Systematic reviews in political science: What can the approach contribute to political research?
Open accessAbstract
Recent years have seen the growing use of systematic literature reviews within the social sciences. Despite some reservations over the adoption of an approach originally popularised within clinical and health sciences, the literature in the area has contributed some clear benefits to accounts of existing research. It is surprising, therefore, that political scientists have tended to ignore, or at best marginalise, reviews of this kind. This article outlines a number of features of systematic reviews which might be suitable for the kinds of questions political scientists ask of their data. Throughout, it highlights both the value and the potential complications of the approach, raising a number of questions which should be considered if systematic reviews are to be adopted more widely.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The use of systematic reviews is growing in public administration research and shows potential for further use in political science research.
“The use of systematic reviews is growing in public administration research (van Thiel, 2022), and shows potential for further use in political science research (Dacombe, 2016).”
From Between promise and practice: a scoping review of the democratic outcomes of youth participation in local governance (2026) · cites this paper as Dacombe, 2016
Cites
Primary, Secondary, and Meta-Analysis of Research
GLASS, G. V. (1976) · Educational Researcher · doi:10.3102/0013189x005010003 · Cited by 4,890 · see citing works
Mobilization, participation, and democracy in America
Rosenstone, S. J., & Hansen, J. M. (1993) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 3,644 · see citing works
Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide
Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2006) · doi:10.1002/9780470754887 · Cited by 3,586 · see citing works
Realist review - a new method of systematic review designed for complex policy interventions
Pawson, R., Greenhalgh, T., Harvey, G., & Walshe, K. (2005) · Journal of Health Services Research & Policy · doi:10.1258/1355819054308530 · Cited by 3,190 · see citing works
Norris, P. (2011) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511973383 · Cited by 2,580 · see citing works
The SAGE handbook of organizational research methods
Buchanan, D., & Bryman, A. E. (2009) · Cited by 2,123 · see citing works
(2009) · Cited by 2,062 · see citing works
Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies
Dalton, R. J. (1996) · Cited by 1,751 · see citing works
Lijphart, A. (1997) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.2307/2952255 · Cited by 1,514 · see citing works
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
Littell, J. H., Corcoran, J., & Pillai, V. (2008) · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326543.001.0001 · Cited by 1,293 · see citing works
Handbook for Synthesizing Qualitative Research
Sandelowski, M., & Barroso, J. V. (2006) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,096 · see citing works
The embarrassment of riches? A meta-analysis of individual-level research on voter turnout
Smets, K., & van Ham, C. (2013) · Electoral Studies · doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2012.12.006 · Cited by 799 · see citing works
Scientific Guidelines for Conducting Integrative Research Reviews
Cooper, H. M. (1982) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/00346543052002291 · Cited by 785 · see citing works
Democracy and Economic Growth: A Meta‐Analysis
Doucouliagos, H., & Ulubaşoğlu, M. (2008) · American Journal of Political Science · doi:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2007.00299.x · Cited by 586 · see citing works
Systematic Reviews from Astronomy to Zoology: Myths and Misconceptions
Petticrew, M. (2001) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7278.98 · Cited by 550 · see citing works
Meta-Analysis for Explanation: A Casebook.
Jackson, S., Cook, T. D., Cooper, H. M., Cordray, D. S., Hartmann, H. I., Hedges, L. V., Light, R. J., Louis, T. A., & Mosteller, F. C. (1993) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.2307/2074578 · Cited by 434 · see citing works
The Effects of Negative Political Advertisements: A Meta-Analytic Assessment
Lau, R. R., Sigelman, L., Heldman, C., & Babbitt, P. (1999) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.2307/2586117 · Cited by 432 · see citing works
OECD (2005) · OECD eBooks · doi:10.1787/9789264010505-en · Cited by 425 · see citing works
On ‘Systematic’ Reviews of Research Literatures: A ‘narrative’ response to Evans & Benefield
Hammersley, M. (2001) · British Educational Research Journal · doi:10.1080/01411920120095726 · Cited by 407 · see citing works
The relevance of systematic reviews to educational policy and practice
Davies, P. (2000) · Oxford Review of Education · doi:10.1080/713688543 · Cited by 286 · see citing works
Left–right party ideology and government policies: A meta–analysis
Imbeau, L., Pétry, F., & Ламари, М. (2001) · European Journal of Political Research · doi:10.1111/1475-6765.00587 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Morse, J. M. (2016) · doi:10.4324/9781315421650 · Cited by 253 · see citing works
Using Sandelowski and Barroso’s Meta-Synthesis Method in Advancing Qualitative Evidence
Ludvigsen, M. S., Hall, E. O. C., Meyer, G., Fegran, L., Aagaard, H., & Uhrenfeldt, L. (2015) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732315576493 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Thinking through Democracy: Between the Theory and Practice of Deliberative Politics
Neblo, M. A. (2005) · Acta Politica · doi:10.1057/palgrave.ap.5500102 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Systematic Research Synthesis to Inform Policy, Practice and Democratic Debate
Gough, D., & Elbourne, D. R. (2002) · Social Policy and Society · doi:10.1017/s147474640200307x · Cited by 161 · see citing works
The politics of evidence and methodology: lessons from the EPPI-Centre
Oakley, A., Gough, D., Oliver, S. R., & Thomas, J. (2005) · Evidence & Policy · doi:10.1332/1744264052703168 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Cook, T. D., Cooper, H. M., Cordray, D. S., Hartmann, H. I., Hedges, L. V., & Light, R. J. (1994) · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Meeting the challenge: developing systematic reviewing in social policy
Wallace, A., Baldwin, S. J., Croucher, K., & Quilgars, D. (2004) · Policy & Politics · doi:10.1332/0305573042009444 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Beyond just politics: A systematic literature review of online participation
Lutz, C., Hoffmann, C. P., & Meckel, M. (2014) · First Monday · doi:10.5210/fm.v19i7.5260 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Hansen, H. F., & Rieper, O. (2009) · Evaluation · doi:10.1177/1356389008101968 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Systematic Reviews: What have they got to offer evidence based policy and practice?
Nagyová, I. (2015) · European Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckv173.021 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Online Electoral Competition in Different Settings
Strandberg, K. (2008) · Party Politics · doi:10.1177/1354068807085891 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Daigneault, P., Jacob, S., & Ouimet, M. (2012) · International Journal of Social Research Methodology · doi:10.1080/13645579.2012.730704 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Elstub, S. (2013) · The British Journal of Politics and International Relations · doi:10.1111/1467-856x.12000 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
What's in a buzzword? A systematic review of the state of populism research in political science
Hunger, S., & Paxton, F. (2021) · Political Science Research and Methods · doi:10.1017/psrm.2021.44 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
König, P. D., Siewert, M. Β., & Ackermann, K. (2022) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/00104140211066213 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Enhancing developing countries’ transition to a low-carbon electricity sector
Relva, S. G., da Silva, V. O., Gimenes, A. L. V., Udaeta, M. E. M., Ashworth, P., & Peyerl, D. (2020) · Energy · doi:10.1016/j.energy.2020.119659 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
The Importance of Consociationalism for Twenty‐First Century Politics and Political Science
Bogaards, M., Helms, L., & Lijphart, A. (2019) · Swiss Political Science Review · doi:10.1111/spsr.12384 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Crime and safety in rural areas: A systematic review of the English-language literature 1980–2020
Abraham, J., & Ceccato, V. A. (2022) · Journal of Rural Studies · doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.05.010 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
van der Does, R., & Jacquet, V. (2021) · Political Studies · doi:10.1177/00323217211007278 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
The Populist Backlash Against Globalization: A Meta-Analysis of the Causal Evidence
Scheiring, G., Serrano‐Alarcón, M., Moise, A. D., McNamara, C. L., & Stückler, D. (2024) · British Journal of Political Science · doi:10.1017/s0007123424000024 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Just what is data-driven campaigning? A systematic review
Dommett, K., Barclay, A., & Gibson, R. (2023) · Information Communication & Society · doi:10.1080/1369118x.2023.2166794 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Bandau, F., & Ahrens, L. (2019) · Journal of European Social Policy · doi:10.1177/0958928719868446 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
The Voice of Science on Marine Biodiversity Negotiations: A Systematic Literature Review
Wysocki, I. T.-V., & Vadrot, A. B. M. (2020) · Frontiers in Marine Science · doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.614282 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Climate Change and Violent Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa
Kim, K., & Garcia, T. F. (2023) · International Studies Review · doi:10.1093/isr/viad053 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Miljand, M. (2019) · Environmental Science & Policy · doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2019.12.008 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
A systematic review of the Narrative Policy Framework: a future research agenda
Kuenzler, J., Stauffer, B., Schlaufer, C., Song, G., Smith‐Walter, A., & Jones, M. D. (2024) · Policy & Politics · doi:10.1332/03055736y2024d000000046 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Politicians and climate change: A systematic review of the literature
Moore, B., Geese, L., Kenny, J., Dudley, H., Jordan, A., Pascual, A. P. I., Lorenzoni, I., Schaub, S., Enguer, J., & Tosun, J. (2024) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change · doi:10.1002/wcc.908 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
A Scoping Review on Perception-Based Definitions and Measurements of Corruption
Maciel, G. G., Magalhães, P. C., de Sousa, L., Pinto, I. R., & Clemente, F. (2022) · Public Integrity · doi:10.1080/10999922.2022.2115235 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Well understood? A literature study defining and operationalising community social sustainability
Hofstad, H. (2023) · Local Environment · doi:10.1080/13549839.2023.2195620 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Azevedo, F., Marques, T., & Micheli, L. R. (2022) · Perspectives on Politics · doi:10.1017/s1537592722001098 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Informal negotiations in EU legislative decision-making: a systematic review and research agenda
Laloux, T. (2019) · European Political Science · doi:10.1057/s41304-019-00213-5 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Grip, L., & Kotajoki, J. (2019) · Conflict Security and Development · doi:10.1080/14678802.2019.1626577 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
van der Veer, R., & Haverland, M. (2018) · Journal of European Public Policy · doi:10.1080/13501763.2018.1523220 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Mertkan, Ş., & Gümüş, S. (2024) · Educational Management Administration & Leadership · doi:10.1177/17411432241291197 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
COVID-19 and democracy: a scoping review
Sorsa, V., & Kivikoski, K. (2023) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-023-16172-y · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Taking stock of the multilevel governance research programme: a systematic literature review
Papadopoulos, Y., Tortola, P. D., & Geyer, N. (2024) · Regional & Federal Studies · doi:10.1080/13597566.2024.2334470 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Sanches, E. R., Conduto, J. P. G., Marinha, A., & Espírito-Santo, A. (2024) · Political Research Exchange · doi:10.1080/2474736x.2024.2377652 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
What Do We Know about Power Sharing after 50 Years?
Farag, M., Jung, H. R., Montini, I. C., de Fontenay, J. B., & Ladhar, S. (2022) · Government and Opposition · doi:10.1017/gov.2022.26 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Severin‐Nielsen, M. K. (2023) · Nordicom review/NORDICOM review · doi:10.2478/nor-2023-0010 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Brumat, L. M., Geddes, A., & Pettrachin, A. (2021) · Journal of Refugee Studies · doi:10.1093/jrs/feab092 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Housing Regime Typologies and Their Discontents: A Systematic Literature Review
Flynn, L. B., & Montalbano, G. (2023) · Housing Theory and Society · doi:10.1080/14036096.2023.2265370 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Euroscepticism: a meta-analysis
Marzi, P. (2024) · Acta Politica · doi:10.1057/s41269-024-00351-9 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Does Political Trust Matter? A Meta-analysis on the Consequences of TrustPreprint
Devine, D. (2022) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/47sd2 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Espinosa, C. (2020) · Íconos - Revista de Ciencias Sociales · doi:10.17141/iconos.69.2021.4481 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Gricius, G., & Fitz, E. B. (2022) · Global Studies Quarterly · doi:10.1093/isagsq/ksac042 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Improving referendums with deliberative democracy: A systematic literature review
Witting, I., Wagenaar, C. C. L., & Hendriks, F. (2023) · International Political Science Review · doi:10.1177/01925121231210048 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Multiagent System and Rainfall-Runoff Model in Hydrological Problems: A Systematic Literature Review
Leitzke, B. D. S., & Adamatti, D. F. (2021) · Water · doi:10.3390/w13243643 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Lourenço, P. (2021) · Swiss Political Science Review · doi:10.1111/spsr.12478 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
The Helsinki Convention’s agricultural nutrient governance: how domestic institutions matter
Andersen, M. S., Andersson, A., Brady, M., Graversgaard, M., Kilis, E., Pedersen, A. B., Thorsøe, M. H., & Valve, H. (2022) · Journal of Baltic Studies · doi:10.1080/01629778.2022.2155202 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Health emergencies, science contrarianism and populism: A scoping review
Schenkel, M. D. A. (2024) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116691 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Mudança ou continuidade na política de combate à pobreza de Cardoso a Lula: uma revisão de escopo
Juliano, M. C., Clemente, A. J., & Madeira, L. M. (2023) · Revista de Sociologia e Política · doi:10.1590/1678-98732331e005 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
A Meta-Analysis of Determinants of Success and Failure of Economic Sanctions
Demena, B. A., & van Bergeijk, P. A. G. (2025) · Econometrics · doi:10.3390/econometrics13020016 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Avaliar o quê? Os vários sentidos de efetividade no campo de estudos da participação
Martelli, C. G. G., & Coelho, R. (2021) · Opinião Pública · doi:10.1590/1807-01912021272623 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Tsalikis, A., & Pedi, R. (2024) · Digest of Middle East Studies · doi:10.1111/dome.12337 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Ramos, F., Tavares, A. F., & da Cruz, N. F. (2026) · Children and Youth Services Review · doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108738 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Tavares, C. Q., Massuchin, M. G., de Sousa, N. N., & Silva, G. A. (2021) · Intercom Revista Brasileira de Ciências da Comunicação · doi:10.1590/1809-58442021305 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
(When) Do Parties Affect Economic Inequality? A Systematic Analysis of 30 Years of Research
Haselmayer, M., & Horn, A. (2024) · Perspectives on Politics · doi:10.1017/s1537592724001786 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Bijsmans, P., & Mancin, L. (2025) · Contemporary European Politics · doi:10.1002/cep4.70026 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Unpacking the multidimensional relationship between crisis and policy change: a systematic review
Capano, G., Mastroianni, L., & Profeti, S. (2025) · Policy and Society · doi:10.1093/polsoc/puaf041 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
More Flexible, Less Productive? The Impact of Employment Protection Legislation Reforms in Italy
Stolfi, F., & Fritsch, O. (2023) · South European Society & Politics · doi:10.1080/13608746.2023.2238970 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Lobbying coalitions and their determinants: a systematic literature review
Pritoni, A., Bitonti, A., & Montalbano, G. (2025) · European Political Science Review · doi:10.1017/s1755773925100143 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Adapting to Electoral Changes: Insights from a Systematic Review on Electoral Abstention Dynamics
Almeida, N., & Giger, J. (2025) · Societies · doi:10.3390/soc15110308 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Lüks Tüketim Kapsamında Tüketici Davranışlarının Sistematik Literatür Taramasıyla Analizi
Ünal, D. A. (2023) · Tüketici ve tüketim araştırmaları dergisi · doi:10.15659/ttad.15.2.173 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Looking for Ariadne’s thread: A systematic review on party-group relations in the last 20 years
Lisi, M., Oliveira, R., & Loureiro, J. (2021) · Politics · doi:10.1177/02633957211030399 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Massuchin, M. G., de Quadros, C. I., Comel, N., Ioscote, F. C., de Oliveira, P. A., & Kohls, C. D. (2023) · Revista Contracampo · doi:10.22409/contracampo.v42i3.59454 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Plutocratas, personalistas ou inexperientes
Schaefer, B. M. (2023) · Revista Agenda Política · doi:10.31990/agenda.2022.3.4 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Fake news e as eleições democráticas: uma revisão de escopo da literatura
Grizenti, E., Barros, S., & Resende, R. (2025) · Revista de Sociologia e Política · doi:10.1590/1678-98732433e005 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Eduardo, M. C., de Souza, J. I. L., & Horochovski, R. R. (2023) · Cuestiones de género/Cuestiones de género · doi:10.18002/cg.i18.7587 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
de Carvalho, F. C., & Massuchin, M. G. (2022) · Comunicação & Informação · doi:10.5216/ci.v25.67005 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Kumar, R., & Tarai, S. (2024) · Contemporary Voice of Dalit · doi:10.1177/2455328x231217576 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Miljand, M. (2020) · DiVA at Umeå University (Umeå University)
dos Santos, C. V. S., & de Miranda, J. M. S. (2022) · Media & Jornalismo · doi:10.14195/2183-5462_40_2
Lopes, A. V. (2022) · Revista Brasileira de Ciência Política · doi:10.1590/0103-3352.2022.39.256116
8. Nøytralitet eller engasjement? Kunnskapsoversikters retorikk
McNeill, D. (2023) · Universitetsforlaget eBooks · doi:10.18261/9788215052595-2023-08
Como se fomenta ou se barra reformas eleitorais? Uma revisão de escopo
de Souza, V. P. G. (2023) · Revista de Sociologia e Política · doi:10.1590/1678-98732331e006
Comparando Revisões Narrativas e Sistemáticas
Santos, V. M. D. S. (2023) · Revista Política Hoje · doi:10.51359/1808-8708.2022.260252
Por que grupos minoritários merecem mais espaço na representação política? Uma revisão de escopo
Hirschle, J. T., & Campos, L. A. (2025) · Revista de Sociologia e Política · doi:10.1590/1678-98732433e002
Schaefer, B. M., Borges, T. A., & Filho, F. A. A. D. G. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5350646
Wang, X. (2026) · Frontiers in Political Science · doi:10.3389/fpos.2026.1805385
van Heerebeek, A. (2026) · Regulation & Governance · doi:10.1111/rego.70173
Literary fiction, imagination, and democracy: a scoping review
Sorsa, V. (2026) · Social Sciences & Humanities Open · doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.103047
Bonin, H. (2026) · International Political Science Review · doi:10.1177/01925121261466179
Fosu, R. A., Enemuwe, C. A., Giwa, A., & Brew, B. A. (2026) · International Peacekeeping · doi:10.1080/13533312.2026.2720791
Criminal convergence in the amazon: an analysis of drug trafficking and illegal mining
Rodrigues, L. B., & Franchi, T. (2026) · Trends in Organized Crime · doi:10.1007/s12117-026-09615-6
Why (Not) Triangular Development Cooperation: A Systematic Review of Literature
Gu, B. (2026) · European Journal of Development Research · doi:10.1057/s41287-026-00766-4
What and how to teach in public administration: a systematic literature review
Martínez, G. F. C., & Robalino, M.-I. (2026) · Frontiers in Political Science · doi:10.3389/fpos.2026.1938031
Haglin, K., Jordan, S., Merrill, A. H., & Ura, J. D. (2026) · Journal of Law and Courts · doi:10.1017/jlc.2026.10036
- Authors
- Dacombe, R.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Dacombe, Rod
- ORCID
- Dacombe, Rod
- Venue
- Political Studies Review
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-02-02
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 148-157
- ISSN
- 1478-9299 (ISSN-L)
- 1478-9302
- OpenAlex
- W2583456201
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 4.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- kclpure.kcl.ac.uk
- Locations
- Political Studies Review (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Science Research and Education
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research
- Keywords
- systematic reviews, political science methodology, evidence synthesis, evidence-based policy, methodological issues
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
