What can Systematic Reviews in Political Science contribute to Political Research?

Abstract

Systematic literature reviews have grown in popularity in the social sciences in recent years. Despite some reservations about using an approach that was popularized in clinical and health sciences, the literature in the field has added some clear benefits to accounts of existing research. As a result, it is surprising that political scientists have tended to ignore, or at best marginalize, such reviews. This paper outlines a number of systematic review features that may be appropriate for the types of questions political scientists ask of their data. Throughout, it emphasizes both the value and the potential complexities of the approach, raising a number of questions that should be addressed if systematic reviews are to become more widely used.