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TERRA ECONOMICUS

Mathematization of economics through the mirror of bibliometrics

TERRA ECONOMICUS, , Vol. 14 (no. 3),

The article is devoted to the evolution and modern tendencies of mathematization of economics in Western and Russian economic research. The specific features of this process as well as accompanying it problems in the national segment of that branch of science are analyzed. The study is based on the usage of methods of content-analysis and bibliometric analysis of the articles published in the prominent Russian economic journals which are presented on the site elibrary.ru. The results obtained demonstrate that the share of Russian publications on economics with mathematics instruments used in research among the articles published in the selected national periodic editions varies form 10–20% till 70%. Herewith the tendency towards to the growth of the share of such articles is observed. At the same time the comparison between the leading Russian and foreign journals on economics indicates to the lower level of the mathematization of the Russian economics than of the western one. Besides such articles are less cited by Russian researchers in contrast to theoretical and descriptive works. That in return decelerates the adequate growth of science ratings of the authors, working in the mathematic paradigm of economic science. As a result under the existing Russian culture of economic research the modern system of the assessment of scientific staff makes the writing of mathematizised works unprofitable from the point of view of the strategy of professional success and that’s why slows at least in the short term the mathematization of research. The revealed differentiation of Russian works on economics by citation indicators depending on the methodological arsenal used serves as an additional argument against the practice of bibliometric indicators as main criteria of the assessment of productivity and efficiency of scientific activity.


Keywords: methodology of economics; mathematization; bibliometric analysis; economic journals

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Publisher: Southern Federal University
Founder: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606