processes.
• Impact of economic sanctions on conflict resolution.
• Role of international law in conflict mitigation.
• Effectiveness of non-violent resistance.
• Analyzing the success of peace treaties.
• Study of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration processes.
• Resolving resource-based conflicts.
• Role of third parties in conflict resolution.
• Approaches to addressing ethnic conflicts.
• Influence of climate change on conflict resolution.
• Cyber conflict resolution strategies.

Political Science Research Topics on Meditation and Negotiation

Mediation and negotiation sit at the heart of conflict resolution, focusing on peaceful strategies to address disputes and foster cooperation. These techniques find wide application in various contexts, from local disagreements to international conflicts. These interesting research topics in political science allow you to understand how these processes work in theory and practice:

• Role of intermediaries in peace processes.
• Strategies for successful diplomatic discussions.
• Comparative analysis of negotiation techniques.
• Dialogue styles in international diplomacy.
• Analyzing the success of secret diplomatic talks.
• Role of non-state actors in negotiation.
• Gender dynamics in discussion processes.
• Influence of cultural factors on dispute resolution.
• Role of international organizations in diplomatic dialogues.
• Arbitration in maritime territorial disputes.
• Use of discussions in trade agreements.
• Role of trust in successful dialogues.
• Addressing power asymmetry in discussions.
• Track II diplomacy in mediation.
• Impact of communication technology on dispute settlement.
• Role of empathy in successful negotiation.
• Influence of domestic politics on international mediation..
• Conflict resolution strategies in labor disputes.
• Role of transparency in negotiations.
• Evolution of dispute resolution techniques over time.

>> View more: Communication Research Topics

International Relations Political Research Topics

International relations explores connections among nations, the roles of sovereign states, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and multinational corporations. This field offers a multitude of engaging research topics ranging from issues of diplomacy, international conflict, global cooperation, to international trade. Here are some political science research ideas that focus on international relations:

• Role of multinational corporations in global governance.
• Cross-border environmental cooperation.
• Effectiveness of international law enforcement.
• Influence of globalism on sovereignty.
• Impact of digital diplomacy in foreign relations.
• Evolution of global power structures.
• Influence of cultural diplomacy in global partnerships.
• Strategies for global poverty reduction.
• Understanding geopolitics in Arctic exploration.
• Challenges to global health collaboration.
• Role of non-state actors in global governance.
• Interplay of economics and international relations.
• Humanitarian interventions: A critical analysis.
• Cross-border migration and its global implications.
• International responses to global pandemics.
• Role of international courts in justice delivery.
• Diplomacy in the age of information technology.
• Analyzing global disarmament efforts.
• Global efforts in counter-terrorism.
• Evolution of international trade agreements.

American Politics Research Paper Topics

American politics is a wide-ranging field, including issues from the local, state, to national levels. It incorporates diverse aspects like public opinion, public policy, ideological shifts, and more. The United States' unique political system offers abundant potential for research. Here are American politics research topics for your next project:

• Evolution of American federalism.
• Impact of Supreme Court decisions on society.
• Understanding American political polarization.
• Role of third parties in U.S. elections.
• Influence of social movements on legislation.
• Examining executive orders' effectiveness.
• Shifts in public opinion on climate change.
• Impact of lobbying on American health care reform.
• Influence of Presidential debates on voters.
• Effects of gerrymandering on electoral outcomes.
• Analyzing campaign finance reform in U.S.
• Role of think tanks in shaping U.S. policy.
• Implications of immigration reform on U.S. economy.
• Gun control debate and policy outcomes.
• Social justice and law enforcement reform.
• Influence of race and ethnicity on voting patterns.
• Role of the media in shaping public opinion.
• Analyzing the U.S. response to global pandemics.
• Examination of U.S. trade policies.
• Impact of technology on U.S. governance.

Government Research Paper Topics

Government is a broad field that includes many different subdomains and politics topics to discuss. It revolves around the structures, processes, and functions of governing bodies, allowing you to explore the inner workings of various political systems. Here are some useful ideas on government:

• Evaluating the meritocracy in civil services.
• Digitization of public services: Impact and challenges.
• Understanding state surveillance: Balancing security and privacy.
• Impact of decentralization on local development.
• Government's role in disaster management.
• Analyzing the government's role in fostering innovation.
• Study on government initiatives for financial inclusion.
• Role of government in mitigating income inequality.
• Government strategies in promoting renewable energy.
• Analysis of government responses to recessions.
• Public-private partnerships in infrastructure development.
• Government regulation of the gig economy.
• Role of government in promoting cultural heritage.
• Public sector reforms for better governance.
• Government interventions in housing markets.
• Assessing government transparency initiatives.
• Government's role in universal health care provision.
• The impact of political term limits on governance.
• Government initiatives in curbing the opioid crisis.
• The role of governments in combating online misinformation.

Political Science Research Questions

Research questions provide a clear direction to your studies, defining what you want to achieve. Here are some unique research questions for political science that span a wide array of sub-areas:

• How does social media shape public opinion on climate change policy?
• How can local governments boost civic engagement?
• How does income inequality impact political participation?
• How do trade policies affect domestic industries?
• How do immigration laws influence national identity?
• How does political advertising affect voter turnout?
• How does corruption impact public trust in government?
• How does gender representation in government influence policy decisions?
• What role does education play in political awareness?
• How does political satire influence public perception of politicians?
• How have government responses to pandemics evolved over time?
• How does foreign aid impact the donor-recipient relationship?
• How can governments leverage technology to improve public services?
• How does cybersecurity impact national defense strategies?
• How do international treaties impact national sovereignty?
• How do political ideologies shape foreign policy?
• How can governments promote sustainable urban development?
• What is the role of youth in shaping future politics?
• How does political stability affect economic growth?
• How does political rhetoric shape public perception of immigration?

Extra Political Science Topics for Research Papers

Although the topics for political science research papers given above should help you kickstart your project, here are a few extra ideas to make sure you write an excellent project:

• Green parties' influence on environmental sustainability.
• Significance of political graffiti in social movements.
• Virtual reality's potential in public engagement.
• Role of cognitive psychology in voter behavior.
• Understanding biopolitics: control and manipulation.
• Space law's implications for international cooperation.
• Implications of Internet of Things (IoT) for national security.
• Analysis of language used in peace treaties.
• Incorporating indigenous governance in modern state systems.
• Decoding humor in political satire.
• Political underpinnings in fantasy literature.
• Political landscapes in virtual communities.
• The politics of cryptocurrency regulation.
• Using machine learning to predict election outcomes.
• Role of street art in political protests.
• Exploring the politics of veganism.
• Political dimensions of genetic engineering ethics.
• Pop culture's influence on political consciousness.
• Influence of climate fiction ("cli-fi") on environmental policy.
• Geopolitical consequences of the commercialization of space.

Bottom Line on Political Science Topics

We did our best to provide you with an assortment of good topics for political science research paper in every subdomain. Whether you're interested in philosophy, public law, international affairs, or something else entirely – this collection should have it all. We hope that at least one of these themes motivates you to do your best work yet! Remember that you can buy coursework or any other academic paper from certified writers with solid experience.

Don't worry! Our team of qualified professionals is ready to offer research paper help , ensuring you submit quality work in no time. So why stress over extensive research and drafting when you can get expert assistance at your fingertips? Contact us now to get expert assistance.

Joe Eckel is an expert on Dissertations writing. He makes sure that each student gets precious insights on composing A-grade academic writing.

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Home » 300+ Political Science Research Topics

300+ Political Science Research Topics

Political Science is a fascinating field that deals with the study of governments, public policies, and political behavior. It encompasses a wide range of topics , from the intricacies of international relations to the workings of democratic systems. Political Science research has a crucial role in understanding these phenomena, analyzing them, and suggesting solutions to societal problems. There are various Political Science research topics that researchers can explore, and each topic offers a unique perspective on the field. In this article, we will discuss some of the most interesting Political Science research topics that have significant implications for society.

Political Science Research Topics

Political Science Research Topics are as follows:

• The effects of globalization on national sovereignty
• The role of political parties in shaping policy outcomes
• The impact of the media on political decision-making
• The effectiveness of international organizations in promoting global cooperation
• The relationship between democracy and economic development
• The influence of interest groups on political outcomes
• The role of political ideology in shaping policy preferences
• The impact of identity politics on political discourse
• The challenges of democratic governance in developing countries
• The role of social media in shaping political attitudes and behavior
• The impact of immigration on electoral politics
• The influence of religion on political participation and voting behavior
• The effects of gerrymandering on electoral outcomes
• The role of the judiciary in shaping public policy
• The impact of campaign finance regulations on electoral outcomes
• The effects of lobbying on policy outcomes
• The role of civil society in promoting democratic accountability
• The impact of political polarization on democratic governance
• The influence of public opinion on policy decisions
• The effectiveness of international sanctions in promoting human rights
• The relationship between corruption and economic development
• The role of the media in promoting government transparency
• The impact of social movements on political change
• The effects of terrorism on domestic and international politics
• The role of gender in shaping political outcomes
• The influence of international law on state behavior
• The impact of environmental policy on economic development
• The role of NGOs in promoting global governance
• The effects of globalization on human rights
• The relationship between economic inequality and political polarization
• The role of education in promoting democratic citizenship
• The impact of nationalism on international politics
• The influence of international trade on state behavior
• The effects of foreign aid on economic development
• The role of political institutions in promoting democratic stability
• The impact of electoral systems on political representation
• The effects of colonialism on contemporary political systems
• The relationship between religion and state power
• The role of human rights organizations in promoting democratic accountability
• The impact of social welfare policy on economic inequality
• The influence of cultural identity on political behavior
• The effects of globalization on cultural diversity
• The role of civil liberties in promoting democratic citizenship
• The impact of globalization on labor rights
• The effects of climate change on international politics
• The role of identity politics in promoting social justice
• The influence of populism on democratic governance
• The impact of economic sanctions on state behavior
• The role of international conflict resolution in promoting peace
• The effects of globalization on the distribution of wealth and power.
• The impact of social media on political polarization
• The effects of campaign finance laws on elections
• The role of interest groups in shaping public policy
• The effectiveness of international human rights organizations
• The causes and consequences of political corruption
• The impact of globalization on national sovereignty
• The role of the media in shaping public opinion
• The influence of public opinion on policy making
• The relationship between economic inequality and political participation
• The effects of electoral systems on representation
• The role of political parties in democratic governance
• The relationship between religion and politics
• The effectiveness of peacekeeping operations
• The impact of immigration on political systems
• The relationship between environmental policy and economic growth
• The effects of globalization on labor rights
• The effectiveness of international trade agreements
• The impact of populism on democratic institutions
• The causes and consequences of political violence
• The relationship between nationalism and globalization
• The role of international organizations in conflict resolution
• The effectiveness of international sanctions
• The impact of media ownership on news coverage
• The relationship between political culture and democracy
• The effects of social movements on policy change
• The role of civil society in democratic governance
• The relationship between gender and political participation
• The effectiveness of public-private partnerships in delivering public services
• The impact of foreign aid on economic development
• The role of civil-military relations in democratic governance
• The relationship between foreign policy and national security
• The effects of decentralization on public service delivery
• The impact of trade on labor standards
• The role of international law in regulating state behavior
• The relationship between economic sanctions and regime change
• The effects of political advertising on elections
• The role of executive power in democratic governance
• The impact of social welfare policies on poverty reduction
• The relationship between civil liberties and national security
• The effects of globalization on the environment
• The role of international organizations in promoting human rights
• The relationship between migration and security
• The impact of privatization on public service delivery
• The role of civil society in promoting social justice
• The effects of political polarization on policy making
• The relationship between international law and national sovereignty
• The impact of international aid on governance and democracy
• The impact of political polarization on democracy
• The role of social media in political activism
• The effects of lobbying on government decision-making
• The dynamics of international conflict resolution
• The impact of globalization on the power of nation-states
• The relationship between economic development and democratization
• The effectiveness of international aid in promoting democracy
• The role of international organizations in shaping global governance
• The impact of corruption on democratic institutions
• The role of the media in shaping public opinion and political outcomes
• The impact of political advertising on voter behavior
• The relationship between political participation and social identity
• The role of civil society in promoting democracy
• The impact of political parties on democratic governance
• The impact of globalization on environmental policy
• The impact of globalization on labor standards
• The impact of globalization on human rights
• The role of international law in promoting global justice
• The impact of trade policy on domestic politics
• The impact of international trade agreements on labor standards
• The impact of international trade agreements on the environment
• The impact of military spending on economic development
• The impact of military intervention on democracy
• The impact of military intervention on human rights
• The impact of military intervention on international security
• The impact of income inequality on democratic institutions
• The impact of income inequality on social welfare policy
• The impact of income inequality on public health
• The impact of income inequality on education policy
• The impact of cultural diversity on political representation
• The impact of cultural diversity on social welfare policy
• The impact of cultural diversity on education policy
• The impact of cultural diversity on public health
• The impact of social movements on economic policy
• The impact of social movements on foreign policy
• The impact of social movements on civil rights
• The impact of populism on democracy
• The impact of populism on foreign policy
• The impact of populism on economic policy
• The impact of populism on social welfare policy
• The impact of nationalism on international relations
• The impact of nationalism on domestic politics
• The impact of nationalism on economic policy
• The impact of nationalism on civil rights
• The impact of technology on political power
• The impact of technology on political participation
• The impact of technology on democracy
• The impact of social media on political communication
• The effectiveness of campaign finance regulations
• The role of interest groups in shaping policy outcomes
• The influence of media bias on public opinion
• The impact of demographic changes on electoral outcomes
• The role of identity politics in shaping political attitudes
• The effects of term limits on legislative behavior
• The relationship between authoritarianism and economic development
• The effectiveness of public opinion polls in predicting election outcomes
• The role of political parties in democratic consolidation
• The impact of judicial activism on policy outcomes
• The relationship between public opinion and policy outcomes
• The effectiveness of citizen initiatives in promoting policy change
• The impact of globalization on political institutions
• The effects of campaign advertising on voter behavior
• The relationship between nationalism and foreign policy
• The impact of voting laws on political participation
• The role of interest groups in shaping foreign policy
• The effects of social movements on political change
• The relationship between democracy and economic growth
• The effectiveness of lobbying on policy outcomes
• The impact of the media on political polarization
• The role of international norms in promoting human rights
• The relationship between government corruption and economic development
• The effectiveness of policy diffusion in promoting policy change
• The impact of trade policies on economic growth
• The role of international institutions in managing global crises
• The effects of populism on democratic governance
• The relationship between foreign aid and economic development
• The effectiveness of proportional representation systems in promoting democracy
• The impact of social media on political participation
• The role of civil liberties in democratic governance
• The effects of decentralization on governance
• The relationship between nationalism and democratic governance
• The effectiveness of public-private partnerships in promoting economic development
• The role of the military in democratic governance
• The effects of federalism on policy outcomes
• The effectiveness of conflict resolution strategies in promoting peace
• The impact of political polarization on policy outcomes
• The role of transparency in promoting democratic governance
• The effects of immigration policies on social cohesion
• The relationship between gender and political representation
• The effectiveness of international human rights law in promoting accountability
• The impact of social media on political participation and voter behavior.
• The role of the media in shaping public opinion on immigration policies.
• An analysis of the impact of economic inequality on democratic participation.
• A study of the effect of international aid on development and political stability in low-income countries.
• A comparative analysis of the political systems of China and the United States.
• An examination of the impact of political polarization on the effectiveness of democratic governance.
• The role of political parties in shaping government policies and programs.
• The impact of lobbying on government decision-making.
• An analysis of the impact of political corruption on economic development.
• The role of civil society organizations in promoting democratic governance.
• A study of the effect of public opinion on foreign policy decision-making.
• An examination of the role of interest groups in shaping environmental policy.
• The impact of globalization on the distribution of wealth and power.
• An analysis of the impact of campaign finance laws on the electoral process.
• The role of the judiciary in protecting individual rights and freedoms.
• A comparative analysis of the healthcare systems of developed countries.
• An examination of the impact of terrorism on civil liberties and human rights.
• The role of international organizations in promoting global governance.
• An analysis of the impact of social movements on political change.
• A study of the effect of political violence on democratic governance.
• The impact of political ideology on public policy.
• The role of the executive branch in shaping foreign policy.
• An examination of the impact of gender on political representation and leadership.
• The impact of climate change on global security and governance.
• A comparative analysis of the education systems of developed countries.
• An analysis of the impact of gerrymandering on electoral outcomes.
• The role of the military in shaping foreign policy and national security.
• The impact of populism on democratic governance.
• An examination of the role of civil liberties in protecting individual rights.
• The impact of political polarization on social welfare policies.
• The role of political elites in shaping public policy and decision-making.
• The impact of the media on the political agenda-setting process.
• A study of the effect of political institutions on economic growth.
• The role of international law in shaping global governance.
• The impact of nationalism on international relations.
• An analysis of the impact of immigration on social cohesion and integration.
• The role of trade agreements in shaping global economic governance.
• A comparative analysis of the electoral systems of developed countries.
• An examination of the impact of economic sanctions on global governance.
• The impact of public opinion on the implementation of social welfare policies.
• A study of the effect of military intervention on democratic governance.
• The role of international human rights law in protecting individual rights and freedoms.
• The impact of populism on social welfare policies.
• An analysis of the impact of religious institutions on political decision-making.
• The role of non-state actors in shaping global governance.
• The impact of political discourse on political behavior and attitudes.
• A study of the effect of globalization on income inequality.
• The role of international trade in shaping global economic governance.
• An examination of the impact of colonialism on modern political systems.
• The impact of regionalism on international relations.
• The role of media bias in shaping public opinion on political issues.
• An analysis of the impact of populism on democratic governance.
• A comparative study of the political systems of democratic and authoritarian regimes.
• The impact of gender on political representation and decision-making.
• A study of the effect of the European Union on national sovereignty and democracy.
• An examination of the role of civil society in promoting democracy and human rights.
• The impact of immigration on social welfare policies in developed countries.
• A comparative analysis of the healthcare systems of developed and developing countries.
• An analysis of the impact of corruption on economic development and political stability.
• The role of interest groups in shaping public policy and decision-making.
• The impact of international organizations on global governance and cooperation.
• A study of the effect of campaign finance regulations on political campaigns and electoral outcomes.
• An examination of the role of the judiciary in protecting individual rights and liberties.
• The impact of political ideology on foreign policy decision-making.
• A comparative analysis of the education systems of developed and developing countries.
• An analysis of the impact of nationalism on international relations and global governance.
• The impact of climate change on national security and foreign policy.
• A study of the effect of military intervention on human rights and democracy.
• An examination of the impact of gerrymandering on electoral outcomes and representation.
• The role of non-state actors in shaping global governance and decision-making.
• The impact of economic inequality on democratic participation and representation.
• A comparative analysis of the electoral systems of democratic and authoritarian regimes.
• An analysis of the impact of social movements on political change and decision-making.
• The role of civil liberties in protecting individual rights and freedoms.
• A study of the effect of international trade agreements on global economic governance.
• An examination of the role of interest groups in shaping environmental policy and decision-making.
• The impact of populism on social welfare policies and economic development.
• An analysis of the impact of political polarization on the effectiveness of democratic governance.
• The impact of colonialism on modern political systems and institutions.
• A study of the effect of economic sanctions on global governance and cooperation.
• An examination of the impact of religious institutions on political decision-making and human rights.
• The role of regionalism in shaping international relations and global governance.
• The impact of social media on political participation and activism.
• An analysis of the impact of international aid on development and political stability in low-income countries.
• The role of the executive branch in shaping foreign policy and national security.
• A study of the effect of political violence on democratic governance and human rights.
• The impact of trade policy on global economic governance and cooperation.
• An analysis of the impact of political corruption on economic development and political stability.
• The impact of public opinion on foreign policy decision-making and international relations.
• A study of the effect of military spending on economic growth and development.
• An examination of the role of civil society organizations in promoting democratic governance and human rights.

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Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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• Oxford Bibliographies: Political Science This link opens in a new window Hundreds of annotated guides to recent scholarship in topics across all subfields of political science and international relations.
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• The Encyclopedia of Political Science Covers all areas of political science and provides medium-length entries with short bibliographies for further reading. Created under the direction of the American Political Science Association. Also in print at JA61 .E513 2011 (Trustee Reading Room Reference).
• International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.) This link opens in a new window Covering 26 volumes in print, this major encyclopedia aims to capture the "state of the art" of the social and behavioral sciences, expanding its focus to include related biological fields, such as evolutionary science, genetics, cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, and health. Topics include anthropology, archaeology, demography, economics, education, geography, history, law, linguistics, philosophy, political science, psychiatry, psychology, and sociology.
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The Top 10 Most Interesting Political Science Research Topics

Coming up with good political science research topics may seem like a daunting task. Whether you’re interested in foreign policy, international conflict, or immigration policy, it is worthwhile to take some time to research and find out which topics are currently relevant before diving into research. You want a topic that is manageable and meaningful. After all, you are going to invest a good deal of time and effort in answering the central questions of your project.

In this article, we will show you ten examples of political science research topics for bachelor’s degree students. We also show you how to craft political science research questions that work. With this list of currently relevant political science research paper topics, you can be sure you’ll work on something meaningful and relevant.

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What makes a strong political science research topic.

A strong research topic is original and relevant. It builds on previous studies published by reputable sources. It’s broad enough to be relatable but narrow enough to be unique. To get some ideas, you can explore the most recent topics published in Cambridge University Press’s American Political Science Review . It covers all areas of political science, from American politics to foreign relations.

Ask teachers from your academic department what they are currently writing about. Talk to your academic advisor if you can’t find a strong topic. Finally, make sure that your topic follows the guidelines set by your teacher.

Tips for Choosing a Political Science Research Topic

• Pick a meaningful topic. The research will be more enjoyable if you find it personally interesting. For instance, if immigration policy is a topic of personal value to you, you can center your research topic around it and this will help you stay engaged in your research.
• Discuss research ideas with classmates. They can help you find insight from a fresh perspective.
• Make sure your topic has a manageable size. One of the major requirements for choosing a topic is making sure that it will be manageable. Explore some key questions in your chosen field until you narrow your own topic down to something you can take on successfully.
• Use reputable sources. Choose authoritative articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Make sure you choose the ones relevant to your topic, whether that is democratic governments, the political behavior of a particular group, or a particular authoritarian regime.
• Join the current scholarly debate. Make your topic part of cutting-edge research. Discussing things like current forms of government or current political events will help you ensure your chosen topic will contribute to salient issues of political theory as well as critical policy debates.

What’s the Difference Between a Research Topic and a Research Question?

A research topic is a focused area of study in a scientific field or subfield. The goal of the research question is to narrow down that area even further. By answering the research question, you contribute to understanding the topic. The research question guides your research and writing, leading you to make a contribution to that particular topic and field.

How to Create Strong Political Science Research Questions

Gather information on your topic to get familiar with the current research. Find an interesting aspect to explore. Identify the gaps in the research mentioned in articles about your topic. Now, try to find a question that would address that gap.

Start your question with what, why, when, or how. The question must be clear and focused. You can also use guides to develop a research question by narrowing the topic to help you get started.

Top 10 Political Science Research Paper Topics

1. building government capacity to address global environmental challenges.

Complex tradeoffs are part of environmental policy, especially in the 21st Century. Green technology investments can boost the economy and create jobs. But workers in the oil and coal industry will lose them. This is all part of an ongoing discussion about environmental protection and the political attitudes of different groups towards green policies.

The public will support climate policy only if the costs are fairly distributed. Governments have to generate transparent policies to earn the trust of the citizens. This controversial topic demands a good deal of research, an understanding of environmental policy, an analysis of policy outcomes, and the development of new political theories.

2. Influence of Social Movements and Advocacy Groups on Policymaking

The government often makes its policies behind closed doors. In response, social movements organize to get access to and take part in policymaking. Every representative democracy needs the participation of social movements and advocacy groups. They help to hold the American government accountable, ensuring the human rights of citizens are protected.

Social movements and advocacy groups have a powerful influence on public opinion, and can influence the political participation of specific groups. American politics has to consider their ideas to improve political attitudes. Political science researchers have to expand on this topic to understand collective action.

3. Effect of an Interdependent World on the Roles of Governments and Institutions

Many of the policy challenges at a domestic level are now global, and political leaders know this. Governments need policies to regulate institutions, promote international cooperation, and lessen political disputes. They need to train their workforce with a global mindset. This also has a direct impact on political campaigns and electoral politics.

As globalization influences the political development of all nations, government employees are now working on an international stage. They need knowledge of international relations to share knowledge and collaborate. Policymaking for an interdependent world is a relevant political science topic.

4. Prosperity and Equality Through Public Policy

The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the financial stability of many families. Technological disruptions cause unexpected changes in the international markets. Clearly, we cannot take for granted the economic resilience of the country. The government uses economic policy to protect prosperity and equality. Economic development is a major topic in political science research.

5. Factors Influencing Policymaking Around Taxes, Regulation, and Trade

Tax policy affects economic development and social progress. Economic reform is part of the international conversation on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development . Trade regulation and immigration policies are frequently discussed in political science research, making them a great topic for any aspiring political scientist.

6. Influence of Gender, Race, Class, and Other Aspects of Identity on Policymaking

Diversity and intersectionality are becoming necessary topics in modern politics. Educational institutions and public companies are adopting equity and inclusion goals. The expectations for incorporating diversity in policymaking are higher than ever. Policymaking to prevent discrimination and create the grounds for fair immigration policy is a highly relevant topic.

7. The Role of Government in Providing Affordable Healthcare

Universal Health Coverage (UHU) is a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative to provide global access to healthcare services. The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving this goal.

The COVID-19 pandemic made clear the need for international cooperation in health. International relations theories have to change to make UHU possible. Global health policymaking is a pressing research topic in modern politics.

8. Mitigating Cyber Breaches And Security Challenges Through Policymaking

Countries are adopting cyber security strategies through policymaking. Some of them have a dedicated agency for cyber security. Worldwide, information and technology assets are growing in importance. Cyber security is now part of contemporary world politics and the economic development of nations.

Cyber regulation comes with a whole new set of policymaking challenges that contemporary world politics needs to tackle. It involves international cooperation and coordination. Policymaking to neutralize cyber threats is a growing topic in modern politics research.

9. Harnessing Data for Good Governance

Partnerships between public institutions and private companies facilitate the use of big data. This comes with several institutional challenges, like combining data sources. Regulating data access and addressing privacy concerns will need extensive policymaking. Modernizing data governance is a current topic in political science research.

10. Regulating Disinformation In the United States Through Public Policy

Americans are turning to social media and biased websites to make sense of politics. The proliferation of misinformation is fueling division and polarization, and can depress public confidence and discourage political participation. Regulating disinformation through public policy is becoming an urgent topic.

Regulating freedom of speech is not common in the American political tradition. Political scientists use cost-benefit analysis to find balanced solutions for these complex problems. There are growing opportunities for research on the topic of misinformation regulation and the role of government in the digital age.

Other Examples of Political Science Research Topics & Questions

Political science research topics.

• Ethnic Conflict Between Americans and Arab-Americans in the United States
• Telecommunications Policies in China
• The Supreme Court and Reproductive Rights
• The Evolution of Affirmative Action Initiatives
• The Development of a Constitutional Right of Privacy

Political Science Research Questions

• How can public leaders balance political realities and policy priorities?
• What developments in science and technology are changing political attitudes?
• Will public-private partnerships change the approach of government to public problems?
• How do policymakers navigate the tensions between private power and democratic values?
• How can public policymaking integrate a human rights perspective?

Choosing the Right Political Science Research Topic

It is important to know how to choose a research topic if you want to pursue a political science degree . The right political science research topic is engaging and manageable. Choose a topic that is interesting to you. It will keep you engaged and motivated during the research process. Keep in mind that your initial research topic might change. As your expertise grows, your topic will become more precise.

Political Science Research Topics FAQ

Political science is a field of knowledge that studies political phenomena. American politics, political theories, and international politics are common topics in political science. Political scientists use comparative politics and policy analysis to improve public problems.

Political science research is important because it improves public policies and can lead to necessary legal reform. It helps citizens understand American politics and foreign policy issues. Research in political science improves international cooperation and global environmental policies, and helps us make sense of major world events.

Yes, you can get a political science degree online. You can get a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in political science without going to college. There are several online political science degree options from good universities. With a Graduate Equivalency Degree (GED), you can get a political science associate degree in two years.

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With a degree in political science, you can get a job as a legislative assistant or a campaign manager. Social media managers for political institutions are also in demand. With a graduate degree in political science, you can become a policy analyst or an urban planner. Political scientists can work in either academia or the private sector.

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Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills (3rd edn)

• Guided Tour of the Online Resources
• 1. Political Research
• 2. Forms of Knowledge: Laws, Explanation, and Interpretation in the Study of the Social World
• 3. Objectivity and Values
• 4. Asking Questions: How to Find and Formulate Research Questions
• 5. Finding Answers: Theories and How to Apply Them
• 6. Research Design
• 7. What is Data?
• 8. Experimental Research
• 9. Comparative Research
• 10. Historical Research
• 11. Surveys
• 12. Interviewing and Focus Groups
• 13. Ethnography and Participant Observation
• 14. Textual Analysis*
• 15. Quantitative Analysis: Description and Inference
• 16. Patterns of Association: Bivariate Analysis
• 17. A Guide to Multivariate Analysis
• Finding and Citing Sources for Political Research

p. 93 4. Asking Questions: How to Find and Formulate Research Questions

• Sandra Halperin Sandra Halperin Professor of International Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London
•  and  Oliver Heath Oliver Heath Professor of Politics, Royal Holloway, University of London
• https://doi.org/10.1093/hepl/9780198820628.003.0004
• Published in print: 17 April 2020
• Published online: August 2020

This chapter deals with the first step of the research process: the formulation of a well-crafted research question. It explains why political research should begin with a research question and how a research question structures the research process. It discusses the difference between a topic or general question, on the one hand, and a focused research question, on the other. It also considers the question of where to find and how to formulate research questions, the various types of questions scholars ask, and the role of the ‘literature review’ as a source and rationale for research questions. Finally, it describes a tool called the ‘research vase’ that provides a visualization of the research process, along with different types of questions: descriptive, explanatory, predictive, prescriptive, and normative.

• research process
• research question
• political research
• literature review
• research vase
• descriptive question
• explanatory question
• predictive question
• prescriptive question
• normative question

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200 Unique Political Science Research Topics

Political science is an interesting field which covers the study of government, politics, and public policy. It is an intriguing subject hence you get plenty of potential areas to explore for research. All you need is to choose a good research topic to craft a masterpiece.

Speaking of which, are you having issues choosing a research topic? Don’t worry, we have huge lists of amazing topics here from a professional  paper help  to get you started. Let’s read them all.

Table of Contents

Top Political Science Topics to Ace Your Research Paper

Political science has loads of potential topics for research. Hence, it’s a great opportunity for you to make a mark academically with this paper. Let’s get started with our first list!

Interesting Political Science Research Topics

If you want to delve into the complexities of international politics, go for a topic from this list.: 

• Afghanistan in international relations
• The Great Afghan Game and its impact
• The national interest of The States: from the origins to the era of multilateralism
• The political history of the United States geopolitics institutions government
• Security and Geopolitics Strategies
• The transformation of international economic and geopolitical relations
• Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
• European Union public opinion regarding Middle Eastern Affairs
• European integration foreign policy for Albania
• Soft power: the case of the United States and China
• China vs. the United States: Soft power affairs and the role of Media
• University course of Political Sciences and International Relations
• Strengthening the capacities of the European Union’s international relations after the Lisbon Treaty
• The Uniting for Peace resolution and its impact on the United Nations’ practice
• Iraq from a province of the Ottoman Empire to the fall of the monarchy (1514 – 1958)
• History of Islamic Middle East
• International relations of Iraq During the Ottoman Empire
• Cyberwar: instability in international relations
• America’s political and trade relations with Iran
• The Case of North Korea 
• Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq
• Agreements, conflicts and power strategies
• Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy and Post-Ukrainian-War relations with the world
• Ukraine between East and West
• Sport and International Relations
• UN and the IOC for the protection of human rights
• Nonverbal and intercultural communicative competence for tourism promotion
• US Energy Security Strategies
• Russia and China: history of relations from 1949 to 2012 and oil relations from 1992 to 2012
• From the Silk Road to the natural gas route: geopolitics and international relations in Central Asia
• The Evolution of a Political Phenomenon
• Relations between Russia and the European Union from 1992 to today and the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War
• Chinese diplomacy in Africa: an example of strategic cooperation
• Recent international aspects of the China-US relationship
• The evolution of the international discipline relating to climate change
• The difficult relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States
• China and the international legal system
• Diplomatic aspects of the Balkan wars

Public Law Political Science Research Topics

Check out our selection of interesting legal inquiries and explore the world of Public Law. Here you go with the list:

• Private economic activity and public administration: mutual limits and collaboration tools
• Public services and local public services
• The role of the municipality in the constitutional and European framework
• Local autonomy and fiscal federalism
• The concept of the Republic and the reorganization of territorial autonomies 
• The protection of fundamental rights between domestic law and European law
• Legal reserves and the principle of legality
• The guarantee of democratic control
• The nullity of the administrative provision
• The administrative precautionary judgment
• Constitutional law, administrative law and Public economic law
• The constitutionalizing of the subsidiarity principle
• The protection of competition between the State and the Regions
• The division of jurisdiction in the American constitutional system
• National law and community law
• Legality, impartiality and good performance of the Public Administration
• Constitutional principles of administration
• Internal and external relations of the European Union
• Regulations, procedures and organization regarding European structural funds
• The institutions of the European Union
• International organization
• The American judicial area and the free circulation of civil and criminal judgments
• International civil procedural law
• Private international law
• Internal and international criminal procedure
• International cooperation in criminal matters
• Comparative law of the environment
• Citizenship, immigration and asylum
• Constitutions and constitutionalism

Top Political Science Research Topics

Check out this list of thought-provoking political science topics. Here’s the list:

• State reform and political culture
• Electoral processes, political parties, political groups
• Civil society, social movements, collective action and political culture
• Political role regarding human rights
• National security
• Scenarios of politics and power
• Political processes
• Federalism and state reform in Europe
• Legislative powers in the United States of America
• Public security, justice and rule of law
• Transition to democracy
• Democratization
• Political culture
• Reform of the state
• Problems of political change 
• Political socialization and values of democracy in the child population
• Political system
• The political system in the States
• Comparative political culture
• Exclusion, participation and citizenship
• Political organization
• Participation of the workers
• Government, processes and social actors
• Public opinion and political behavior
• Comparative political institutions
• Electoral processes and voter behavior
• Political transition
• Political and electoral communication and marketing
• Campaigns and elections
• Mass media and political transition
• Comparative political transformations in Latin American countries
• Globalization and trade unionism in Mexico and Brazil
• Religion and politics, religion and economics
• Political parties and electoral systems
• Actors and leaders Global Political Powers
• Political conflict and social order
• Legal system and institutional designs
• Structural reforms in comparative perspective
• Democratic consolidation
• Democracy and rule of law
• Civil society, political culture, governance

Political Theory Research Topics

• The Idea of Political Theory
• Varieties of Political Theory
• The foundations of a fair policy
• Power: politics, identity and the Law
• Political thought as theory
• Research about political ideologies
• The founding political ideologies in modernity
• Difference between liberalism, socialism and conservatism
• Approaches to their divergences and affinities
• The positive and analytical theory of politics
• Institutions and problems of institutional design
• Contemporary Political Philosophy
• Liberalism, Marxism, Libertarianism, Feminism, and Communitarianism
• Contemporary political realism
• The foundations of a secular order
• The question of modernity in political America
• The search for the sources of moral and/or political energies
• The search for transparency and certainty
• The intellectual pre-conditions of modernity
• The impossibility of emancipation
• The Rule of Law and its aporias: Sovereignty, Exception and Constituent Power
• The “technical” nature of political power
• The moral problem for political power
• The question of political realism
• Power as a contingency of the human
• Power as self-government: the techniques of democracy
• From the Idea of Justice to the practice of Justice
• Multiculturalism and Justice
• The question of the feminists and the idea of Justice
• Different principles for the Idea of Justice
• Justice, collective interest, common good and rights

Political Science Research Questions

• What are the primary factors influencing voter turnout? 
• To what extent does the media’s framing of political events influence public opinion? 
• What are the key drivers behind the persistence of authoritarian regimes in certain regions? 
• How does international cooperation on climate change mitigation and adaptation vary? 
• What are the implications of emerging disruptive technologies? 
• How do different electoral systems affect representation and governance outcomes?
• What are the main challenges and opportunities in crafting effective immigration policies? 
• What role does identity politics play in shaping the dynamics of conflict? 

Research Title About Politics

• The Heights of Discord: the Golan between Syria and Israel
• The use of conventional weapons, and chemical or bacteriological weapons
• The use of nuclear weapons
• Exclusive use of conventional weapons
• Wars of colonial liberation
• International Wars
• International regional wars
• International bilateral wars
• Direct and unilateral political violence
• Common criminal violence
• Political assassination
• State terrorism in Kashmir
• Human rights and political violence
• Terms of damages to civilians
• War and Violence in the Middle East
• Youth violence in urban contexts
• Collective action – Mechanisms of the dispute
• Consciousness, values, identities and ideologies
• Analysis of the weight of structures in the transition from traditional to modern society and from this to the current one

Conflict Resolution Research Topics

• Challenges for social research and public policy
• Studies on the post-conflict, coexistence and the role of civil society
• Conflict studies
• The conflict and the vicissitudes of building a national project
• Modernization, conflict and democracy
• Reconciliation and the role of Civil Society
• Difficulties in carrying out fieldwork
• Results of the fieldwork
• The reconstruction of the conflicting events
• The study of community conflict through biographical interviews
• The observation of conflicting parties
• Symbolic disputes, authority and representation
• New intermediaries: migrant agents
• Transnational communities: changes and continuities of communities
• Social drama and contentious language
• The community as a political and intermediary process
• The community as a sense of belonging
• Local government and system of uses and customs
• Derivatives of a concept: the community in sociology and anthropology
• The perspective of intersectionality for the analysis of intra-community conflict
• Passion and political culture
• Towards a proposal for the analysis of political conflict: the production of antagonisms
• Analysis of international conflicts from the Sociology
• Celebration between the different levels of analysis
• Types and classification of elites
• Analysis tools and methodological concepts
• Agents, population and linear power relations
• Power and power resources
• Sociology of Power and conflict analysis

Good Topics in Political Science (Mediation and Negotiation)

Still looking for a research topic about politics? Check out this list. 

• Restorative justice and reconciliation
• International law and treaty law 
• Race and ethnic relations
• International organization for mediation and negotiations
• International negotiations
• Mediation: skills and applications
• Negotiation: skills and applications
• Understand the conflict
• Basic course on mediation and conflict resolution
• Argumentation and critical thinking
• Presence and involvement of the parties in the resolution of the dispute
• Difficulties and dilemmas in the political processes of mediation and negotiation
• Preliminary questions on political mediation and negotiation
• Collecting the relevant information to negotiate
• Behavior and positions of those involved in the negotiation
• General policies, established by those who promote the negotiation
• Identification of contingencies and their probability of occurrence
• Specific policies that are applicable to the negotiation itself
• Challenges Of Business Mediation in Europe
• Would Mediation Be Adequate and Beneficial for Resolving Business Disputes?
• Application And Development of Business Mediation
• Business Mediation
• Principles Of Mediation
• Conciliation, Mediation, Negotiation and Arbitration

Conflicts In Politics Research Topics

• Contemporary history cold war
• Political studies and conflict resolution
• Comparative analysis of public policies and actions aimed at health promotion and prevention of Covid-19
• International Conflicts: Manners of Solution and International Humanitarian Law
• International Conflict Resolution Means
• Diplomatic or Political Media
• International Humanitarian Law of War
• Basis of the Obligation of International Humanitarian Law of War
• Juridical-Legal Basis of International Humanitarian Law
• Geneva Convention to improve the fate of the Wounded and Sick of the Armed Forces in Campaign
• II Geneva Convention to improve the fate of the Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked of the Armed Forces at Sea
• Relative to the protection of victims of International Armed Conflicts
• Relative to the protection of victims of non-international armed conflicts
• Mechanisms to control compliance with International Humanitarian Law in armed conflicts
• Role Played by the International Committee of the Red Cross
• Time of Peace: Complies with the teaching and dissemination of the norms of International Humanitarian Law
• Sanctions for Non-compliance with International Humanitarian Law
• Criminal Responsibility of the Individual

Comparative Politics

• Islamist regimes: the case of Iran
• The democratic institutions
• The crisis of democracy
• The quality of democracy
• The processes of transition and democratic consolidation
• The political transitions in Eastern Europe
• The Westminster model and the Westminster model of democracy consensus
• The parliamentary regime, presidential regime, semi-presidential regime and semi-parliamentary
• The concept of democracy
• Communist regimes: the case of China
• Populist and nationalist regimes
• Traditional and tribal systems
• The military and civil-military dictatorships
• Authoritarian and totalitarian regimes
• The formation of political systems in Europe and the USA
• Neocolonialism and economic dependence on the Third World
• Reform and revolution
• The construction of the nation-state in Africa and Asia
• The institutionalization of power
• The process of political modernization
• Dynamics of political systems: development and change
• Cultural and political socialization
• Social groups: pressure groups and social movements
• The socioeconomic structure: market and planning
• The social environment of political systems
• Political system and decision process
• Dynamic and institutional comparability
• Research methods in political science

No doubt political science gives you a lot of options for research. But you have to pick a good one which will guide you in the right direction. Hopefully this blog post has helped you pick a topic or two to work on. 

If you still have problems choosing a topic or dealing with political science assignments, do count on the professional expertise of  our writers .

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MERRIMACK COLLEGE MCQUADE LIBRARY

Political science.

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A research question is a statement that defines what is to be studied. It is the core of the research project, study, or literature review. Your research question  focuses the study, determines the methodology, and guides all stages of inquiry, analysis, and reporting.

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Political Science Research Questions : Uncovering insightful and relevant inquiries

• political science

Political science research questions seek to analyze political phenomena and institutions in society. This involves examining power structures, public policies, and government behavior to understand and explain political processes.

Political science research questions cover a wide range of topics, including comparative politics, international relations, and public administration. Researchers explore questions related to governance, political ideologies, and the impact of political decisions on society. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for informing public policy, promoting democratic participation, and enhancing the functioning of political systems.

By delving into these questions, scholars contribute to deeper insights, informed debates, and evidence-based decision-making in the political arena. This research also helps to advance our understanding of the complexities and nuances inherent in political phenomena, offering valuable perspectives for addressing societal challenges.

Credit: www.reuters.com

Understanding The Importance

When delving into the realm of political science research, understanding the importance of research questions is crucial for unlocking insightful discoveries. Research questions serve as the backbone of any empirical study, shaping the direction of the investigation and guiding the researcher towards valuable insights. By establishing clear and focused research questions, political scientists can effectively navigate the complexity of political phenomena, contributing to the advancement of knowledge within the field.

Significance Of Research Questions In Political Science

Research questions play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of political science research. This is primarily because clearly formulated research questions act as a guidepost for researchers, ensuring that their inquiries are precise and targeted . By honing in on specific aspects of political phenomena, researchers can avoid ambiguity and obtain focused insights that contribute meaningfully to the expansion of political science knowledge .

Establishing The Link Between Research Questions And Insightful Discoveries

The link between research questions and insightful discoveries lies in the focus and specificity of the inquiries. When research questions are carefully crafted , they serve as critical tools for delving deep into the intricacies of political phenomena. In doing so, researchers can uncover nuanced patterns, relationships, and causality that underlie the complex landscape of politics. Through this process, the insightful discoveries stemming from well-formulated research questions bolster the evidence base of political science, enriching the discipline with robust and meaningful findings .

Formulating Effective Research Questions

Research questions are crucial in guiding the process of political science studies. Formulating effective research questions ensures that the research is focused, relevant, and impactful. By asking the right questions, political scientists can delve into complex societal issues and contribute to a deeper understanding of political dynamics.

Attributes Of Effective Political Science Research Questions

• Specific and Focused: Effective research questions are specific and focused on a particular aspect of political science . They avoid being too broad or vague, allowing for in-depth analysis.
• Clear and Concise: Research questions should be articulated in a clear and concise manner to ensure understanding and avoid ambiguity.
• Empirical and Testable: Political science research questions should be framed in a way that allows for empirical investigation and testing, enabling the collection of concrete data and evidence.
• Relevance to Political Context: Questions must be relevant to the current political landscape, addressing issues that have practical and real-world significance.

Utilizing Contextual Relevance To Frame Research Questions

Crafting research questions that are contextually relevant involves understanding the societal, historical, and cultural context in which the political phenomena under investigation occur. By aligning research questions with the relevant political context , scholars can ensure that their inquiries address actual challenges and developments, leading to insightful and applicable findings.

Types Of Political Science Research Questions

In political science research, various types of research questions are explored to analyze and understand various aspects of political behavior, institutions, and processes. Each type of research question serves a specific purpose and contributes to the depth of knowledge within the field. Understanding the different types of political science research questions is crucial for developing effective research methodologies and addressing complex political phenomena.

Descriptive Research Questions In Political Science

Descriptive research questions in political science focus on identifying and describing the characteristics, patterns, and behaviors within political systems. These questions seek to provide a comprehensive overview of a particular political phenomenon or event, often using qualitative or quantitative methods to analyze and present the data. Examples of descriptive research questions include:

• What are the voting patterns among different demographic groups within a specific constituency?
• How has public opinion on immigration policies evolved over the past decade?

Explanatory Research Questions In Political Science

Explanatory research questions aim to uncover the reasons or causes behind political phenomena or events. These questions delve deeper into understanding the relationships between different variables, exploring underlying mechanisms, and explaining the factors that influence political outcomes. Explanatory research questions often involve hypothesis testing and statistical analysis. Examples of explanatory research questions include:

• What are the factors that contribute to the rise of populist movements in democratic societies?
• How does the distribution of power within a political system impact policy decision-making?

Predictive Research Questions In Political Science

Predictive research questions in political science seek to anticipate future political developments or outcomes based on current trends, patterns, and dynamics. These questions utilize historical data, forecasting models, and scenario analysis to project potential political scenarios and their likely consequences. Examples of predictive research questions include:

• What are the potential implications of a trade war between major global economies on international relations?
• How might demographic shifts influence the electoral landscape in the upcoming national elections?

Examples Of Insightful Political Science Research Questions

Exploring the impact of globalization on political stability.

Globalization has significantly transformed the dynamics of international relations, potentially influencing political stability in various regions. A research question could be:

• How has globalization contributed to the rise of transnational political movements?
• What are the implications of economic interdependence on state sovereignty and political stability?
• How does the flow of information and cultural exchange due to globalization impact political stability in different societies?

Analyzing The Role Of Social Media In Shaping Political Discourse

Social media platforms have become integral to political communication and public opinion formation. Researchers can investigate the following questions:

• What is the influence of social media on the formation and dissemination of political narratives?
• How does social media contribute to polarization or consensus-building in political discourse?
• What role does social media play in amplifying or attenuating the impact of misinformation and propaganda in political campaigns?

Best Practices For Uncovering Relevant Inquiries

When conducting political science research, formulating relevant and impactful research questions is crucial for success. Understanding the best practices for uncovering relevant inquiries is essential for yielding meaningful insights and driving the field forward. Below, we explore key strategies for shaping research questions in political science.

Leveraging Interdisciplinary Perspectives In Shaping Research Questions

One of the best practices for uncovering relevant inquiries in political science research is to leverage interdisciplinary perspectives when formulating research questions. Political science is a complex field that intersects with various disciplines, including sociology, economics, history, and law. By integrating insights from these diverse fields, researchers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of political dynamics and societal structures.

Incorporating Ethical Considerations In Political Science Research Question Formulation

Another essential aspect of shaping research questions in political science is the incorporation of ethical considerations into the question formulation process. Political science research often delves into sensitive topics related to governance, power, and social justice. Thus, it is imperative for researchers to carefully consider the ethical implications of their inquiries, ensuring that their work adheres to ethical standards and respects the dignity and rights of individuals and communities.

Frequently Asked Questions Of Political Science Research Questions

What are some popular political science research questions.

Political science research questions often focus on topics like political behavior, governance, comparative politics, and international relations. Some popular questions include: “How do political institutions influence citizens’ behavior? ” And “What factors contribute to the stability of political systems? “

How Can I Develop A Unique Political Science Research Question?

To develop a unique political science research question, consider current events, gaps in existing literature, and areas of personal interest. Addressing underexplored topics or frameworks can lead to innovative research questions that contribute to the field’s knowledge base.

Why Is It Important To Refine Political Science Research Questions?

Refining research questions in political science is crucial as it helps focus the study, enhances clarity, and guides the research process. Well-defined questions enable researchers to effectively gather and analyze data, leading to more precise and impactful findings.

The political science research questions discussed highlight the significance of understanding and analyzing the complexities of modern political systems. By delving into these inquiries, researchers can develop valuable insights that contribute to our understanding of politics and its impact on society.

These questions serve as a foundation for future research and enriching our knowledge of the political landscape.

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POSC 325: Political Analysis: Research Question Development

Research question development.

• Literature Review Tips
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Literature Review Assignment

Formulating a Research Question:

• Who:   think in terms of demographics (gender, age, ethnicity, religious preference, special interest groups, etc)
• What:   think about concepts/aspects, sociological and political factors, relevant hot-topic issues, statistics, etc.  
• Where:   compare/contrast a location
• Why/How/So What!:  consider the topic's significance in relation to the reviewed literature, and weigh advantages vs. disadvantages

Keep in mind that research questions can also evolve and change as you review the literature. 

Crafting Good Research Questions

• Draw on  background knowledge
• Begin from  empirical  questions. Good questions are usually about the outcomes (what explains y?) rather than about the causes (what effects does x have?)
• Utilize  "reporter questions"  to go beyond basic facts (who, what, when, where, why, how)
• Do not have a  single correct answer

Empirical Research

What Is Empirical Research? Empirical research applies observation and experience as the main modes of gathering data. Characteristics include:

• Content being based on actual and objective observation or experimentation
• Findings published in scholarly or academic journals
• Introduction, including literature review
• Methodology
• Presentation of the results
• Discussion and/or conclusion

Quantitative Research

What Is Quantitative Research? This type of research emphasize objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques. The ultimate goal is to determine the relationship between one thing [an independent variable] and another [a dependent variable] within a population. Characteristics include:

• Data usually gathered using structured research instruments
• Results based on larger sample sizes that are representative of the population
• Research study can usually be replicated or repeated, given its high reliability
• Researcher has a clearly defined research question to which objective answers are sought
• Data are in the form of numbers and statistics
• Project can be used to generalize concepts more widely, predict future results, or investigate causal relationships
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Political Science

Undergraduate sample research topics.

Students in the Department of Political Science at Western Michigan University will want to review these sample research topics when selecting their own research topic.

• A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Office of Independent Counsel
• A Study on Equitable Water Provision in Latin America
• Affirmative Action: National Origin Minorities
• Aid to the Health-Related Sector: The United States, Japan, and Germany
• An Assessment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
• An Evaluation of International Law as Applied to Genocide from Nuremberg to the Balkans
• Celebrity Influence on Political Campaigns
• Children Soldiers in Africa
• Development of a Constitutional Right of Privacy
• Educational Outcomes in Michigan: A Lack of Focus and Context
• Effectiveness of Rape Shield Laws
• Globalization and the Anti-Globalization Movement
• Legislative Redistricting in Illinois for 2002
• Mexico, Corporate Globalization and the Media
• Mexico's Changing Political Party System
• Nature Within the City: The Greenway Movement and the Transformation of Urban Form
• Pretextual Automobile Stops and the Fourth Amendment
• Public Education and Religious Establishment
• Racial Profiling in post 9/11 United States Content Regulation in Broadcasting
• Religious Exercise in Public Schools: Continuing Debate
• Rights and Their Progression from State to Federal Policy: The Case of the Disability Rights Movement
• Sexual Harassment: Comparative Legal Analysis
• Squatter Settlements in Post-Apartheid South Africa
• Stereotypes Between American and Arab-Americans in the United States
• Telecommunications Policy in China
• The "Political Question" Doctrine and Reapportionment
• The Austrian Freedom Party in 2000
• The Debt Crisis in Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
• The Effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement
• The Equal Rights Amendment: Why Controversy Ensured its Defeat
• The Evolution (and Devolution) of Affirmative Action Initiatives
• The 14th Amendment and Privacy
• The Influence of the Antislavery Movement, Republican Ideology, and Federalism on the 14th Amendment
• The Lemon Test and the Religious Establishment Clause
• The Patriot Act: Security/Rights Issues in Historical Perspective
• The Political Economy of the Micro-Island Nations of the Caribbean: The Impact of Tourism on Caribbean Culture, Environment and Society
• The Supreme Court and Reproductive Rights
• The Supreme Court and Sexual Preference
• Title IX and Collegiate Athletic Opportunities
• Truth Commissions and Civil Society
• U.S.-Japanese Trade Policy: A Defense of Limited Unilateralism
• Weapons of the Weak and the Chinese Occupation of Tibet
• Women and Equal Pay: An Assessment of Differences in Universities
• Women, Identity and Political Activism During the Allende Regime in Chile

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A Political Science Guide

For students, researchers, and others interested in doing the work of political science, the research question.

One of the most important stages in the research process is formulating a research question. Both the type of question, and its significance, are important factors

It is usually a good idea to discuss your ideas for research questions with your research advisor or class instructor.

Ask questions, and consider asking  analytical   questions

Formulating your topic as a research question , rather than merely a statement can be a very useful step towards focusing the research project in general. It is common to begin with a broad topic, for instance:

“The international community’s response to piracy off the coast of Somalia.”

You could rephrase this as a descriptive question (This discussion is partly influenced by Benjamin Bloom’s 1956 Taxonomy of educational objectives. ):

“What has been the international community’s response to piracy off the coast of Somalia?”

However, while descriptive questions are important, they are limited in how much they help us understand social phenomena. More interesting questions might include:

“Why is the international community responding to piracy off the coast of Somalia? What are some of the factors impacting their choice of response?”

These are examples of analytical questions, which requires you to identify causes, reasons, and motives for action. Other interesting questions could be questions that require a creative solution to the problem. A policy question would prescribe a response to a particular situation.  For instance:

“How should the international community respond to piracy off the coast of Somalia?”

Yet other questions may require you to evaluate or make a judgment about a situation based on a set of criteria. For instance:

“Has the international community’s response to Somali piracy been effective?”

Focusing the research question

You can easily see how selecting a research question can be useful in determining the direction and scope of a project. Stating a research question can help us clarfiy exactly what will be researched.  We know that we are interested in piracy near Somalia in the questions mentioned above. We also know that we are interested in understanding the role of the international community. One decision we might make is to narrow the focus even further.  After all, the “international community” can be quite broad, consisting of international organizations, such as the United Nations, various country governments, major shipping companies that ship goods through the region, and insurance companies that insure those goods. So we might want to clarify our question even further.  The last question could be:

“Has the United States’ response to Somali piracy been effective?”

This is a clear, focused question that could form the basis of a student research paper. Which is not to say that it will be an easy question to answer. For one thing, this type of question requires us to define “effective”. Defining and measuring such core concepts is a the topic of a later section in this website. See “Concepts and Measurement”.

What makes a good question?

The types of questions that might be valuable have been the subject of some debate and discussion amongst political scientists.  King, Keohane and Verba’s 1994 book, cited below, suggests possible criteria to use in deciding on a topic and question (See especially their discussion that begins on page 14). That criteria includes two general approaches:

1. Choose a question that is important right now in the world; or

2. Choose a question that is important to the scholarly literature.

These are not mutually exclusive categories. A great question can often accomplish both. But consider carefully who you want your audience to be, and how you can make your project important to that audience.

The Quick Guide

• King, Gary, Robert Owen Keohane, and Sidney Verba. 1994. Designing social inquiry: scientific inference in qualitative research . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Almond, Gabriel A., and Stephen J. Genco. 1977. “Clouds, Clocks, and the Study of Politics.” World Politics 29(4): 489-522.
• Indiana University Libraries: “Narrowing a Topic and Developing a Research Question”

Updated January 18, 2024

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33 The Politics of Research

Michael D. Giardina, Center for Physical Cultural Studies, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University

Joshua I. Newman, Center for Physical Cultural Studies, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University

• Published: 04 August 2014
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This chapter critically interrogates the politics of research currently dominating US higher education, a politics shaped as much by theoretical and methodological questions and debates as it is by prevailing social, cultural, political, and economic forces. The arguments are guided by four primary questions: (1) How and to what do the cultural and political priorities of the free-marketized, corporate university impact, direct, or confound the conduct of research?; (2) how and to what extent does politics situate methodologies?; (3) how and to what extent is the research act impinged upon by such particularities as institutional review boards, national funding councils, scholarly journals, and the promotion and tenure process?; and (4) how and where do academics fit into this new research climate? The authors also forward a series of practical recommendations for professors and students alike who seek to actively confront and challenge the academic-industrial complex.

[L]ike it or not, all research is political with deep social and moral dimensions. We must face that apparent contradiction and deal with it head on if we are going to be successful researchers whose ultimate goal is to deepen our knowledge of the natural world and humankind, which will ultimately make our planet a more interesting and hospitable home. – Stephen R. Forrest, Vice President for Research, University of Michigan, 2010

Prior to joining my 1 current university, I taught in a college of media/communication at a major research university in the Midwest, which was home to many leading scholars doing cutting-edge research in the area of cultural studies and interpretive research, as well as to a world-renowned doctoral program. To a person, my faculty colleagues cared deeply about both research and teaching, about the dissemination of impactful scholarship across the disciplines, and the humanistic education of young people. There was, to be sure, a culture of research at play that sought to critique, challenge, and change the modern world.

When one of the departments in the college—a department which at the time was ranked as the No. 1 undergraduate and No. 3 graduate program in its discipline in the United States, according to a study undertaken by a competitor university and a fact that was proudly listed on the department’s website—searched for and hired a new head several years ago, the hire was, unfortunately, emblematic of a shift in priorities toward a market-focused rather than research- or education-focused curricular turn. The new head—who had a long career as an advertising practitioner and professor alike and who would later be elected as president of a prominent scholarly association (as well as hold the title of interim dean at one point)—made it clear from the start of her tenure the direction she saw for the department (as well as for higher education at a research-extensive university more generally) 2 .

At a welcoming event for incoming undergraduate students, she couched her worldview—and view for the program—in the context of market relations and how, as educators, our job was to listen to industry practitioners so that we could best prepare students for prosperous, financially rewarding careers. She later echoed these sentiments in an interview that appeared in a newsletter for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC, 2010) , where she stated in part:

We must look at the changes in our disciplines, changes in the media and changes in our own academic institutions as opportunities. Some very exciting possibilities are surfacing that will help us in the classroom and in our research. Yet—we must engage with the profession to ensure that the education we provide is relevant and respected. AEJMC must be part of this charge and provide the means for the continuous exchange of ideas between the practitioners and the professors so that together we all can make meaningful contributions to educating the next generation. ( http://www.aejmc.org/topics/archives/1328 ; emphasis ours)

Part of operationalizing this worldview within the structure of the academic unit included industry-immersion days, in which faculty were required to gather several hours away at a Chicago advertising agency to listen to industry executives and managers talk about what they preferred to see from recent college graduates and what kind of course offerings they thought would be most beneficial 3 ; a symposium held on campus that featured numerous industry practitioners, including one from McDonald’s who spoke proudly of the brand’s “healthy products” and successful campaigns targeting African-American consumers and another who represented the National Agri-Marketing Association, which has honored marketers from such controversial firms as global agriculture and biotechnology giant Monsanto; and significant efforts at fundraising from external donors. 4 Additionally, three new faculty members were hired in the intervening period, all of whom had significant industry experience and whose research generally contributed to and reinforced, rather than was critical of and challenged, the status quo of consumer relations, marketing strategies, and representational politics. And, when it came to research output, it was made abundantly clear that only discipline-specific, positivist-oriented journals—rather than those with an interdisciplinary or critical bent—would “matter most” when it came to tenure and promotion.

The market orientation and pedagogical imperatives could not be any clearer: students should not be treated as free human agents but as future wage-earning automatons (who may one day endow the department with scholarships or provide students with access to jobs in industry); faculty members should provide students with the tools to be successful in industry rather than nurture their ability to critically question the dictates of industry (or everyday life more generally); autocratic managerialism is preferred over shared faculty governance; and higher education as a whole should sublimate itself to market forces. “Missing from this model of leadership,” however, argues Henry Giroux (2001) , “is the recognition that... public intellectuals are more than merely functionaries of the corporate order” (p. 38). It begs the question: How are we as critical scholars to exist, if indeed flourish, in such a context?

For nearly a decade, we have been writing about qualitative inquiry (see, e.g., Denzin & Giardina, 2006 b ; 2007 ; 2008 ; 2009 ; 2010 ; 2011 ; 2012 ; Denzin, Lincoln, & Giardina, 2006 ) and interpretive research methods (see, e.g., Denzin & Giardina, 2006 a ; Giardina & Denzin, 2012 ; Giardina & Newman, 2011 ), as well as conducting research in, among, through, and with these paradigms (see, e.g., Giardina, 2005 ; King-White, Newman, & Giardina, 2013 ; Newman, 2011 ; Newman & Giardina, 2011 ). Put differently, we have been writing for most of our academic careers ensconced within the landscape of a post-9/11/01 sociopolitical context, one that has witnessed an already strong free-market status quo explicitly privileged in all quarters of life (especially those related to education, health care, and national security). As such, we acknowledge that our project is necessarily grounded in and contingent on the accelerated developments that occurred in the United States over the past decade. 5

This chapter takes as its central task unpacking the politics of research as located within this historical present; a present that is governed and shaped as much by theoretical and methodological interest and engagement as it is by social, cultural, political, and economic forces. That is, a shifting landscape that over the past twenty years has become increasingly hostile not only to qualitative inquiry (see Denzin, 2009 ) but in fact to the very foundations of higher education and democratic thought that once made the American university, as Edward Said (2004) wrote, “the one public space available to real alternative intellectual practices: no other institution like it on such a scale exists anywhere else in the world” (p. 72). But times, as Bob Dylan used to sing, they are a-changing.

Organizationally, in this chapter, we direct attention to the following questions concerning research practices in the contemporary moment:

How and to what extent do the cultural and political priorities of the free-marketized, corporate university impact, direct, or confound the conduct of research?

How and to what extent does politics situate methodologies?

How and to what extent is the research act impinged on by such particularities as institutional review boards (IRBs), national funding councils like the National Science Foundation (NSF) or National Institutes of Health (NIH), scholarly journals, and the promotion and tenure process?

How and where do we as academics fit into this new paradigm?

To illustrate the convergence, and indeed, interconnectedness of these myriad forces, we offer the visual representation in Figure 33.1 .

As you can see, there are (at least) five nodal points directly impinging on the researcher (which we engage with later). However, there is also a moving, if not amorphous, secondary set of philosophical dynamics that hover over and inform this internal matrix—those issues related to cultural and political politics, globalization, neoliberalism, self-reflexivity and researcher subjectivity, and the intersection of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Which is to say, we must look both internally and externally so as to better understand how the politics of research affects our conduct of research.

The Politics of Research in the Neoliberal University

In the mid-twentieth century, higher education was a public good; now the distinction between public and private is not so clear. ( Tuchman, 2009 , p. 21)

Undergirding all research in the contemporary moment is the status and consequence of neoliberalism. 6 In oversimplified terms, our use of the term “neoliberalism” here is in reference to the political economic movement within most developed nation-states (as well as the nationally transcendental brought about by intensified circuits of global interconnectivity) that assumes that only through the freeing of markets and market-based relations can the individual achieve autonomy. According to many globalization and economic theorists, the end of the Cold War (was) brought about this new macroeconomic hegemony—a new world order marshaled by leaders of developed capitalist nation-states (namely Chile under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, and the regimes of Margaret Thatcher in Great Britain, Roger Douglas in New Zealand, Joao Goulart in Brazil, General Suharto in Indonesia, Deng Xiaoping in Communist China, and Ronald Reagan in the United States) who, in the years prior, had supplanted social welfare systems with the laissez-faire imperatives of a profit-first, corporate, capitalist free market.

Visualizing the politics of research.

By the time the last few pieces of the Berlin Wall were being carved into souvenir kitsch, a new world order of deregulated, unfettered capital accumulation had emerged—giving rise to an ephemeral boon for a global capitalist class and particularly for those bourgeoisie with investments in the crude oil, biotechnology, finance and banking, digital communication, and mass entertainment sectors ( Harvey, 2005 ; 2007 ). In most parts of the Global North and Global South, financial markets flourished, speculative capitalism expanded, and income gaps, disparities, and inequalities proliferated at rates that most nodes of the global economy had not theretofore experienced.

Based largely on the “classical” economic theories of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, as revived through neoclassical economists such as Milton Friedman (1962/2002) , Ludwig von Mises (1949/2007) , and Friedrich von Hayek (1944/2007) , these corporate and political intermediaries redesigned a global economy that would “free” various citizenry from the “shackles” of the state, thereby “opening” up the human condition to uninterrupted forms of market exchange. These initiatives included abolition of state regulation of economic activity; opening of national markets for international trade (e.g., the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA]); eradication of tax codes (and particularly those that taxed corporations of upper-class earners); promotion of the interpenetration of capitalist relations into every nuanced social relation; a refocus on individualism and a turn away from social welfare; suppression of central planning; a re-emphasis on individual freedom and a denial of social and economic stratification; and the introduction of new, rationalized systems of “accountability” thusly imposed upon institutions and actors within the public sector.

Under this new world order, social relations were publically rearticulated as capital relations, in which “corporations work closely with the neoliberal state to construct the new economy. The neoliberal state focuses not on social welfare for the citizenry as a whole but on enabling individuals as economic actors. To that end, neoliberal states move resources away from social welfare functions toward production functions” ( Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004 , p. 20). Thus, the public good, unlike at any time in history, became a site of private investment. Public monies were divested from the social welfare apparatuses and reinvested into the market: “The neoliberal attitude toward the state and the market, coupled with the crisis of capital accumulation in the 1970s and 1980s, has led to declines in state spending in, amongst other parts of the former welfare state, higher education” ( Canaan & Shumar, 2008 , p. 10).

Under this new paradigm, “corporate America” emerged as the dominant teleology of the now global late-century economy. It was, as Giroux (see, e.g., 2004) has repeatedly made clear, a materially consequential confluence of unfettered profitability for the private sector and anti-government and anti-Keynesian governmentalities—a realigned democracy in the service of global commerce. Sheila Slaughter (2006) vividly captures the recourses of the neoliberal turn in this way:

At the core, one might argue that neoliberalism is fundamentally anti-cultural or seeks to deny cultural positionality—reducing human action and interaction to patterns of economic activity. It is a set of political, economic, and social dictums conceived, and installed in the real world by, individuals who have exclusively experienced “freedom” through economic relations; wealthy individuals whose paradigm is located in a sensibility of economic “self-worth.” Particularly noteworthy are the ways in which the neoliberal state: alters the boundaries between public and private sector; shifts public subsidy from welfare functions to entrepreneurial activity; exhibits a preference for commercial solutions to public problems; empowers managers rather than workers; privileges the individual over collectivities when collectivities pursue activities that would constrain capital; and favors secrecy and various schemes of classification of information over public circulation of knowledge and civil liberties. All of these have far reaching consequences for academic freedom as we know it. (p. 2)

This philosophy-turned-policy, as we now know, had considerable effects for schooling and tertiary education in particular. 7 As Giroux (1992) reminds us, there were “no disciplines, pedagogies, institutional structures, or forms of scholarship that [we]re untainted by the messy relations of worldly values and interests” (p. 89). Today, the university, like most public institutions, has been radically transformed into a vessel for promulgating heightened commercial activity and extracting new forms of surplus value. What we have witnessed in North and (many parts of) South America, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific Rim is the subordination of “non-market-orientated practices” to create new forms of consumption and labor value. Slaughter and Rhoades (2004) argue that “the neoliberal state,” of what Karl Polanyi (1944/2001) famously predicted as the coming of the “market society,” has “promoted privatization, commercialization, deregulation, and reregulation.... Colleges and universities that pursue an academic capitalist knowledge/learning regime have benefitted from these processes” (p. 21).

What institutional practices have brought about these “benefits”? To a much greater extent than in years past, in these educational settings: knowledge is treated like a commodity generated for the purposes of capital accumulation; students are marketed to and socially engaged as “consumers”; pedagogues are managed to be more productive, and less expensive, laborers (whose labor is increasingly deskilled, rationalized, and made more efficient); and the institutional spaces themselves have become more commercialized and spectacularized (e.g., a North American college athletic complex or a Starbucks coffee shop housed inside a campus library). One result, as Simon Critchley recently lamented about the British context (but a lament that applies equally to our argument) is that:

Universities used to be communities; they used to be places where intellectual life really happened. They were also places where avant-garde stuff was happening. And that’s—in England anyway—completely ground to a halt. Universities are largely sold as factories for production of increasingly uninteresting, depressed people wandering around complaining. There’s been a middle-management take-over of our education, and it’s depressing. So universities... have become a kind of pedestrian, provincial university run by bureaucrats. (quoted in Hines, 2012 , para. 3).

These, we argue, are the living axioms of our time: the market-centric bases to which our academic work is now bound. In the remainder of this section, we focus on how this context is filtered throughout three primary dimensions as it pertains to the research act: the production of knowledge, the consumption of knowledge, and the politicization of knowledge.

Producing Knowledge

Many observers have argued that we have in recent years witnessed the rise of the “corporate university” ( Giroux, 2007 ; Johnson, 2008 ; Rutherford, 2005 ; Shumar, 1997 ). In other words, we have seen an increased “marketization and commodification of higher education as indicative of the wider transition of previously public sector institutions as we move from the welfare state to the market state” ( Canaan & Shumar, 2008 , p. 4). The university campus is now dominated by corporate rhetoric and directives guided by “networking,” “workforce needs,” “cost effectiveness,” “return-on-investment,” and “economies of scale.” Much like a corporation, the university now hires consultants to help control, or “streamline,” variable costs such as faculty wages and “production-related” expenses. As a result, universities have concentrated or even abandoned traditional pedagogical spaces and techniques (i.e., person-to-person classroom teaching) in favor of low-cost options such as online courses, massive lecture auditoriums, and outsourced “practicum” experiences (i.e., internships, which are generally unpaid).

The products that those intellectual workers produce—in this case specialized knowledge—have become increasingly replicable and thus transferrable ( Shumar, 1997 ). 8 The university as research output center has undergone a quasi-Taylorist revival, whereby the human actions created within its spaces are subjected to an intensified “technocratic rationality” ( Althusser, 1971 ). Academic staff are disciplined by an intensifying regime of assessment of their teaching and research products, what Yvonna S. Lincoln (2011) refers to as “a neoliberal, managerial, technocratic set of means for regulating and normalizing behavior and for inducing conformity within the profession” (p. 370). “Rather than a democratic discourse where all of an institution’s citizens are involved in developing dispositional knowledge,” posit William G. Tierney and Robert A. Rhoads (1995) , such assessment protocols have “tried to create a sharper division between managers and workers and to reinforce norms rather than bring them into question” (pp. 109–110). The intended consequence then, as Said (1996) might argue, is “intellectual professionalism” within the professoriate—whereby actors within an orchestration of scholarely life are encouraged not to to rock the proverbial boat, not to stray outside the “accepted paradigms or limits,” and to explicitly work to make oneself marketable, and, above all else, make oneself “uncontroversial and unpolitical and ‘objective’” (p. 55).

Such technocratic rationality “operates under very specific patterns aimed at the increase of production and prediction, the control of the economy, and the regulation of society” ( Fernandez-Balboa & Muros, 2006 , p. 199). George Ritzer (1998) describes the consequences of these rationalizing processes on what has later been termed “McUniversity” in this manner: “Many students and faculty members are put off by its factory-like atmosphere. They may feel like automatons processed by the bureaucracy and computers or feel like cattle run through a meat processing plant” ( Ritzer, 1993 , p. 143). Ritzer’s (1993) point is that, much like a franchise link in the McDonald’s restaurant chain, the production processes of the university have come to be defined by the precepts of efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control.

In particular, workers within the contemporary university have incurred increased pressure to publish (or perish) in greater numbers and to subordinate their “teacher selves” to a more operational, if not subsistence, aspect of their working lives. Moreover, in most “research-intensive” and “research-extensive” institutions, it is not a matter of if one produces research “outputs,” but what type of research. Institutions now often reserve “seed grants,” teaching and research assistantships, or reduction in teaching loads for those teacher-researchers who can promise long-term “yields” in the form of externally lucrative research projects, the development of online “distance-learning” courses, or the founding of research centers driven by private dollars. Which is to say, as producers of knowledge, the working lives of today’s professoriate are ever more influenced by a growing technocratic hegemony from within the university, increasingly rationalized and quantified research expectations, and, as a consequence, the devaluation of their teaching endeavors. Cast as knowledge producers in and of the free market, more scholars in the social sciences have thus turned their focus toward replicable, so-called scientific forms of “evidence” —the sort of evidence market forces and their corporate surrogates are seeking to further expand commercial enterprises (the public–private partnerships at many research universities, with their designated “research parks” and entrepreneurial foci being one such example).

However, we follow Giroux (1983) in calling into question the positivistic, reifying standards by which this neoliberal science is conducted:

the outcome of positivist rationality and its technocratic view of science represents a threat to the notion of subjectivity and critical thinking. The question of essence—the difference between the world as it is and as it could be—is reduced to the merely methodological task of collecting and classifying facts. In this schema, “knowledge relates solely to what is, and to its recurrence” ( Horkheimer, 1972 ). Questions regarding the genesis, development, and normative nature of the conceptual systems that select, organize, and define the facts appear to be outside the concern of positivist rationality. (p. 15)

At its core, what Giroux is elucidating is that if scientific inquiry is molded around market forces, then the generative potentialities of new knowledge formations in and around a topic of inquiry is thus limited to their totemic epistemologies and methods. Or, put differently, “when the market interests totally dominate colleges and universities, their role as public agencies significantly diminishes—as does their capacity to provide venues for the testing of new ideas and the agendas for public action” ( Zemsky, 2003 , p. B9).

Consuming Knowledge

Just as the “production” of knowledge within the university has succumbed to neoliberalism’s “market-first” imperatives, so too have the practices by which that knowledge is now “consumed.” In his methodical vivisection of the “consumer cultures” of the corporate university, Frank Furedi (2002) makes the following case about higher education in the present tense: “universities exist not simply to educate, but also to sell education in a competitive market to customers who, in the past, were wrongly thought of as just scholars” (pp. 34–35). These days, academic staff members are often required to attend “customer relations” seminars, faculty are encouraged to participate in “annual giving campaigns” (and thus in a post-Fordist twist, consume that which they produce), campus bookshops rarely deal in the seminal texts (but more often in themed merchandise), and the spaces of postmodern consumption now cloak campus greenspaces.

In much the same way Channel One 9 successfully galvanized an economic partnership with public secondary schools to sell their wares to education’s most captive ”audience” (see Graham-Pardus, 2003 , para. 9), universities sell their students (or their profiles) to corporations in the fast food, credit card, and telemarketing industries (to name but a few) ( Twitchell, 2004 ). Perhaps the most disconcerting aspects of corporate university consumerism, however, is that a new generation of college students has arrived at the university well-trained in the practices of education-based consumption: “students now in higher education have gone through a commodified, marketized and stratified education system prior to their entry to higher education, which has inculcated this consumerist position and an instrumentalist approach to learning more generally” ( Canaan & Shumar, 2008 , p. 7). Writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education , Rob Jenkins (2012) provides one glimpse of this consumerist ethos in action, drawn from a comment made by a student in his introductory rhetoric class:

We were talking about the way that social mores and public opinions change over time, and how writing both influences and reflects those changes. But when I broached one particularly controversial topic, a student interjected, “ But that’s just your opinion, and I’m not paying for your opinion .”...[T]he current emphasis on “customer service” in academe seems to have given some students the impression that they have the right to “purchase” only those ideas that they personally agree with, and that all other ideas or opinions are at best irrelevant and at worst akin to faulty products or unsatisfactory service. (paras. 2, 11, emphasis ours).

It is this commodification of college life— of the very processes of learning —that both constitutes and is constitutive of the broader foundations of neoliberal life. The core principle underscores a sense of self-identity that can only be constructed through market-based consumerism: “to be a citizen is to be a consumer, and nothing more. Freedom means freedom to purchase” ( Croissant, 2001 , p. 1). If, as we have followed others in arguing, the university has become a productive and produced space through which these sensibilities are protracted, celebrated, and often rewarded, then it does so at a frightening social cost. 10 For instance, what are the costs associated with refining our scientific techniques, assumptions, or results to best appeal to consumer markets? Are some constituents willing to pay more for “university validated” knowledge than others? Most consequentially, what lines of discovery, critique, and invention are we bypassing if we only seek to generate a neoliberal knowledge agenda?

We see the consequences of a “customer-first,” market-friendly science as significant—what Giroux (2007) in fact refers to as the marketization of science. We likewise agree with Canaan and Shumar (2008) that “this consumerist position tends to discourage critical thinking and foreclose a more genuine opportunity to have a say in the shaping of knowledge generation” (p. 7). Within such a context, the urgency for reliability, replication, and “evidence” of bodily patterns has created a condition of tautology—whereby the research act constitutes building on, “proving,” or “disproving” prior work, answering the call for “more research in the area,” and so on.

Under such a modus operandi, we risk falling victim to the academic-industrial complex, of becoming “merchants of McKnowledge” ( Finklestein, 2002 ). The focus of research design falls not on the epistemological soundness of the project or even the possible benefits for society it might yield, but rather on the researcher’s ability to expand on existing findings toward some tangible end. That end has most often been discursively situated within the confines of “applied research.” Reading for the best of “applied research,” we find a transcontinental body of committed scientists seeking to make a difference by applying their skills, knowledges, and training to real-world problems. A more cynical, or perhaps pragmatic, reading of the emergent realm of “applied science” might suggest a turn toward the re-sourcing of university assets (equipment, human labor, information technology, etc.) to generate new marketable commodity knowledge—knowledge that may or may not solve real-world problems but will most certainly have value in the marketplace based on tautological revelation. In either case, posits Joanne Finkelstein (2002), such inquiry is now overrepresented by “a closed system where meaning becomes a cliché and the epistemological horizon is reduced to unobtrusive banalities” (p. 183). To escape from this tautology, she argues, “meaning must be discoverable in the juxtapositions of improbabilities.... As we encounter differences and improbables, we are directed toward fresh ways of thinking and understanding; new ideas and forms emerge” (p. 183).

As just one example, the political calculus of this context has given rise to the emergence of the “self-funded researcher” —the proverbial “Million Dollar Club” member—who while nominally aligned with a university in a professorial role often buys out his or her teaching duties and answers to the dictates of funding agencies rather than their university constituents. Put into practice, neoliberalism has brought about the age of intellectual excavation—whereby legions of prospectors scour the realms of natural resources, public service, and medicine in hopes of identifying and capitalizing on those natural, cultural, or humanistic fields previously un[der]-commodified. 11 These are researchers—well-intentioned health advocates, engineers, or entrepreneurial careerists—who scour the public domain for research “opportunities” that could generate new forms of external research funding, personal accolade, or institutional legitimacy. 12

Politicizing Knowledge

Quite obviously, the formulations just described are not occurring in a historical vacuum. In point of fact, there is very clearly a political imperative at play as well, one that favors (and in many ways explicitly endorses) these conditions of emergence. In the past decade-plus, sociopolitical actors within the United States have increasingly demonized higher education and the professoriate. 13 This we have seen manifested in the extreme policy assaults on unions and public workers, which burst forth with some widespread success following the 2010 midterm elections in the United States that resulted in the election of right-wing politicians such as Scott Walker (R-WI), Rick Scott (R-FL), and John Kasich (R-OH), among others. Most notable of this trio was Walker, who introduced a bill to “kill collective bargaining rights for public sector workers” in Wisconsin, one that was met with widespread outrage among state employees and generated a firestorm of debate across the nation (see Kroll, 2011 , para. 2). Importantly for us, as The Nation ’s Chris Hayes (2011) reported, those impacted most directly by Walker’s bill would be teachers (and, by extension, the imperatives of civic education):

Teachers unions are the stewards of preserving public education, which is the core element of our civic life, of the collective democratic enterprise that is these United States. Conservatives have wanted to abolish public education in its current form for a while, and getting rid of the teachers unions is a necessary first step. (MSNBC Live News Broadcast, February 18, 2011)

In their neoliberal vision of education, critical discourse and the free exchange of ideas stands as impediments to the dictates of the market. Or, as Jason Del Gandio (2010) explains:

While most colleges are still nonprofit institutions, their primary function is to serve the neoliberal enterprise. This happens in at least three ways—by targeting student-consumers, channeling students into corporate careers and contributing to rather than reducing social stratifications. (para. 8)

Such dictates were effectively endorsed by the National Governor’s Association, whose Center for Best Practices suggested that “colleges need to do a better job of aligning their programs with the economic needs of their states” by moving “beyond their traditional emphasis on a broad liberal-arts education to thinking more about skills for specific jobs” through the use of “‘rigorous labor-market data’ to set goals and get more input from local businesses on the skills students need” ( Kelderman, 2011 , para. 1). 14

In statehouses across the country, legislators have taken this line of thinking to heart. One of the most prominent and indeed problematic “solutions” offered thus far is the “Seven Breakthrough Solutions” reform plan for universities that was developed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a free market–based think tank and advocated for by Rick Perry, the Republican Governor of Texas. The plan has drawn harsh rebukes from the academic community for its favoring of teaching over research, measuring productivity and value to the university through a cost–benefit analysis of instructors, and “focusing on the needs of the customers, or students, rather than the faculty” ( Ludwig, 2011 , para. 3). 15 The deleterious effects of such a plan would be staggering. As John O’Connor (2011) summarizes, the plan marks the first step toward research universities becoming nothing more than diploma mills, encourages heavier teaching loads at the expense of research, and implicitly encourages grade inflation.

It should come as no surprise to us, then, that the 2012 political platform issued by the Republican Party of Texas “blatantly opposed critical thinking in public schools throughout the state” ( Weil, 2012 , para. 1). The document states in part:

“Knowledge-Based Education—We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority” (quoted in Strauss, 2012 , para. 2). 16

Yet this is not an isolated incident. In our own state (Florida), Governor Rick Scott has not only made public overtures toward the Texas plan just mentioned (see Balona, 2011 ), he has also made public declarations that should alarm those working in higher education. In October 2011, Scott made public waves by attacking liberal arts degrees such as anthropology as not being of a “vital interest to the state,” seeking instead to shift funding to degrees such as those in science, technology, engineering, and math (the so-called STEM disciplines); or, as Scott put it, funding should “go to degrees where people can get jobs in this state” (Scott, quoted in Anderson, 2011 , para. 4–6). Additionally, Scott advocated for “weeding out unproductive professors” and rethinking (if not outright abolishing) faculty tenure ( Anderson, 2011 , para. 3). 17

However, this market-political rationality cannot be separated from a more cultural-political purview. We recently (2011) saw the state of Arizona embroiled in debates concerning the teaching of Latino Studies in public K–12 schools, where the state’s attorney general went so far as to refer to such programs as “propagandizing and brainwashing” (see Lacey, 2011 , para. 3) as he declared the program of the Tucson Unified School District illegal for violating a new state law. 18 Arizona, of course, has been Ground Zero for debates concerning immigration (see, e.g., SB1070). It is thus no surprise that there was enough popular support to dismantle the program but also that its chief opponents have taken aim on the state university system. In a shocking although not surprising statement, Arizona’s superintendent of schools (and also a member of the Arizona Board of Regents), John Hoppenthal, inferred that the university system was to blame for the promotion of diversity at the high school level: “I think that’s where this toxic thing starts from, the universities” (quoted in Planas, 2012 , para. 3). In response, Devon Peña, a former chair of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies, pointed out the political reality facing such programs at the university level, noting: “While [Hoppenthal] will not find a sympathetic ear in the faculty ranks, he is on the Board of Regents, and he can certainly hurt the university when it comes to the budget” (quoted in Basu, 2012 , para. 12).

In a similar vein, we have seen lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) programs or minors targeted with the same politicized rhetoric. In Louisiana, for example, US Representative Jeff Landry (R-New Iberia), embroiled in a tight reelection campaign, called on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to drop its LGBT minor because, in his view, it fails to “provide an academic benefit to students or a worthwhile financial return to taxpayers” ( Addo, 2012 , para. 4). His statement read in part: “I want our young people to be prepared for the workforce and the LGBT minor does not assist them toward their goal. Our neighbors and students should trust that the education dollars they spent at University of Louisiana at Lafayette will be used to further their careers, not a political agenda” (quoted in Alpert, 2012 , para. 2). 19

In many ways, this politicized view of higher education—or, at least, one that politicizes the cultural politics embedded within higher education in the service of some other political end such as free-market dogma or vice versa—is in line with that enumerated by the Heartland Institute, a 501(c)(3) think tank whose mission is to “discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems” ( www.heartland.org ); specifically, its “Ten Principles of Higher Education Reform” plan put for by Richard Vedder and Matthew Denhart (2011) , which takes as a given that “U.S. institutions of higher education are less efficient and decreasingly effective at creating the foundation for [economic] success” (p. 2). Vedder and Denhart identify an array of “problems” to which their solutions are directed, including the rising cost of obtaining a four-year degree, falling productivity among faculty, falling teaching loads among faculty, “obscure” research by faculty, and so on (p. 3). Yet any critical reading of these “problems” would underscore that they are divorced from historical context and circumstance in the best light and outright nonsense in the worst light.

To the contrary, costs are rising because federal and state support of higher education has steadily diminished over the past three decades, causing universities to recoup lost funding by raising tuition and fees; productivity is not easily defined, nor is it constant from discipline to discipline or field to field (i.e., is the geneticist with a $10 million NSF grant more or less productive than the cultural anthropologist doing fieldwork on disease prevention in Africa? Is it strictly a bibliometric calculation?); teaching loads vary greatly from institution to institution based on a number of factors, including research and service obligations and the mission of the university/college/department (say, research-extensive university to small liberal arts college); and the notion of obscurity of journal publishing, while open to debate, especially among those who would argue that academics should be more engaged with public scholarship, in and of itself is hardly the purview of politicians.

The “solutions” put forth by the Heartland Institute are therefore not surprising; in fact, they would effectively codify the public university as private enterprise. To wit, the solutions include ending government subsidies to higher education (essentially, privatizing higher education); explicitly viewing students as customers to be competed for, so much so that subsidy be given directly to them instead of to the university in the form of vouchers and monetary bonuses for performance; promotion of lower cost alternatives (which, although it goes unstated, likely means online education, including such for-profit centers as the University of Phoenix); emphasizing undergraduate instruction over research and training of graduate students (which is actually referred to in the document as “frivolous activities” [p. 14]); subjecting research to “cost–benefit scrutiny”; eliminating shared faculty governance in favor of top-down managerialism, including as it relates to curricular developments; and, providing the “necessary incentives for faculty and administration to concentrate on making students’ financial investment pay off” (such as merit bonuses for teaching higher numbers of students or allowing “private firms” to teach classes).

At a deeper level, however, the issue is not simply one of market solutions rather than government solutions to a particular problem: it is about the very nature of the public university and its role in a democratic society. Which is to say, these “problems” (and the associated “solutions” on offer) feed into and further perpetuate the negative—if not dangerous—view of higher education proffered by an cadre of politicians, cable news pundits, industry leaders, and, increasingly, the general public: that its mission is to serve the market and that it is in decline . Consider that a recent Pew Social Trends poll ( “Is college worth it?,” 2011 ) found that 47 percent of the public reported the main purpose of a college education “is to teach work-related skills and knowledge” whereas just 39 percent said it is to “help a person grow personally and intellectually (the remaining 24 percent viewed both purposes equally). Viewed through such a prism, it is of no surprise that such market-oriented “solutions” are viewed as legitimate by both policy makers and voters alike, as opposed to a controversial course of action.

Thus, it is not a surprise to us that we continue to have a growing chorus of voices on the side of the market rather than on the side of actual democratic education. That is, it is now seen as politically palatable for someone like Governor Pat McCrory (R-NC) to make public declarations in support of legislation that would allocate funds “not based on how many butts [are] in seats but how many of those butts can get jobs” (quoted in Shin, 2013 , para. 6)—and who then followed that up by denigrating gender studies and its place in public education by stating “If you want to take gender studies that’s fine, go to a private school and take it, but I don’t want to subsidize it if that’s not going to get someone a job” (quoted in Shin, 2013 , para. 6). The problem, of course, as Bruce Janz (2012) points out in his timely criticism of the Heartland proposal referenced earlier, is that “Knowledge isn’t always about what the market thinks it is.”

To varying degrees, university administrators have come forward to speak out against the austere plans of Perry, Scott, McCrory, and others, as when Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow (2011) wrote in response to Governor Scott’s call for reductions in state appropriations for specific disciplines (i.e., the humanities) so that public universities in his state (Florida) could focus resources on STEM fields:

The notion that we must strip away academic programs not seemingly relevant to workforce development reflects a simplistic and retrograde view of the role of higher education in the American economy.... Curricula expressly tailored in response to the demands of the workforce must be balanced with opportunities for students to develop their capacity for critical thinking, analytical reasoning, creativity, and leadership—all of which we learn from the full spectrum of disciplines associated with a liberal arts education. (para. 2–4) 20

Which is all well and good when university administrators are actually on the same page as the professoriate. 21 Yet this is not always the case, as too many of us are all too well aware. And, more problematically, for too long, too many of us have stood by while these changes were happening before our very eyes; as H. L. Goodall, Jr. (2013) reminds us, “academics haven’t effectively organized as citizens for over thirty years.” He continues,

We are, most of us, afraid to speak out, afraid to act up, and we are afraid to take a contrary stand or do anything that might threaten our jobs, our departments, our budgets and hiring plans, our tenuous hold on an increasingly diminished future. Political action of any kind by faculty on campuses is effectively banned—who among us has not received that annual email “reminder” from a provost? Yet who among us who see that message as internally and logically inconsistent—after all to forbid the political is itself a political statement that supports only the continuation of the status quo —yet who, who among us, has dared to challenge it? And would such a challenge even matter? Would it rally our colleagues? I doubt it. The defeated do not challenge much of anything. The defeated accept what they fear they cannot change. They lack a voice. They become quietly cynical. They protect themselves.

Rather than protecting ourselves through insularity and acquiescence, how might we go about actually protecting ourselves, our students, and our fields of inquiry from such an onslaught? The sections that follow attempt to address such a question.

Confronting the Politics of Research

Educators need to defend what they do as political, support the university as a place to think, and create programs that nurture a culture of questioning. But there is even more at stake here. It needs to be recognized on a broad scale that the very way in which knowledge is selected, pedagogies are defined, social relations are organized, and futures are imagined is always political, though these processes do not have to be politicized in a vulgar or authoritarian way. ( Henry A. Giroux, 2009 )

It is within and against the earlier described context of the free-marketization of higher education and the deeply politicized terrain in which it is situated that we in the United States reside as researchers. In Figure 33.1 we represented the complex matrix of the politics of research. The previous section was spent addressing neoliberalism and the corporate university. In this section, we turn our attention to specific engagement with and the ramifications of this dynamic. Specifically, we discuss the impact it has had (and continues to have) on the context of research undertaken in its throes. And by that we mean how it has impacted the conduct of our research, the problematics associated with publishing it, and the extent to which it is subsumed within debates concerning promotion and tenure. To be sure, this is a far-reaching, nebulous discussion, one that calls for sustained in-depth inquiry. As such, and limited by page restrictions in this chapter, we submit that we are only scratching the surface of this important debate.

But as we scratch that surface, our starting point should be on the question of evidence. We would argue, in fact, that the politics of research is inseparable from the politics of evidence—from the political economy of evidence—in the historical present. On this point, Janice M. Morse (2006) is quite clear: the term itself “is an oxymoron. Evidence is something that is concrete and indisputable, whereas politics refers to activities concerned with the acquisition or exercise of authority” (p. 79). Or, as Glenn Larner (2004) argues, the “political economy of evidence... is not a question of evidence or no evidence, but who controls the definition of evidence and which kind is acceptable to whom” (p. 20). This is a view shared by Stuart Murray, Dave Holmes, Amélie Perron, and Geneviève Rail (2007) , who posit that “‘truth’ and ‘evidence’ are always overdetermined by the social, historical, and political contexts that lend them their currency and power” (p. 515).

Allow us to briefly review the events of the past decade-plus. 22 The methodological conservatism embedded primarily in the educational initiatives of the George W. Bush administration (2000–2008) inscribed (and, to a great extent, codified) narrowly defined governmental regimes of truth. The result was a new “gold standard” for producing knowledge that was “worthwhile having,” one that was based on and privileged quantitative, experimental design studies ( Lincoln & Cannella, 2004 , p. 7). Specifically, the scientifically based research movement (SBR), first introduced by the US federal government in the Reading Excellence Act of 1999 and later incorporated by the National Research Council (NRC) in its 2001 “Scientific Research in Education” report, created a new and, in fact, hostile political environment for qualitative research in the United States (see Denzin & Giardina, 2006 b ; Denzin, Lincoln, & Giardina, 2006 ). Embodying what Joe Maxwell (2004) has termed a “re-emergent scientism” and a positivist, so-called evidence-based epistemology, the NRC report moved to define scientific inquiry as being the same in all fields, embodying the same general set of principles while acknowledging that different disciplines may have unique features. Under this directive, researchers were (and still are) “encouraged” to employ “rigorous, systematic, and objective methodology to obtain reliable and valid knowledge” ( Ryan & Hood, 2006 , p. 58). The preferred methodology has well-defined causal models using independent and dependent variables. Causal models are examined in the context of randomized controlled experiments that allow replication and generalization ( Ryan & Hood, 2006 ).

But this “methodological fundamentalism” ( Lincoln & Cannella, 2004 , p. 7) returns to and instantiates a much-discredited model of empirical inquiry. That is, the experimental model is ill-suited to

Examining the complex and dynamic contexts of public education in its many forms, sites, and variations, especially considering... subtle social difference produced by gender, race, ethnicity, linguistic status or class. Indeed, multiple kinds of knowledge, produced by multiple epistemologies and methodologies, are not only worth having but also demanded if policy, legislation, and practice are to be sensitive to social needs. ( Lincoln & Cannella, 2004 , p. 7).

Elizabeth St. Pierre (2004) further reminds us that this “privileging of randomized experimental trials seems to occur in a time warp because educational researchers have acknowledged for decades that there is no single method that can serve as the gold standard for quality science” (p. 133).

Under this framework, qualitative research becomes suspect (if not dismissed outright). “Evidence” from quantitative research is prioritized whereas qualitative, non-numerical, and/or critical theory and constructivist inquiry is marginalized because there are no well-defined variables or causal models. And, as such, the epistemologies of indigenous, critical race, queer, postcolonial, feminist, and postmodern theories are rendered useless, relegated at best to the category of scholarship or commentary, not science ( National Research Council, 2001 ; Ryan & Hood, 2006 ; St. Pierre, 2004 ).

There is a great deal at stake in and over these arguments. The demands of this narrow view of evidence raise questions that require serious public discussion, for they celebrate a historical moment when the methods of positivistic science are not being challenged. In valorizing the experimental model, they ignore the many criticisms of experimentalism, developed over four decades ago, involving the inability to adequately treat rival causal factors associated with internal and external validity, as well as the limitations of naïve realism; the erasure of the value-fact-theory distinction; the death of the disinterested observer who has a god’s-eye view of objective reality; the reliance on an ethics of deceptions; and a refusal to consider the contexts of knowledge production or the researcher–subject relationship ( Campbell & Stanley, 1963 ; Howe, 2004 ; Lincoln & Guba, 2000 ).

But is this a question of research?

Or a question of politics?

Essentially, both.

Michael L. Silk, Anthony Bush, and David L. Andrews (2010) remind us of the real-world consequences of these internecine struggles, pointing out how

[t]he actions of public and private funding bodies... have made it apparent that the nearer one approaches the gold standard of randomized experimental design, the more one is likely to receive funding for doing “objective and good science,” and the larger that funding is likely to be. (p. 107; emphases in original)

Moreover, and although it may seem like common sense to say it, the political flavor of the month also influences the topical swing of funding. Writing in Scientific American , Eugenie Samuel Reich (2011) points out, for example, that in the years directly following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the research direction toward national security concerns “had a profound effect on U.S. research in areas as diverse as forensics, biodefense, infectious diseases, public health, cyber security, geology and infrastructure, energy, and nuclear weapons. Even the social sciences have been effected by the emergence of ‘terrorism studies’ and the new emphasis on the threat in the field of risk analysis” (para. 3). Left unsaid is that this swing resulted in a noticeable uptick in short-term thinking and funding for research on issues related to national security (possibly to the detriment of long-term research, such as that on cybersecurity). A 2007 report authored by the Committee on a New Government-University Partnership for Science and Security for the National Academies of Science, titled “Science and Security in a Post-911 World,” noted, in fact, that in the preceding five-year period, there had been “a remarkable increase of funding for bioterrorism-related research, while long-standing research budgets in the life sciences [were] cut or [had] remained stagnant” (p. 89). 23

A similar case can be understood vis-à-vis funding for human embryonic stem cell research during the Bush presidency; specifically, the policy restrictions on federal funding that were adhered to from August 9, 2001 to March 9, 2009 (when it was rescinded by the Obama administration). In brief, the Bush policy barred the National Institutes of Health from funding research on embryonic stem cells beyond the sixty cell lines that were already in existence at the time the policy went into effect. Yet this was not a question of scientific debate or inquiry about the soundness of the medical procedures and so forth, but one of moral disagreement combined with short-term political posturing. “As ideology,” writes Brandon Keim (2009) , “Bush’s restrictions on embryonic stem cell funding were legitimate. They represented a moral objection to the destruction of embryos by people who believe that life begins when sperm meets egg” (n.p.). But it was clearly an incoherent if not self-serving moral objection on Bush’s part, one made visible when revealing the political politics at work. As Michael Kinsey (2006) pointed out in the midst of the debate:

George W. Bush claims to believe [that a microscopic embryo is a human being with the same human rights as you and me], and you have to believe something like that to justify your opposition to stem-cell research. But Bush cannot possibly believe that embryos are full human beings, or he would surely oppose modern fertility procedures that create and destroy many embryos for each baby they bring into the world. Bush does not oppose modern fertility treatments. He even praised them in his anti-stem-cell speech. It’s not a complicated point. If stem-cell research is morally questionable, the procedures used in fertility clinics are worse. You cannot logically outlaw the one and praise the other. And surely logical coherence is a measure of moral sincerity. (paras. 9–10)

Moreover, in President Obama’s (2009) statement lifting the federal ban on stem cell funding, he went out of his way to make clear that politics should not enter the equation:

Promoting science isn’t just about providing resources—it’s also about protecting free and open inquiry. It’s about letting scientists like those who are here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient—especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda—and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology. ( “Obama ends stem cell research ban,” 2009 , para. 24)

But here is the rub: we know it still does .

If the politics of evidence and the politicized arena in which inquiry is conducted weigh heavily on the minds of researchers during the design and execution of a research project, then the twinned dynamics of publishing that research and subsequently having that research “count” in the tenure and promotion process weigh heavily during the “writing up” phase. Which is to say, although the pressure to “publish or perish” has always consumed us, now the pressure is increasingly to “publish in specific journals according to specific dictates and misunderstandings of the field or perish under the throes of such regimes.”

Flip through the pages of The Chronicle of Higher Education , scan the editorial pages in of some of the larger newspapers in the country, or browse the contents of scholarly journals, and you will likely find numerous debates on the current state of academic publishing, including those about open-access publishing in a digital world and the political economy of the academic publishing industry (see, e.g., Howard, 2012 ; Koh, 2012 ; Labi, 2012 ; Weedon, 2013 ). In a critical overview of this landscape, Ted Striphas (2010) reminds us that, “The scholarly journal publishing industry of today barely resembles what it was a generation ago. It is both larger—in terms of the sheer number of journals now being produced—and smaller—in terms of the total number of publishers now producing those journals.” 24 One negative consequence of this “overproduction” of knowledge—that is, of the oversaturated yet increasingly nichefied realm of academic journals—is that “the chances of any given academic journal article getting noticed by one’s colleagues—let alone outside of academe—diminish,” resulting in ever-increasing numbers of unread or uncited studies “whose formal designation as ‘published’ obscures their actual existence as interred” ( Striphas, 2010 ). As a result, we see greater efforts deployed to differentiate between and among journals, to rank them in importance, and so forth. At a time when the importance placed on bibliometric data, such as journal “impact factors,” is at an all-time high, we should be mindful of the grounds on which these debates are and have been taking place.

In his 1997 British Medical Journal essay titled “Why the Impact Factor of Journals Should Not Be Used for Evaluating Research,” Per Ottar Seglen outlined a myriad of problems with the use of impact factors, including that “journal impact factors are determined by technicalities unrelated to the scientific qualities of their articles”; “journal impact factors depend on the research field”; “coverage of the database is not complete”; “database has an English language bias”; and “small research fields tend to lack journals with high impact” ( Seglen, 1997 , pp. 498–499). Even Eugene Garfield (2000) , the Chairman Emeritus of Thomson ISI who devised the tool, explained in his review of the history and meaning of the journal impact factor, “It is one thing to use impact factors to compare journals and quite another to use them to compare authors” (para. 3). Yet even this is a specious argument because comparing journals across categories and fields of inquiry—especially for those conducting inter- and transdisciplinary work—can prove to be rather futile. 25

Although we readily admit that the conversation (if not controversy) over journal metrics and impact factors is an important one, and one that we heartily encourage, it is presently outside the scope of this chapter. Rather, in this section, we are more concerned with the de facto policing of knowledge in the pages of these journals and the chilling effects such policing has for qualitative researchers today. If pressed, we think most would agree—even those who may have had poor experiences 26 —that publishing in any given journal is a generally fair and rewarding if lengthy process, facilitated by and with editors and reviewers who genuinely care about the field and its direction. Within the broader domain of qualitative inquiry, there are certainly ongoing debates to be had over paradigms and methodological engagement and/or disagreement, 27 but we have found most of these to be serious discourses aimed at moving the field(s) forward. However, there are always exceptions to the rule—exceptions that highlight if not complicate the sometimes precarious nature of being qualitative researchers, one that is directly tied to the politics of evidence discussed earlier.

Consider the questions raised by Marcelo Diversi and Claudio Moreira (2011) . They ask us to consider carefully the terms of the debate and who defines those terms: “Who can speak for whom? Under what power relations? Which bodies continue to determine what constitutes legitimate scholarship?” (p. 230). The answers shouldn’t surprise us, because the song remains the same. As Deborah Ceglowski, Chiara Bacigalupa, and Emery Peck (2011) posit in their article “Aced Out: Censorship of Qualitative Research in the Age of ‘Scientifically Based Research,’” most researchers are—from their earliest days of graduate scholars— “socialized into understanding, accepting, and perpetuating the master narrative” of gold standard scholarship—one that “narrowly specifies and controls acceptable kinds of research, as defined by a limited number of researchers—mostly White and male” (p. 680). It is thus that the institutional structures of the university and the academy increasingly lead “to the creation of a conventionalized system that judges which inquiries warrant publication or adoption, and ultimately which constructs of truth and knowledge are given public voice to influence educational practice itself” ( Randall, Cooper, & Hite, 1999 , p. 10). Or, as Silk, Bush, and Andrews (2010) put it, the current context of such evidence-based research is one in which “the training that most doctoral students receive, and in particular the orientation provided in most research design courses, results in the vast majority of students gaining an implicit and explicit understanding of, and comfort with, foundational (see Smith & Hodkinson, 2005 ; Amis & Silk, 2008 ) beliefs of how to ‘do’ rigorous research” (p. 112; emphases in original; for more see also Denzin & Giardina, 2013 ).

It is within this context that Ceglowski et al. (2011) point to their own experience publishing in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly (ECRQ), which is considered a top-tier journal in the field of early childhood education, 28 and which, according to its own description, “publishes predominantly empirical research (quantitative or qualitative methods).” A cursory engagement with the journal’s contents, however, and especially following passage of the Reading Excellence Act of 1999, shows that qualitative work has almost no home in the journal: Ceglowski et al. note that in the three years immediately following the Reading Excellence Act of 1999, only 4 of 72 manuscript published in the journal were qualitative, a 75 percent decline from the three-year period immediately preceding the Reading Excellence Act. More troubling, however, is the story Ceglowski et al. (2011) share about their experience of having a manuscript reviewed for publication with ECRQ . 29

To wit, the two external reviews of their original manuscript submission (reviews that the authors share) display no understanding of qualitative paradigms and ask questions concerning reliability, validity, generalizability, measurement, coding, and so on, including a statement questioning why a study should be conducted in the first place if it cannot be generalized. When questioned as to the reviewer selection, the editor essentially acknowledged a better reviewer selection was needed 30 ; the revised and resubmitted manuscript was subsequently rejected as well, with one reviewer even questioning why numbers and percentages weren’t used! The authors then elected to submit the same manuscript to another journal, one that was “purported to be more ‘friendly’ to qualitative research” (p. 683)—it was accepted with positive reviews and a glowing letter of endorsement from the editor, who noted in part: “The implications of this research are very interesting and take use into a new world of the child” (p. 684).

One manuscript; two different journals; two strikingly different interpretations. And although we only have space to highlight this particular case, it is representative of a larger model of gatekeeping at work, one that skates dangerously close to being more concerned with political negotiation than scholarly inquiry. Take the case of two recent editorials in the highly ranked journal Qualitative Health Research (QHR). 31 In a rather curious editorial, Morse, Coulehan, Thorne, Bottorff, Cheek, and Kuzel (2009) took a stand against “the transformation of data into poetry or free verse” (p. 1035), which, they argued, was becoming ever more common among submissions to the journal. 32 They stated in part: “The editors of QHR have considered this trend carefully, and we have made the decision to resist accepting manuscripts of this genre for publication, for the reasons presented below” (p. 1035). The reasons behind their thinking included length of manuscript, significance of contribution, what such an approach does to change the “data,” and that the “presentation of data as verse focuses on the literary device rather than the health research” (p. 1035). Importantly, Morse et al. went out of their way to reject poetry and free verse as being decidedly not “science,” writing instead that “Rendering data into free verse ought potentially to be an alternative approach to dissemination of findings; in other words, not published in scientific journals but brought to people’s attention in other ways at alternate venues, such as poetry reading in one’s local coffee house” (p. 1036). And, to compound the matter, the very next issue of QHR contained a guest editorial by its associate editor, Sally Thorne (2009) , which demonized the single-case narrative (p. 1184) and questioned “the credibility and validity of narrative inquiry as a qualitative health research technique” (p. 1185) while privileging a (post-)positivist oriented qualitative paradigm (p. 1184). 33

There are numerous problems with such framing, not the least of which is that it raises questions over the nature of “data” and “science,” privileging (post-)positivism over and against the interpretive realm. 34 As James Carey (1989) might say, such a positioning presupposes (and reproduces) an “ever-present desire to maintain a distinction between hard science and soft scholarship” (p. 99). Foisting poetry and other such forms of narrative inquiry off the pages of scholarly journals and into the “local coffee house” effectively seeks to relitigate the paradigm wars (see Guba, 1990 ) while obfuscating, if not ignoring, the past twenty years or so of debate and development in this area.

We have been down this road before

Laurel Richardson’s (1993) “Louisa May” example serves us well. “Louisa May’s Story of Her Life” is a narrative poem the author created from an in-depth interview with her title character, “Louisa May,” who was an unwed mother. That is, Richardson transcribed the interview into thirty-six pages of prose text and then “shaped it into a poem/transcript” ( Richardson, 1994 , p. 140). In so doing, she wrestled with “postmodern issues regarding the nature of ‘data,’ the interview as an interactional event, the representation of lives, and the distribution of sociological knowledge” (p. 140). As she explains:

Louisa May is the speaker in the poem, but I crafted it, using both scientific and poetic criteria. I used only her words, repetitions, phrases, hill-southern rhythms, and narrative strategies, such as multi-syllabic words, embedded dialogues, and conversational asides. My intent was for the poem to stand aesthetically and emotionally... but I also wanted it to be faithful to my sociological understanding of Louisa May’s story of her life.... Writing “data” as a poem did two things: first, it changed me, personally, unexpectedly ( Richardson, 1992 ); and second, it exposed the truth—constituting, legitimating, and deeply hidden validifying function of the genre, prose. (1993, p. 696)

This form we would recognize as rather established in 2013, what Denzin (2001) has called the “reflexive interview,” one that “is simultaneously a site for conversation, a discursive method, and a communicative format that produces knowledge” (p. 27). And we can now easily find numerous examples of and discussions about this and other postmodern approaches to interviews in the pages of such journals as Qualitative Inquiry, International Review for Qualitative Research, Cultural Studies<=>Critical Methodologies , and Qualitative Research .

Yet, when Richardson presented “Louisa May” at the annual Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction meetings in 1990, it—along with the “skipped line”—was met with hostility from some of those in attendance. Most especially, she was questioned on the “reliability and credibility of the original experience” and the “accuracy” of the story (see Richardson, 1993 , p. 699). But beyond the particularity of Louisa May and her experience as an unwed mother, Richardson’s poem was asking questions about that which is taken for granted, about the “obsession of the real,” of “grand narratives,” and the wider sociological engagement with everyday practices, including the use of interviewing (pp. 700–702). As she reminds us,

Interviewing is a standard sociological technique for acquiring knowledge, for “knowing.” Interviews are co-created through the intersection of two subjectivities, the interviewee and the interviewer. In the poem, Louisa May reminds us from the opening line (“The most important thing”) to the closing line (“I’ve talked so much my throat hurts”) that she is constructing her life in an interactional context. What we claim to know as sociologists is displayed as constructed knowledge. What happens, then to our authority? our definitive readings?... The poem confronts and threatens sociological epistemology and ontology [and] displays how sociological authority is constructed, and problematizes reliability, validity, and truth. Poetics strips those methodological bogeymen of their power to control and constrain. (1993, p. 704)

And Morse et al. (2009) and Thorne (2009) would appear to want none of that within the pages of their journal!

The real-world implications of such academic politics are clear. In his recent essay on “gated intellectuals” and the role they play in establishing boundaries to protect the status quo and isolate citizens from one another, Giroux (2012 , para. 7) reminds us how

higher education is increasingly being walled off from the discourse of public values and the ideals of a substantive democracy at a time when it is most imperative to defend the institution against an onslaught of forces that are as anti-intellectual as they are anti-democratic in nature... it is one of the last strongholds of democratic action and reasoning and one of the most visible targets along with the welfare state. (para. 7)

Although Giroux is specifically referring to gated intellectuals as being public figures like Thomas Friedman or David Brooks who, through their standing and visibility in papers such as the New York Times legitimate the harshest realities of neoliberalism, we think it is fair to apply that term to academics as well, for, although their gatekeeping may not reach the level of public influence as those mentioned they nonetheless impact the nature of research and scholarship on a fairly broad level. 35 This is of supreme importance to the case of qualitative researchers, especially if we accept Denzin and Giardina’s (2010) assertion about our scholarship and our role as researchers in the present moment: it is not just about “method” or “technique.” Rather, it is “about making the world visible in ways that implement the goals of social justice and radical, progressive democracy ” (p. 14, emphasis in original).

Yet the cards are stacked against such a proposition, especially when we consider it in light of the politics of promotion and tenure at the corporate university. If the politics of publishing represents the tip of the iceberg, then the politics of promotion and tenure is the large mass hiding just below the surface. As with our broader discussion about the corporate university, politics is littered throughout our contemporary understanding of tenure. Although the tenure process itself is, more or less, still rather functional to the extent that it is aimed at aiding rather than inhibiting faculty advancement along a particular, if preordained, path, 36 the idea of tenure itself is largely under attack, both by external political forces and the internal shift to a neoliberal model of governance.

Consider the following public polling data: In a recent TIME magazine poll on the state of public education in the United States ( “Americans’ views of teacher tenure, merit pay, and other educational reforms,” 2010 ), fully two-thirds (66 percent) of respondents to the question “Do you support or oppose tenure for teachers, the practice of guaranteeing teachers lifetime job security after they have worked for a certain amount of time” in the negative (with 28 percent in favor and 6 percent holding no opinion). 37 Likewise, a recent Pew Research Center poll (see Stripling, 2011 ) found that only 24 percent of the more than 1,000 college presidents surveyed said that, if given a choice, “they would prefer that most faculty at their institution be tenured” whereas roughly 7 in 10 “preferred that faculty be employed on annual or long-term contracts.” Additionally, we have seen multiple arguments against tenure appear with increasing regularity within the pages of mainstream media (especially those couched within a market-based rationale). This would include such pieces as Christopher’s Beam’s (2010) widely discussed Slate article “Finishing School: The Case for Getting Rid of Tenure,” which presents a cost–benefit argument against tenure; Vedder’s (2010)   New York Times op-ed that repeats well-worn conservative ideological arguments that tenure reduces intellectual diversity via the marginalization of nonliberal faculty; and renowned Freakonomics author (and tenured professor of economics at the University of Chicago) Steve Levitt’s (2007) blanket call for tenure to be abolished at all levels. 38

Put differently, there isn’t a lot of political capital to be gained defending an issue that doesn’t register on the broader population (or one that they are actively against); in fact, just the opposite: across the country, states such as Ohio and Florida have moved toward eliminating tenure altogether at the K–12 level. In Florida, for example, Senate Bill 736, otherwise known by its more Orwellian name, the “Race to the Top for Student Success Act,” stipulated that all new K–12 teachers hired once the Act went into effect would only be hired on one-year renewable contracts. 39 Such action will likely have a deleterious impact on K–12 education, including the recruitment of new teachers into the public school system and the snowball effect on students graduating into college and university programs.

But Florida has its eyes on a bigger prize: eliminating faculty tenure at the university level. 40   Giroux (2009) refers to this trend within the corporate university as the “casualization of academic labor,” noting that as universities increasingly adopt models of corporate governance (discussed earlier), they are aggressively

eliminating tenure positions, increasing part-time and full-time positions without the guarantee of tenure, and attacking faculty unions.... At a time when higher education is becoming increasingly vocationalized, the ranks of tenure-track faculty are being drastically depleted in the United States, furthering the loss of faculty as stakeholders. Currently, only 27% of faculty is either on a tenure track or in a full-time tenure position. (para. 4)

Clearly, this is an untenable situation for the professoriate moving forward, especially in terms of infringement on academic freedom (see Nelson, 2010 ).

But let us also consider the practical politics of achieving tenure in the first place. Patricia Leavy (2012) quite rightly points out that “the existing tenure and promotion system continues to enforce disciplinarity” (para. 4). She continues:

Academics have clear incentives to design small-scale projects that can be completed and published quickly. Moreover, sole authorship is favored over co-authorship and collaboration. Further, peer-reviewed articles and/or monographs are required for tenure and promotion at most, if not all, institutions. By requiring research that produces such limited outcomes, researchers’ hands are tied. It is also clear that journal articles are highly unlikely to reach the public so by privileging this form the entire academic structure discourages scholarship that is truly of value to the public. (para. 4)

Although we might not go so far as to endorse Leavy’s argument in toto, we agree that the context her argument contests is one that clearly promotes the professionalization of the professoriate—that promotes positivist social sciences as currently practiced and taught in US higher education. It is a context that the radical historian Howard Zinn (1997) cogently outlined in his essay “The Uses of Scholarship,” in which he noted the five rules that “sustain the wasting of knowledge” (pp. 502–507):

1. Carry on “disinterested scholarship.” 2. Be objective. 3. Stick to your discipline. 4. To be “scientific” requires neutrality. 5. Scholars must, in order to be “rational,” avoid “emotionalism.”

Put differently, what Zinn is talking about is “intellectual professionalism” of the kind challenged by Said (1996) , who defined it as:

Thinking of your work as an intellectual as something you do for a living, between the hours of nine and five with one eye on the clock, and another cocked at what is considered to be proper, professional behavior—not rocking the boat, not straying outside the accepted paradigms or limits, making yourself marketable and above all presentable, hence uncontroversial and unpolitical and “objective.” (p. 55) 41

Taking this line of thought to its natural end, Silk, Bush, and Andrews (2010) contend that such “ [p]roper professional behavior—and in our present moment we have to equate proper with that which holds the centre, the gold standard , EBR [Evidence-Based Research]—represents a threat to our critical sense , our ability to be prepared to be self-reflexive to relations of power” (p. 120; emphases in original). 42   And it is a truly devastating critique of and challenge to our responsibilities as intellectuals . 43

The global community of qualitative researchers is mid-way between two extremes, searching for a new middle, moving in several different directions at the same time. ( Denzin, 2009 , p. 19)

So here we sit. Our universities grow ever more corporate, ever more market-oriented. Public policy and public opinion swings ever more against us. Questions of evidence remain in flux. Funding dollars are earmarked for or withheld from certain forms of inquiry for short-term political gain. All of which necessarily trickles down into and through our scholarly outlets (i.e., journals) and the privileging thereof by promotion and tenure committees (as well as merit committees, award committees, and so forth). Taken collectively, some might say that it would be the height of foolishness to be a qualitative researcher in the current moment. We were even told recently, at a grant writing event we attended at our own university, that despite our successes as qualitative researchers, 44 we should only really consider applying for grants if we were able to have a mixed-methods or quantitative component to them because that’s “what counts these days.” Not because it might be the best methodological decision in terms of research design, mind you, but because that’s what “counts”!

Well excuse us if our politics don’t match your methodological fundamentalism.

For it is our politics and the politics of our research endeavors that situate our methods of inquiry—not the other way around. And whereas for some this may be an easy sell, we acknowledge the shaky ground on which many scholars—especially graduate students and newly-minted PhD’s—reside. In response to these conditions, Cheek (2007) , for one, suggests that we consider how to “work in these spaces rather than being worked over by them” (p. 102). By this, she means that we must go beyond “acknowledging that these spaces exist” —that is, the corporate university, politics, marginalization, and the like—to a critical awareness that we are subjected to them and that they need to be negotiated.

In the spirit of Cheek’s (2007) invocation, we offer in closing the following practical recommendations:

We must acknowledge that we are not innocent actors in academia. We have a moral and sacred responsibility to our communities to change them for the better. How often do we agree to or volunteer to serve on grant adjudicating committees? How often do we agree to volunteer to serve on our university IRB committees? Or promotion and tenure committees? Or any other college-level committee charged with dispersing funding, granting entrance to doctoral students, and so forth? How often have we chosen to run for elected office in our scholarly associations? Or serve on editorial boards or as editors of the journals in our field(s)? Or join our university faculty unions? How often are our research projects contributing to social change or, failing that, some translatable goal? If you’re answering “No” to all of these questions, what are you still waiting for?

We should take every opportunity to broadly communicate our research beyond just the academic journal . This, of course, does not mean abandoning it altogether or that it is even a realistic option for some, depending on the politics of one’s department of college, but it is something that should be strived for and, importantly, rewarded. 45 Such a decision, of course, speaks to the larger topic of our role as researchers in the first place. As Giroux (2012 , para. 31) implores us to never forget: “The very notion of being an engaged public intellectual is neither foreign to nor a violation of what it means to be an academic scholar, but central to its very definition.”

We must mentor our doctoral students to be cognizant of the politics of research and the context of research into which they are stepping . It is becoming increasingly frustrating to us when we encounter doctoral students (at conferences, as job candidates, etc.) who seem to be blissfully unaware of the politics of their own profession and/or field and how they situate themselves and have come to be situated in those politics, and who are quite comfortable perpetuating the status quo. If the next generation of researchers is woefully unprepared to face the challenges that lay ahead— or doesn’t want to face them —then we worry about its future. On this point, we defer to the late Bud Goodall, who asked us to get practical when he remarked: “How well do we train generations of writers in the practicalities of being a writer? About getting a literary agent? Writing literary inquiry? Putting together a blog? Putting together a website? These are things that should be part and parcel of the enterprise that we call academic preparation for the future. Because unless we give our students those tools, unless we cultivate that, it’s like throwing someone into a very competitive, highly competitive market without any skill other than that they can write and they want to have a voice, and in this day and age that’s just not quite enough. So what do we do? We nurture the young” ( Ellis, Bochner, Denzin, Goodall, Pelias, & Richardson, 2008 , pp. 330–331).

We must engage with our undergraduate students and degree programs lest they fall victim to the dictates of the corporate university . 46 That is, we have an obligation to push back against the rising demands of the free-market-first approach to higher education that currently holds sway (at least in the United States) over many degree programs. Not only must we continue to advocate for the inclusion of courses that develop students’ critical faculties as free human agents, we must simultaneously reject the kind of “banking” education of “receive, memorize, and repeat” that Paulo Freire outlined in Pedagogy of the Oppressed —one that sees students as passive objects rather than as active learners. Additionally, and as more and more universities endeavor to bolster their doctoral and master’s degree programs—placing ever more importance on graduate credit hours and graduate teaching—we must hold firm that such moves do not come at the expense of undergraduate education (in the form of more doctoral students or visiting [and often underpaid] nontenure-earning lecturers teaching ever-increasing course sizes).

We must engage with and continue to build a community of qualitative researchers . The work being done by the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry ( http://www.icqi.org ) is one example of this, and it has nearly tripled in size in the roughly ten years of its existence. 47 The Congress sponsors dozens of workshops, hundreds of parallel sessions, spotlight sessions, and specialty days (e.g., “A Day in Spanish,” “A Day in Qualitative Health Research,” and so on) during its annual meetings, and has established a network of collaborating sites throughout the world, an official journal ( International Review of Qualitative Research ), and an annual book series. The critical issues and discussions that have come out of this Congress have, in our view, been at the forefront of contesting the methodological fundamentalism of the last decade. Another example would be the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology at the University of Alberta, Canada ( http://www.iiqm.ualberta.ca/ ), which has been pioneering efforts in this area since its founding in 1998. For let us not forget that we don’t have all the answers—that the search for the next question, rather than the next answer, is a guiding light of critical scholarship (see, e.g., St. Pierre, 2011 ), and one that is worth seeking out—and defending.

It would have been nice to end this chapter with some profound words of wisdom. An uplifting riff about the future of qualitative inquiry, perhaps. A call to arms that seems achievable, within our grasp. But, to be honest, and for all of the advances we’ve seen in the past decade, there’s still a lot of work to do. Looking forward, we hope we have touched on a number of issues that can be brought into your doctoral seminars, faculty meetings, college committee meetings, and so forth. The stakes are too high to sit passively by while others shape our fields of inquiry. We have a job to do; let’s get to it.

Acknowledgment

We thank our editor, Patricia Leavy, for inviting us to contribute to this volume. Her vision and encouragement helped to strengthen our arguments. We also thank Norman K. Denzin for insightful feedback on an earlier version of this chapter, and Michele K. Donnelly for thought-provoking conversations related to the politics and practices of research.

Giardina is speaking here.

As a curious side note, the candidate to whom the position was initially offered was an advertising executive with no previous experience in higher education save for holding a master’s degree. This individual was offered the position despite serious questions raised by numerous research faculty in the College. In the end, the candidate declined the offer and chose to stay in industry.

On this point, the consensus was on hands-on or practical courses, such as account planning or quantitative market research skills, as well as proficiency in web design, social media, and Adobe products such as Photoshop and Illustrator.

On this last point, Samantha King (2012) rightly points out that “college administrators are now more often hired for their role as fund-raisers and their ability to bridge the world of academe and business than for their intellectual capacities and experience in public service” (p. 77).

We further acknowledge that we will speak primarily to the US context. For those interested in the politics of research as germane to the United Kingdom, Australia, and elsewhere, please see the works of Harry Torrance, Julianne Cheek, and Uwe Flick.

Portions of this section are reprinted with slight variation from King-White, Newman, and Giardina (2013) , as well as drawing on arguments related to neoliberalism in Newman and Giardina (2011) . For more on the status and nature of the corporate university see, among others, Eric Gould’s (2003)   The University in a Corporate Culture ; Gaye Tuchman’s (2009)   Wannabe U: Inside the Corporate University ; Derek Bok’s (2003)   Universities in the Marketplace: The Commercialization of Higher Education ; Steven C. Ward’s (2012)   Neoliberalism and the Global Restructuring of Knowledge and Education; and Henry Giroux’s (2007) The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex and (2011) Education and the Crisis of Public Values: Challenging the Assault on Teachers, Students, and Public Education.

For exhaustive analyses, see Bowles & Gintis, 1976; Kincheloe, 2004; Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004 .

Shumar (1997) postulates a “new stratification of the workforce” whereby “Part-time faculty face being institutionally invisible and the lack of job security and benefits. Full-time faculty have been stratified into researchers and teachers, and teaching is becoming increasingly stigmatized” (p. 14).

Channel One includes a twelve-minute news program for teens that is broadcast via satellite to nearly 10,000 middle schools and high schools in the United States, where it reaches 6 million students. It has been criticized for exposing children to captive advertising, which they are effectively forced to watch as they consume the “news” program.

Critics have suggested that the “university is an impersonal market-driven setting; mostly concerned with its own survival, progress and prestige” (Fernandez-Balboa, 2009, p. 148).

David Harvey (2005 , 2007 ) often refers to this process as “accumulation by dispossession”; a process by no means unique to education (think oil fields in the Middle East, copper mines in South America, or the privatization of primary and secondary education in post-Katrina New Orleans) in which stagnating regimes of capital accumulation pursue, and commandeer, those materials, services, and relations that were once property of the public (or part of the public good).

Within the field of public health, for example, the road most travelled (at least in neoliberal times) seems to lead to the same place: the “obese” body and the plethora of funding opportunities available to those who seek to find a “cure” for the obesity “epidemic.” See King-White, Newman, & Giardina (2013) for more on this topic.

Whereas the positivist-oriented recommendations of the 2002 NRC report mentioned later in this chapter (along with such ancillary developments as the US Department of Education’s “What Works Clearinghouse”) came to the fore during the early days of the George W. Bush administration, we would concede that, in the least, it was done with noble if flawed intentions on the part of rigorous academics and policy makers alike (as we had also seen with the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which passed the Senate by a comfortable 91–8 vote and House by a similar margin of 384–45).

This growing institutional acceptance of the corporate university has not gone unnoticed. From movements such as Occupy Cal in California, to the tireless efforts of unions such as the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) at the University of Illinois, to the recent Southern Illinois University-Carbondale faculty strike over collective bargaining agreement talks (not to mention major student protests throughout England during late 2010 against draconian budget cuts in the educational system [see Davis et al., 2010]), students and faculty alike have increasingly stood up to show that the status quo is untenable and must be changed.

The seven “solutions” put forward are described in the following terms: “Measure teaching efficiency and effectiveness; publicly recognize and reward extraordinary teachers; split research and teaching budgets to encourage excellence in both; require evidence of teaching skill for tenure; use “results-based” contracts with students to measure quality; put state funding directly in the hands of students; and create results-based accrediting alternatives” ( http://texashighered.com/7-solutions )

During Scott’s time in office, public employee retirement/pension contributions have also been slashed (Dunkelberger, 2012).

At the same time, similar programs for Black, Asian, and Native American studies were left untouched.

We have also seen the inverse, in which politically laced funding has had the intent of influencing the hiring of faculty with particular ideologies. One recent example is the alleged “strings attached” donations by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation to the Department of Economics at Florida State University for the hiring of two professors who share the Foundation’s ideological standpoint on free-market economics (see Hundley, 2011 ).

At the same time, Naomi Klein (2011) points us to the further economic modalities of the attack on public sector employees: the issue at hand is not a matter of unions versus taxpayers, as Governors Walker, Scott, Kasich, and their acolytes would have it; rather, it serves as a proxy “fight about who is going to pay for the[economic] crisis created by the wealthiest elite in this country.... Is it going to be regular working people? Or is it going to be the people who created this crisis?” (MSNBC Live Broadcast hosted by Chris Hayes).

Even University of North Carolina President Tom Ross, in brandishing a defense against McCrory’s plan in stating “the University’s value to North Carolina should not be measured by jobs alone” nonetheless couched a defense of his university in the language of the market:

Our three-part mission of teaching, research, and public service requires that we prepare students with the talents and abilities to succeed in the workforce, because talent will be the key to economic growth. (para.)

The following four paragraphs are slightly revised and updated from Denzin & Giardina, 2006 b .

The same report points out that funding for bioterrorism and biodefense-related research funding by the National Institutes of Health increased from $51 million in fiscal year 2001 to more than $1.9 billion requested for fiscal year 2007.

Striphas (2010) reports that commercial presses (i.e., Taylor & Francis, Elsevier, etc.) account for roughly two-thirds of all of the 20,000 or so scholarly journals on the market today.

Consider that the Sociology of Sport Journal (SSJ), with which we are both affiliated as associate editor and editorial board member, has a 2011 impact factor of 0.917 and is ranked 17/36 in the “Hospitality, Leisure, Sport, Tourism” category, and 54/137 in the “Sociology” category, with 532 total citations per Thomson Reuters reporting data and period. Compare that to Qualitative Inquiry , for example, an interdisciplinary journal in which we have both published. Its 2011 impact factor is 0.839, and is ranked 36/89 in the category “Social Science, Interdisciplinary” with 1,508 citation. Yet numbers can be deceiving. The category in which SSJ is located is a rather arbitrary mix of journals that in fact have very little in common. Although ranked 17 out of 36, it is ranked second among the actual sport-oriented journals listed (i.e., Journal of Sport & Social Issues, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Journal of Sport Management , etc.). Likewise, Qualitative Inquiry , which “provides an interdisciplinary forum for qualitative methodology,” is ranked in a category along with journals that are completely unrelated, such as the Archives of Sexual Behavior, Accident Analysis and Prevention , and Public Opinion Quarterly (all of which have higher impact factors than Qualitative Inquiry ). Should this be the measure of comparison? It is only when deconstructing the actual category that the astute reader would find that among true “peer” journals in category, only Journal of Mixed Methods Research and Qualitative Research are “ranked” higher. The matter becomes even more complicated when considering other journal “ranking” tools, such as the one available through the SCImago Journal & Country Rank portal, which, although similar, does not reproduce the same rankings exactly as does Thomson Reuters.

Who among us hasn’t had a manuscript sit under review for months and months or received an occasional external review letter from someone who either misunderstood the arguments at hand or put perhaps too little effort into the review? This we accept as par for the current course, however, unfortunate.

See, e.g., the debates between Denzin and Hammersley over the role of social justice inquiry in qualitative inquiry.

The journal’s 2011 impact factor was 1.671, and it was ranked 19/203 in the “Education & Educational Research Category” and 33/67 in the “Developmental Psychology” category.

It is important to note that Ceglowski and Bacigalupa are both tenured professors who have made significant contributions to the field of childhood education and policy.

We are not insensitive to the demands placed on editors when it comes to getting folks to agree to do reviews. Speaking (MDG) from experience as an associate editor of one journal and the special issue editor of another who is tasked with doing just that, acquiring reviews can be a time-consuming struggle. However, it is inexcusable for an editor to invite reviewers who have no conceptual understanding of the work to be reviewed. In fact, as Ceglowski et al. remind us, it goes against the American Educational Research Association guidelines on reviewer ethics, which state: “Judgments of the adequacy of an inquiry should be made by reviewers who are competent to read the work submitted to them. Editors should strive to select reviewers who are familiar with the research paradigm and who are not so unsympathetic as to preclude disinterested judgment of the merit of the inquiry” (AERA, 2005, p. 8).

QHR is a “peer-reviewed monthly journal that provides an international, interdisciplinary forum to enhance health care and further the development and understanding of qualitative research in health-care settings.” Its 2011 impact factor was a lofty 2.188, and it was ranked 13/62 in the “Health Policy & Services” category, as well as being the highest-ranked qualitatively oriented journal in the category.

We use the word “curious” here given both Morse and Cheek’s longstanding service and dedication to qualitative inquiry, including as friends of the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.

Although we adamantly disagree with Thorne’s viewpoint, she is certainly not alone; clearly, there are many in the field who would agree with her position on poetry and narrative. And, in point of fact, her recent book, Interpretive Description (2008) , is a useful text for better understanding qualitative research within applied settings and disciplines. What we object to is the patronizing tone cast over all such inquiry by her editorial because it has real implications for qualitative scholars rather than as simply philosophical conjecture in the conversation about inquiry.

See also the special issue of Cultural Studies<=>Critical Methodologies edited by Mirka Koro-Ljungberg and Maggie MacLure (2013) on the theme of “rethinking data.”

Cases in point, the Journal of Advertising and the Journal of Sport Management : it is fair to say that both of these journals are the premier or flagship journals in their respective titular fields of inquiry. The contents of both are largely overrepresented by quantitative research, primarily because those two fields of inquiry are themselves largely overrepresented by quantitative research (e.g., as related to consumer behavior or consumer identification)—a chicken-and-the-egg scenario, perhaps. Additionally, their respective editorial boards mirror this overrepresentation. It is of no surprise, then, that qualitative research that manages to find its way into either of these journals is, by and large, couched with a post-positive or at best quasi-foundational perspective.

At our institution, for example, faculty up for both promotion to associate professor with tenure and promotion to full professor are provided a clearly defined, step-by-step explanation of the process; afforded the opportunity to attend workshops; have access to supporting materials to aid in constructing the tenure binder; and move through what is, by and large, a rather transparent, supportive process. We acknowledge that this is not necessarily the case at every university, nor is the outcome of the tenure process always positive in our institution.

The poll itself is riddled with inconsistencies between responses, which, taken as a whole, reveals more about the (limited) public understanding of education than on any one individual response. That is, a majority of respondents essentially believed that (a) teachers are underpaid (61 percent), but were (b) against teachers unions (50 percent, with 35 percent in favor and the rest undecided), and were (c) in favor of standardized testing (64 percent), but (d) believed that it is possible “to make changes that would dramatically improve student performance” (90 percent), while generally (e) not willing to pay higher taxes to improve higher education (42 percent against).

Faculty tenure is a long-running topic of discussion on the Freakonomics blog. Levitt’s (2007) article ignited a firestorm on his own blog, as well as in such outlets as the Chronicle of Higher Education. For a vociferous defense of tenure, see Nelson (2010) .

Prior to the Act, Florida K–12 teachers were hired on one-year contracts for the first three years before being awarded “professional service contracts” that were effectively a form of tenure.

Not only that, but we now have some individual institutions working toward the same end, such as Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan (see Abbey-Lambertz, 2012).

See also the arguments along these lines in Denzin & Giardina, 2012 , especially pp. 19–22.

As Denzin stated in reflecting on the state of tenure vis-à-vis qualitative inquiry: “I’m aware of three tenure cases this year where people are being turned back for tenure by campus committees and deans, promotions committees, because they’re doing first-person narratives and autoethnography. And they’re being turned back by people who don’t have a clue about this work and who are passing judgments on this work” (Ellis, Bochner, Denzin, Goodall, Pelias, & Richardson, p. 332). The impetus, then, is on us to make sure this doesn’t happen.

This is an allusion to Noam Chomsky’s famous 1967 article “The Responsibility of Intellectuals.”

For example, multiple book awards, successful promotion and tenure cases, founding of a research center at our university that aligns with qualitative methods of inquiry, etc.

In our own department, we have been successful in lobbying for publications that appear in mainstream outlets (e.g., New York Times, The Atlantic , etc.) to “count” in annual reviews and for merit bonuses.

We thank the students of Giardina’s Spring 2013 “philosophy of inquiry” doctoral seminar for pushing us on this point: Cole Armstrong, Elizabeth Delia, Mark DiDonato, Don Farr, Jamie Kim, Rhonda Ottley, Pu Haozhou, and Rachel Shields.

Full disclosure: I (MDG) am the associate director of the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.

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• Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

Published on October 26, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 21, 2023.

A research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your research paper , dissertation , or thesis .

All research questions should be:

• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

Table of contents

How to write a research question, what makes a strong research question, using sub-questions to strengthen your main research question, research questions quiz, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research questions.

You can follow these steps to develop a strong research question:

• Choose your topic
• Do some preliminary reading about the current state of the field
• Narrow your focus to a specific niche
• Identify the research problem that you will address

The way you frame your question depends on what your research aims to achieve. The table below shows some examples of how you might formulate questions for different purposes.

Using your research problem to develop your research question

Note that while most research questions can be answered with various types of research , the way you frame your question should help determine your choices.

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Research questions anchor your whole project, so it’s important to spend some time refining them. The criteria below can help you evaluate the strength of your research question.

Focused and researchable

Feasible and specific, complex and arguable, relevant and original.

Chances are that your main research question likely can’t be answered all at once. That’s why sub-questions are important: they allow you to answer your main question in a step-by-step manner.

Good sub-questions should be:

• Less complex than the main question
• Focused only on 1 type of research
• Presented in a logical order

Here are a few examples of descriptive and framing questions:

• Descriptive: According to current government arguments, how should a European bank tax be implemented?
• Descriptive: Which countries have a bank tax/levy on financial transactions?
• Framing: How should a bank tax/levy on financial transactions look at a European level?

Keep in mind that sub-questions are by no means mandatory. They should only be asked if you need the findings to answer your main question. If your main question is simple enough to stand on its own, it’s okay to skip the sub-question part. As a rule of thumb, the more complex your subject, the more sub-questions you’ll need.

Try to limit yourself to 4 or 5 sub-questions, maximum. If you feel you need more than this, it may be indication that your main research question is not sufficiently specific. In this case, it’s is better to revisit your problem statement and try to tighten your main question up.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

The way you present your research problem in your introduction varies depending on the nature of your research paper . A research paper that presents a sustained argument will usually encapsulate this argument in a thesis statement .

A research paper designed to present the results of empirical research tends to present a research question that it seeks to answer. It may also include a hypothesis —a prediction that will be confirmed or disproved by your research.

As you cannot possibly read every source related to your topic, it’s important to evaluate sources to assess their relevance. Use preliminary evaluation to determine whether a source is worth examining in more depth.

This involves:

• Reading abstracts , prefaces, introductions , and conclusions
• Looking at the table of contents to determine the scope of the work
• Consulting the index for key terms or the names of important scholars

A research hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question. The research hypothesis usually includes an explanation (“ x affects y because …”).

A statistical hypothesis, on the other hand, is a mathematical statement about a population parameter. Statistical hypotheses always come in pairs: the null and alternative hypotheses . In a well-designed study , the statistical hypotheses correspond logically to the research hypothesis.

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

• Researchability
• Feasibility and specificity
• Relevance and originality

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POV: Policymakers Are Entitled to Their Own Opinions. But Should They Be Entitled to Their Own Science?

Republicans are less likely to cite research than democrats and more likely to cite misleading science when they do.

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Policymakers Are Entitled to Their Own Opinions. But Should They Be Entitled to Their Own Science?

Matthew motta.

Scientific research is playing an increasingly prominent role in the policymaking process. That’s according to a new working paper , which finds that policymakers have become increasingly likely to cite scientific research when producing policy documents (e.g., congressional committee reports) on topics related to infectious disease threats, climate change, the costs of health insurance, and much more.

Reliance on scientific research in the policymaking process is, in my view, a very positive development.

That’s because the United States increasingly faces a wide range of complex policy challenges, including mitigating the effects of a changing climate, developing sustainable artificial intelligence regulations, and responding to emerging infectious disease threats. Crafting effective policy solutions that address these concerns requires specialized knowledge that most members of Congress simply cannot be expected to have.

Still, I believe that there is some cause for concern.

Some policymakers are more likely than others to defer to scientific expertise when informing their efforts to combat some of the most pressing issues facing the country today. Specifically, Republican members of Congress are less likely than Democrats to cite scientific research papers in conference proceedings. Republican elected officials at many levels of government are also less likely than Democrats to exhibit deference and respect for scientific experts.

I refer to this phenomenon as the asymmetric polarization of scientific expertise.

Asymmetric polarization in deference to scientific authority mirrors two complementary developments that I describe in my forthcoming book, Anti-Scientific Americans: The Prevalence, Origins, and Political Consequences of Anti-Intellectualism in the United States (Oxford University Press). There, I demonstrate that self-identified Republicans have become increasingly likely to hold negative views toward scientists as people—a phenomenon I and others refer to as “anti-intellectualism.”

In my book, I show that the resentment of scientific authorities tends to coincide with the election of anti-science candidates to political office. This includes Donald Trump’s rise to the White House in 2016, which was characterized by hostility toward science in many forms, such as efforts to defund scientific agencies, prevent government climate scientists from presenting the results of their research, and undermine the public health recommendations of his own administration’s public health advisors throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Partisan asymmetries in public anti-intellectual attitude endorsement provide an electoral incentive for GOP policymakers to forgo soliciting the advice of scientific experts. Correspondingly, my book shows that lawmakers tend to be less likely to invite scientists to testify before congressional committees in periods of high public anti-intellectual attitude endorsement.

This dynamic may help explain the pattern of effects documented in that working paper. Republicans are less likely to defer to scientific expertise, because they see doing so as politically advantageous.

Of course, Republicans do not completely forgo citing scientific research in the policymaking process. Anecdotally, though, we do observe differences in the types of experts that partisans solicit when gathering the information necessary to inform evidence-based policy.

Consider, for example, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic’s recent hearings on the origins of COVID-19. Ostensibly, information from a fact-finding mission like this one could be used to inform policy efforts to prevent future pandemics—such as a bill sponsored by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and US Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.) aimed at investing in the development of a universal influenza vaccine.

Indeed, Democrats on the subcommittee used the hearings as an opportunity to seek out sworn testimony from research scientists who authored a scientific study documenting that the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to be the result of animal-to-human transmission than a “leak” from a virology research lab in Wuhan, China—and that the scientists reached these conclusions independently of potential political pressures.

Nevertheless, these hearings were, at times, focused on anything but the facts.

For example, subcommittee member Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who described herself as “having a PhD in recognizing bullshit,” cited data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in order to cast doubt on COVID-19 vaccine safety. As my colleague Dominik Stecula (assistant professor of political science at Colorado State University) and I have written elsewhere, VAERS data are self-reported vaccine injury claims. While these data can be useful for identifying side effects warranting further scientific study, they can nevertheless be subject to misreporting.

So, even the most extreme members of the GOP caucus seek the trappings of science for their arguments. Greene’s comments co-opt the language of science by drawing on government data to levy her anti-science claims, weaponizing science in service of casting doubt on scientific consensus. Her concerns were echoed by other GOP members of the subcommittee, including Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio). 

More generally, the asymmetric polarization of scientific expertise implies that, in periods where Republicans control the legislature, science may play a less pronounced role in informing public policy. This is concerning, as the policy challenges facing our nation are not subject to biannual election cycles.

That’s why I believe that members of Congress should be entitled to their own opinions—not their own facts.

Still, I think there is plenty of reason for optimism.

If members of the American public place greater trust in science and scientists, policymakers will have less of an incentive to embrace anti-science views in Washington. I believe it is incumbent on all of us to defend the rigors of scientific peer review and scientists’ nonpartisan intentions to produce sound research, when discussing current affairs with friends and family.

All of us can play a role in combating the asymmetric polarization of science.

Matthew Motta , assistant professor of health law, policy, and management at Boston University’s School of Public Health, can be reached at [email protected] . His book, Anti-Scientific Americans: The Prevalence, Origins, and Political Consequences of Anti-Intellectualism in the United States , is to be published by Oxford University Press in September.

“POV” is an opinion page that provides timely commentaries from students, faculty, and staff on a variety of issues: on-campus, local, state, national, or international. Anyone interested in submitting a piece, which should be about 700 words long, should contact John O’Rourke at [email protected] . BU Today reserves the right to reject or edit submissions. The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of Boston University.

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Matthew Motta, assistant professor of health law, policy, and management at Boston University’s School of Public Health, can be reached at [email protected]. His book, Anti-Scientific Americans: The Prevalence, Origins, and Political Consequences of Anti-Intellectualism in the United States, is to be published by Oxford University Press in September.

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Americans think a president’s power should be checked, AP-NORC poll finds — unless their side wins

A new Associated Press-NORC poll finds that while Americans say they respect the Constitution’s checks and balances and don’t want a president to have too much power, that view shifts if the candidate of their party wins the presidency.

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks at an event in Raleigh, N.C., March. 26, 2024. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Opinion Research conducted March 21-25, finds that while Americans say they respect the Constitution’s checks and balances and don’t want a president to have too much power, that view shifts if the candidate of their party wins the presidency. It’s a view held by members of both parties, though it’s especially common among Republicans. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)

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FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks April 2, 2024, at a rally in Green Bay, Wis. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Opinion Research conducted March 21-25, finds that while Americans say they respect the Constitution’s checks and balances and don’t want a president to have too much power, that view shifts if the candidate of their party wins the presidency. It’s a view held by members of both parties, though it’s especially common among Republicans. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Like many Americans, Richard Bidon says he’d like to see the U.S. government “go back to its original design” — a system of checks and balances developed nearly 240 years ago to prevent any branch, especially the presidency, from becoming too powerful.

But that’s mainly when Republicans are in power.

Bidon, an 84-year-old Democrat who lives near Los Angeles, said if President Joe Biden is reelected , he doesn’t want him to have to get the approval of a possibly Republican-controlled Congress to enact policies to slow climate change. He wants presidents to have the power to change policy unilaterally — as long as they’re from the right party.

“When a Democrat’s in, I support” a strong presidency, Bidon said. “When Republicans are in, I don’t support it that much. It’s sort of a wishy-washy thing.”

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Opinion Research finds that Bidon’s view is common. Though Americans say don’t want a president to have too much power, that view shifts if the candidate of their party wins the presidency. It’s a view held by members of both parties, though it’s especially common among Republicans.

Overall, only about 2 in 10 Americans say it would be “a good thing” for the next president to be able to change policy without waiting on Congress or the courts. But nearly 6 in 10 Republicans say it would be good for a future President Donald Trump to take unilateral action, while about 4 in 10 Democrats say the same if Biden is reelected.

The sentiment comes amid escalating polarization and is a sign of the public’s willingness to push the boundaries of the political framework that has kept the U.S. a stable democracy for more than two centuries. In the poll, only 9% of Americans say the nation’s system of checks and balances is working extremely or very well. It also follows promises by Trump to “act as a dictator” on day one of a new administration to secure the border and expand oil and gas drilling.

Bob Connor, a former carpenter now on disability in Versailles, Missouri, wants that type of decisive action on the border. He’s given up hope on Congress taking action.

“From what I’ve seen, the Republicans are trying to get some stuff done, the Democrats are trying to get some other stuff done — they’re not mixing in the middle,” said Connor, 56. “We’re not getting anywhere.”

He blames the influx of migrants on Biden unilaterally revoking some of Trump’s own unilateral border security policies when he took office.

“I’m not a Trump fanatic, but what he’s saying has to get done is right,” Connor said.

Joe Titus, a 69-year-old Democrat from Austin, Texas, believes Republicans have destroyed Congress’ ability to act in its traditional legislative role and says Biden will have to step into the gap.

“There’s this so-called ‘majority’ in Congress, and they’re a bunch of whack-jobs,” Titus, a retired Air Force mechanic, said of the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. “It’s not the way this thing was set up.”

The current Congress is setting dubious records as the least productive one in the country’s history, with fewer than three dozen bills sent to Biden’s desk last year. At Trump’s urging, House Republicans have stalled aid to Ukraine and a bipartisan immigration bill .

Titus said that in general he opposes expanded presidential power but would support Biden funding more immigration judges and sending additional aid to Ukraine on his own.

“There’s certain things that it seems to me the public wants and the other party is blocking,” Titus said.

The presidency has steadily gained power in recent years as congressional deadlocks have become more common. Increasingly, the nation’s chief executive is moving to resolve issues through administrative policy or executive orders. The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to rule later this year on a case that could significantly weaken the ability of federal agencies — and thus a presidential administration — to issue regulations.

Meanwhile, conservatives are planning a takeover of the federal bureaucracy should they win the White House in November, a move that could increase the administration’s ability to make sweeping policy changes on its own.

The AP-NORC poll found that voters’ views of which institutions have too much power were colored by their own partisanship. Only 16% of Democrats, whose party currently controls the White House, say the presidency has too much power while nearly half of Republicans believe it does. In contrast, about 6 in 10 Democrats say the U.S. Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, has too much power.

With Congress evenly divided between the two parties — the GOP has a narrow House majority, Democrats a narrow Senate one — Americans have similar views on its power regardless of party. About 4 in 10 from both major parties say it has too much power.

“I think Congress had too much power when the presidency and Congress were both ruled by Democrats, but now that Republicans are in the majority there’s an equal balance,” said John V. Mohr, a 62-year-old housecleaner in Wilmington, North Carolina.

In contrast, he complained that Biden is “sitting there writing executive orders left and right,” including his proclamation marking Transgender Day of Visibility , which fell on Easter Sunday this year.

The abstract idea of a president with nearly unchecked power remains unpopular.

Steven Otney, a retired trucker in Rock Hill, South Carolina, said major policies should be approved by Congress and gain approval from the courts. But he also said it depends on the topic. He wants to see prompt action on certain issues by the next president if he’s Trump.

“Some things need to be done immediately, like that border wall being finished,” said Otney, a Republican.

He said it’s just common sense.

“If Trump got in there and said ‘I want to bomb Iran,’ no, that’s crazy,” Otney said. “Within reason, not stupid stuff either way. Something to help the American people, not hurt us.”

The poll of 1,282 adults was conducted March 21-25, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Riccardi reported from Denver.

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here . The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The partisan gap in U.S. politics continues to center heavily on age

It is easy to lose sight of how unusual the 2024 presidential election is shaping up to be. It is unusual, most obviously, in that it features the same two major-party candidates who were on the ballot four years ago. It is unusual in that both candidates are broadly unpopular, something that seems standard in the modern era but is itself anomalous. And it is unusual in that it arrives at a moment of generational transition in the United States.

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And that transition — largely, though by no means entirely — can help us understand how the presidential race and American politics broadly are evolving.

The prompt for this discussion is new data from the Pew Research Center exploring partisan identity among demographic groups. But let’s begin not by diving into party identification among younger and older people or among men and women. Let’s instead look at a much less common metric: housing.

In Pew’s data, people who own their homes are slightly more likely to identify as Republicans (or Republican-leaning independents) than as Democrats. It’s a six-point difference, with 51 percent of homeowners saying they are Republican or Republican-leaning. Among renters, though, there’s a 2-to-1 advantage toward Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. In total, the difference in partisan identity between homeowners and renters is 38 points: Homeowners are Republicans plus-6, and renters are Democrats plus-32.

When presented with this data, you probably didn’t take long to start thinking about the groups that fit into those two categories. Homeowners are generally wealthier than renters, almost definitionally. But they are also generally older . These numbers are probably more of a proxy for other characteristics than representations of how fervently homeowners adhere to Republican policy positions.

This overlap of traits is incredibly important to consider when looking at data like Pew’s. The Pew data, for example, finds that Asian, Black and Hispanic Americans identify much more heavily as Democrats than Republicans. The rightward shifts seen in other data sets, like Gallup’s , aren’t reflected as robustly in Pew’s — though that is probably partly because Pew’s focused on registered voters.

But that racial identification also overlaps with age. Younger Americans are more likely to be non-White than are older Americans. So when we see Pew present partisan identification by age, consider that the propensity among younger voters to identify as a Democrat or a Democratic-leaning independent overlaps with those voters being more heavily non-White.

Also note, as shown in Pew’s data, that those younger voters are more likely to fall into that “leaner” category; that is, they are more likely to be independents who tend to vote Democratic than older Americans.

This is probably one reason President Biden’s poll numbers with younger Americans are not particularly strong (especially relative to past years): There is less loyalty to the institution of the party and more consideration of Biden as a (not terribly popular) candidate.

There’s another characteristic that overlaps with age that is central to Pew’s data: education.

Pew has looked at the composition of the two major parties for decades, allowing us to see how each party has shifted. The parties have gotten more diverse — though the GOP is still more heavily White than the Democratic Party was 28 years ago. The parties have gotten older — though that’s more the case with the Republican Party, which has more support among older Americans. And the parties now have more members with college degrees — though that’s more true of the Democratic Party.

Why? In part because younger Americans are more likely to have college degrees .

It has been observed before that education has been a point of remarkable polarization in recent years, even before Donald Trump emerged on the political scene. Americans without a college degree went from a 14-point Democratic lean in 2007 to a six-point Republican lean last year. Among White people without a college degree, the shift was more dramatic: They now lean Republican by 30 points.

Those with a degree, meanwhile, went from a 10-point Republican preference in 2002 to a 20-point Democratic preference in 2018 before falling to a 13-point Democratic preference last year. Whites with a college degree were again more Republican, but less dramatically so and still leaned Democratic on net.

Fascinatingly, the difference between those with and without a college degree is much larger among White people than among Black or Hispanic Americans. This may again be because Pew is looking solely at registered voters, but it is nonetheless the case that the gap isn’t reflected within those other groups. Among Black Americans, Pew finds that those with a college degree sit slightly to the right of Black Americans without a degree.

Pew also found that the partisan divide by education was much more pronounced among wealthier Americans than poorer ones. The poorest Americans without degrees lean more heavily Democratic than Republican, not much different from those with degrees at that income level. The richest Americans without degrees — a heavily older group because older Americans are more likely to have higher incomes and less likely to have degrees — had the biggest partisan gap by education.

Pew’s data also show a widening gap in partisan identity in rural communities — though not in suburban ones and relative stability in urban centers.

Again, there’s overlap: Rural communities tend to be older, more White and less college-educated than urban areas. (On average, rural counties had populations that were a fifth 65 and older, a fifth with college degrees and three-quarters White in 2019. Large urban counties were about an eighth 65 and older, 40 percent college-educated and just under half White.)

These numbers can be sliced in several ways, certainly. Using age as a proxy for these underlying patterns is one way. But it’s a useful one, in part because we have two large generational groups — baby boomers and millennials — that are contesting for power, and each group has characteristics that overlap with politics.

One story of the Pew data is that, for all of the understandable focus on partisan movement among Black and Hispanic Americans, broader trends remain, such as education, that are measurable and useful in understanding this very odd political moment.

Election 2024

Get the latest news on the 2024 election from our reporters on the campaign trail and in Washington.

Who is running? President Biden and Donald Trump secured their parties’ nominations for the presidency , formalizing a general-election rematch.

Key dates and events: From January to June, voters in all states and U.S. territories will pick their party’s nominee for president ahead of the summer conventions. Here are key dates and events on the 2024 election calendar .

Abortion and the election: Voters in a dozen states in this pivotal election year could decide the fate of abortion rights with constitutional amendments on the ballot. Biden supports legal access to abortion , and he has encouraged Congress to pass a law that would codify abortion rights nationwide. After months of mixed signals about his position, Trump said the issue should be left to states . Here’s how Trump’s abortion stance has shifted over the years.