International Relations Renaissance? Individuals Matter in Theory But Not Much in Publications

The study of individuals is experiencing a renaissance within international relations (IR) theory.

But does this matter on the page?

📊 New data from TRIP database reveals only 13.7% of articles in leading journals focus on individual-level analysis, despite theoretical emphasis.

🔍 Data & Methods:

Using comprehensive article publication records from Teaching, Research and International Policy (TRIP) journal-article database covering IR research trends over the past four decades.

💡 Key Findings:

The low rate persists across 1980-2018, suggesting a disconnect between theoretical focus and empirical practice in this field.

🤔 Why It Matters:

This gap raises questions about how scholars think versus what they actually publish — maybe it's not as big a comeback for individuals as we thought.