Political Science and International Relations papers

Pofolia’s corpus holds 80 papers from Political Science and International Relations (1993–2026), each with a short summary. Below, the 20 most-cited, then the most recently added.

At a glance

• Most cited: The Interpretation of Cultures (2017, 16,564 citations).
• The 20 papers listed have 84,971 citations between them.
• 4 of the 4 with a known journal quartile appeared in a Q1 journal.
• 3 have a free full text (open access).
• Most frequent journals: Princeton University Press eBooks, Oxford University Press eBooks, Annual Review of Anthropology.
• Published between 2012 and 2023.

Most cited

Ranked by citation count. Because citations accumulate over time, this list naturally leans towards work published a few years ago; for where the field is now, see “recently added”. How to read the signals

• The Interpretation of Cultures

  Macat Library eBooks · 2017 · FWCI 537.93 · 16,564 citations

  Clifford Geertz revolutionized anthropology by proposing that cultures are 'webs of meaning' and advocating for 'thick description' as the method to understand them.

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• Anarchy, State, and Utopia

  Princeton University Press eBooks · 2018 · FWCI 2058.89 · 6,698 citations

  Robert Nozick's "Anarchy, State, and Utopia" is a seminal work that critically examines and challenges prevailing political and social ideologies.

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• Justice and the Politics of Difference

  Princeton University Press eBooks · 2012 · FWCI 538.37 · 6,270 citations

  This book challenges the dominant philosophical focus on distributive justice, arguing instead for a framework that addresses group-based oppression and promotes inclusive democratic participation.

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• Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty

  Asean Economic Bulletin · 2012 · FWCI 1103.15 · 5,303 citations

  This abstract describes the Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (JSEAE), formerly the ASEAN Economic Bulletin, as a peer-reviewed publication for economic research relevant to the ASEAN region.

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• The United Nations Development Programme

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2017 · FWCI 2806.34 · 4,924 citations

  The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has attempted to integrate a rights-based approach across its programming, with notable success in areas like access to justice and transgender rights, but varying results elsewhere.

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• Activists beyond Borders

  Cornell University Press eBooks · 2014 · FWCI 469.85 · 4,662 citations

  Transnational activist networks, operating across national borders, have significantly influenced global human rights and environmental politics, and are emerging as a force in campaigns against violence against women.

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• The Politics and Poetics of Infrastructure

  Annual Review of Anthropology · 2013 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 273.21 · 3,863 citations

  This article synthesizes anthropological literature to theorize infrastructure not just as material networks for exchange, but also as aesthetic and sensorial forces that structure politics and meaning.

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• Populism: A Very Short Introduction

  2017 · FWCI 288.56 · 3,485 citations

  Populism is defined as an ideology that pits a 'pure people' against a 'corrupt elite' and prioritizes popular sovereignty, posing an increasing challenge to democratic politics.

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• Formations of the Secular

  Stanford University Press eBooks · 2020 · FWCI 216.64 · 3,300 citations

  This book proposes an anthropological perspective on secularism, examining its concepts, practices, and political formations.

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• Perception and Misperception in International Politics

  Princeton University Press eBooks · 2017 · FWCI 154.15 · 3,220 citations

  This seminal work applies cognitive psychology to foreign policy, arguing that leaders' perceptions, once formed, shape how they interpret all subsequent information, leading to common misperceptions in international relations.

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• The Origins and Consequences of Affective Polarization in the United States

  Annual Review of Political Science · 2018 · Q1 · SJR 6.00 · FWCI 600.47 · 3,173 citations · Open access

  A new form of political division, affective polarization, has emerged where ordinary Americans increasingly dislike and distrust members of the opposing party, extending beyond issue-based disagreements.

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• New York University Law Review

  2017 · FWCI 1191.06 · 2,882 citations

  This abstract clarifies John Rawls's concept of "overlapping consensus" as the foundation for a stable constitutional regime in a pluralistic society.

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• Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2021 · FWCI 1341.32 · 2,880 citations

  This is a collection of philosophical and literary essays by Adam Smith, including his autobiography, letters, and treatises on human understanding, passions, morals, and religion.

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• Cultural Backlash

  Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2019 · FWCI 358.48 · 2,764 citations

  Authoritarian populist parties gain support by exploiting a backlash against a "silent revolution" in values, shifting policy agendas in the US and Europe.

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• Second Treatise of Government

  Princeton University Press eBooks · 2018 · FWCI 1662.26 · 2,757 citations

  John Locke's "Second Treatise of Government" argues that legitimate government arises from individuals consenting to a social contract to protect natural rights to life, property, and liberty, with strict limits on governmental power.

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• Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens

  Perspectives on Politics · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 748.25 · 2,667 citations · Open access

  Economic elites and organized business interests significantly influence U.S. policy, while average citizens and mass-based groups have minimal independent impact, according to a multivariate analysis of 1,779 policy issues.

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• Affect, Not Ideology

  Public Opinion Quarterly · 2012 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 153.17 · 2,607 citations

  American partisans increasingly dislike and loathe their opponents, suggesting polarization is driven by negative feelings rather than extreme policy views.

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• Welcome to the experience economy

  University of Twente Research Information · 2019 · FWCI 913.60 · 2,567 citations · Open access

  This abstract describes the creative process of a writer who drew inspiration from his extensive experiences as a taxi driver, including approximately 160,000 conversations with fares.

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• Theories Of The Policy Process

  2023 · FWCI 172.07 · 2,291 citations

  This article is a comprehensive primer introducing major contemporary theoretical frameworks in policy process research, authored by leading scholars.

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• Nation and Narration

  2013 · FWCI 171.43 · 2,094 citations

  This volume explores the complex realities of nationhood and the inherent ambivalence of language, drawing on diverse literary analyses to argue that English, detached from a singular national consciousness, offers an international dimension.

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Recently added

• The Electoral Class Gap: Working‐Class Non‐Voting on the Rise in Twenty‐First Century Norway

  British Journal of Sociology · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 1.00

  Working-class non-voting in Norway has doubled since the 1980s, reaching historically high levels in the 21st century, despite Norway's egalitarian context.

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• Competing business models in international higher education: a transatlantic comparison

  The Journal of Technology Transfer · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 2.00

  International higher education is shifting from national system competition to business model competition, with US universities facing challenges due to rising costs and policy risks, while Europe offers a credible alternative with lower fees and a clear internationalization strategy.

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• Determinants of E-government interoperability capabilities for social welfare data integration in Gunung Kidul and Bangkalan Regencies, Indonesia

  Discover Sustainability · 2026 · Q1

  Business Architecture, Cross-Organizational Collaboration, and Technological Readiness significantly boost e-government integration outcomes for social welfare data in Indonesian regencies (n=246).

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• The ideology of access: Young adult experiences in transition from Literacy and Basic Skills to postsecondary education

  Journal of Vocational Education and Training · 2026 · Q1 · Open access

  Young, racialized, immigrant adults in Toronto's basic literacy programs experience educational access as an ideology that fragments their consciousness and reduces them to human capital for class struggle, despite state promises of 'barrier-free' participation.

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• Democratic innovations and the field of Eurocracy: How field theory sheds light on the study of democratic innovations

  European Political Science · 2026 · Q1

  This paper argues against conceptualizing a distinct 'field of democratic innovations' within the EU, proposing instead a 'reform space' that influences the broader European field of power.

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• Theories on Variations in Party System: A Literature Review

  Public Organization Review · 2026 · Q1

  Classical and contemporary theories alone are insufficient to explain global party system variation; context-sensitive approaches integrating regional historical and socio-political dynamics are needed.

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• Territorial allocation of EU Cohesion Policy investment in household waste-management infrastructure

  Waste Management · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · Open access

  EU Cohesion Policy investment in household waste-management infrastructure (2014-2020) was more likely in regions with lower GDP per capita and institutional quality, but investment intensity was driven by waste management needs like landfill dependence and waste generation.

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• Transitional justice and human rights in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

  The International Journal of Human Rights · 2026 · Q1

  Transitional justice principles are difficult to apply in Afghanistan, where the Taliban's return to power has worsened human rights outcomes, particularly concerning security, military force, torture, media repression, and women's rights.

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Journals in this field

The journals that publish most of this field’s papers. Quartile (Q1–Q4), SJR and h-index are from SCImago Journal Rank; “in this field” is how many of the journal’s pooled papers belong here. What is a Q1 journal? · What is the h-index?

Every journal in Political Science and International Relations (Q1–Q4) →

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