Journals as constituents of scientific discourse: economic heterodoxy

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the citation networks of heterodox economics journals, revealing their fragmented nature and strong interdisciplinary links, which challenge the notion of heterodox economics as an integrated field.

Contribution

It provides a detailed network analysis of heterodox economics journals using citation data, highlighting their lack of cohesion and interdisciplinary connections.

Findings

Heterodox economics journals have diverse citation network structures.

Authors cite more mainstream economics than other heterodox journals.

Strong links exist with disciplines like geography and development studies.

Abstract

Purpose: to provide a view and analysis of the immediate field of journals which surround a number of key heterodox economics journals. Design/methodology/approach: Using citation data from the Science and Social Science Citation Index, the individual and collective networks of a number of journals in this field are analyzed. Findings: The size and shape of the citation networks of journals can differ substantially, even if in a broadly similar category. Heterodox economics cannot (yet) be considered as an integrated specialty: authors in several journals in heterodox economics cite more from mainstream economics than from other heterodox journals. There are also strong links with other disciplinary fields such as geography, development studies, women studies, etc.