Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Discussion
Nonprofit · Nairobi · Kenya

Institute for Security Studies

In research, Institute for Security Studies stands highest in Social Sciences (#5,875 of 9,585 worldwide) and Social Sciences (#4,489 of 5,988 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Political Science and International Relations, Sociology and Political Science and Social Sciences (Political Science and International Relations is 12.5× its share of world research).

issafrica.orgROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#11,987
of 22,385 · #11,220 all time
Rank in Kenya
#38
of 69
Research works
806
▲ 88% vs 2018-21
Citations
7.6k
9.4 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
6.1%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.87×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
43%
world 40%
International
31%
world 18%
Institute for Security Studies

What is Institute for Security Studies known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Social SciencesDomain #5,875 of 9,585 4.9%103 #4507
Social SciencesField #4,489 of 5,988 4.7%84 #2959

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Institute for Security Studies sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does Institute for Security Studies work in?

In 2022-now, 60% of research at Institute for Security Studies is in Social Sciences, 24% in Physical Sciences. Its largest fields are Social Sciences (47%), Computer Science (12%), Medicine (8%). It does 2.4× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Social Sciences: 139 fractional works · 60.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 109 fractional works · 47.4% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 43 fractional works · 18.6% of its workSociology and Political Science: 40 fractional works · 17.1% of its workDevelopment: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workSafety Research: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workLaw: 3 fractional works · 1.3% of its workGender Studies: 3 fractional works · 1.3% of its workHealth: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workDemography: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workAnthropology: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workTransportation: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEducation: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCultural Studies: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCommunication: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 9 fractional works · 3.9% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 6 fractional works · 2.5% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 7 fractional works · 3.2% of its workManagement Information Systems: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workStrategy and Management: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAccounting: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMarketing: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workPsychology: 6 fractional works · 2.7% of its workSocial Psychology: 3 fractional works · 1.3% of its workClinical Psychology: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workArts and Humanities: 5 fractional works · 2.3% of its workPhilosophy: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workReligious studies: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHistory: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workDecision Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhysical Sciences: 54 fractional works · 23.5% of its workComputer Science: 27 fractional works · 11.7% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 12 fractional works · 5.1% of its workInformation Systems: 7 fractional works · 3.0% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 3 fractional works · 1.4% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 3 fractional works · 1.1% of its workHardware and Architecture: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComputer Science Applications: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSignal Processing: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnvironmental Science: 10 fractional works · 4.5% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 6 fractional works · 2.5% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workWater Science and Technology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEngineering: 10 fractional works · 4.4% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAerospace Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workBuilding and Construction: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSafety, Risk, Reliability and Quality: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMathematics: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workStatistics and Probability: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workModeling and Simulation: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workChemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAnalytical Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSpectroscopy: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workChemical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workChemical Health and Safety: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEnergy: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMaterials Science: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workHealth Sciences: 27 fractional works · 11.6% of its workMedicine: 19 fractional works · 8.4% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workSurgery: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workEpidemiology: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workInfectious Diseases: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workOncology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth Informatics: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPhysiology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEmergency Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNephrology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHepatology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workHealth Professions: 7 fractional works · 3.0% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 3 fractional works · 1.4% of its workEmergency Medical Services: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth Information Management: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workRadiological and Ultrasound Technology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNursing: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDentistry: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 11 fractional works · 4.7% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 6 fractional works · 2.5% of its workPlant Science: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workFood Science: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAgronomy and Crop Science: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSoil Science: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 3 fractional works · 1.5% of its workMolecular Biology: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workGenetics: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKInstitute forSecurity Studies230fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences5%Physical Sciences24%Health Sciences12%Social Sciences60%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Social Sciences10947.4%
    2. Economics, Econometrics and Finance93.9%
    3. Business, Management and Accounting73.2%
    4. Psychology62.7%
    5. Arts and Humanities52.3%
    6. Decision Sciences10.6%
    1. Computer Science2711.7%
    2. Environmental Science104.5%
    3. Engineering104.4%
    4. Physics and Astronomy20.8%
    5. Mathematics20.8%
    6. Chemistry10.6%
    7. Chemical Engineering10.5%
    8. Earth and Planetary Sciences00.1%
    9. Energy00.1%
    10. Materials Science00.0%
    1. Medicine198.4%
    2. Health Professions73.0%
    3. Nursing00.2%
    4. Dentistry00.1%
    5. Veterinary00.0%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences62.5%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology31.5%
    3. Neuroscience10.3%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology10.2%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics00.1%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Institute for Security Studies specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Political Science and International Relations takes 12.5× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Political Science and International RelationsSubfield · 42.7 works12×
  2. Sociology and Political ScienceSubfield · 39.5 works4.8×
  3. Social SciencesField · 109.1 works3.7×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.53× its world share, 6 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.28× its world share, 4 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.23× its world share, 0 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.20× its world share, 1 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.41× its world share, 0 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.31× its world share, 1 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.41× its world share, 2 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.50× its world share, 27 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.05× its world share, 0 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.08× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.29× its world share, 10 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.90× its world share, 10 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.68× its world share, 2 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.37× its world share, 2 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.20× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.13× its world share, 7 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.44× its world share, 19 worksMedicineNursing: 0.34× its world share, 0 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.09× its world share, 0 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.80× its world share, 5 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 1.00× its world share, 7 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.64× its world share, 1 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.83× its world share, 9 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.89× its world share, 6 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 3.74× its world share, 109 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Social Sciences, 3.7×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Social Sciences3.74×109 works
  2. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.83×9 works
  3. Computer Science1.50×27 works
  4. Chemical Engineering1.31×1 works
  5. Health Professions1.13×7 works
  6. Business, Management and Accounting1.00×7 works
  7. Environmental Science0.90×10 works
  8. Psychology0.89×6 works
  9. Arts and Humanities0.80×5 works
  10. Mathematics0.68×2 works
  11. Decision Sciences0.64×1 works
  12. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.53×6 works
  13. Medicine0.44×19 works
  14. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.41×0 works
  15. Chemistry0.41×2 works
  16. Physics and Astronomy0.37×2 works
  17. Nursing0.34×0 works
  18. Engineering0.29×10 works
  19. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.28×4 works
  20. Immunology and Microbiology0.23×0 works
  21. Neuroscience0.20×1 works
  22. Dentistry0.20×0 works
  23. Veterinary0.09×0 works
  24. Energy0.08×0 works
  25. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.05×0 works
  26. Materials Science0.01×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Institute for Security Studies?

Ranked on the quality score, Berouk Mesfin, Antonio Missiroli and Robert Slade lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Institute for Security Studies.

  1. 1 Berouk Mesfin Kenya · #2,798,765 worldwide 157 citations · 19 works
  2. 2 Antonio Missiroli Kenya · #2,922,150 worldwide 416 citations · 84 works
  3. 3 Robert Slade Kenya · #2,987,995 worldwide 115 citations · 30 works
  4. 4 Sarah Meek Kenya · #3,117,771 worldwide 177 citations · 27 works
  5. 5 Stellah Kwasi Kenya · #3,160,635 worldwide 67 citations · 31 works
  6. 6 Thaveeporn Vasavakul Kenya · #3,244,865 worldwide 161 citations · 18 works
  7. 7 Alex Porter Kenya · #3,331,255 worldwide 87 citations · 27 works
  8. 8 Paula Cristina Roque Kenya · #3,767,825 worldwide 135 citations · 51 works
  9. 9 Lala Camerer Kenya · #4,135,222 worldwide 106 citations · 16 works
  10. 10 Mark Malan Kenya · #4,264,074 worldwide 590 citations · 61 works
All ranked researchers at Institute for Security Studies

What are the most cited papers from Institute for Security Studies?

The most cited paper from Institute for Security Studies is "Winners take all: the elite charade of changing the world" (Abdur Rehman Shah, 2019), with 531 citations. Next come "A Unified Attribute-Based Access Control Model Covering DAC, MAC and RBAC" (398) and "Water structure and chaotropicity: their uses, abuses and biological implications" (267).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Winners take all: the elite charade of changing the world Abdur Rehman Shah · International Affairs Sep 2019 531
2 A Unified Attribute-Based Access Control Model Covering DAC, MAC and RBAC Xin Jin, Ram Krishnan, Ravi S. Sandhu · Lecture notes in computer science Conference paperOpen access 2012 398
3 Water structure and chaotropicity: their uses, abuses and biological implications Philip Ball, John Edward Hallsworth · Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2015 267
4 Elements of innovative cultures Caroline Dombrowski, Jeffrey Y. Kim, Kevin C. Desouza et al. · Knowledge and Process Management Jul 2007 194
5 Prediction of Whistleblowing or Non-reporting Observation: The Role of Personal and Situational Factors Peter Cassematis, Richard Wortley · Journal of Business Ethics 14 Nov 2012 182
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Institute for Security Studies?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Security, International Law, Human Rights, Globalization, International Relations, Conflict, Artificial Intelligence and Global Governance.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Globalization19▲ 4.1×33 topics
  2. Human Rights16▲ 6.9×31 topics
  3. Security16▲ 10×17 topics
  4. International Law15▲ 21×16 topics
  5. Machine Learning13▲ 1.74×30 topics
  6. Artificial Intelligence13▲ 3.9×19 topics
  7. International Relations12▲ 21×14 topics
  8. Conflict12▲ 31×8 topics
  9. Public Health11▲ 3.2×16 topics
  10. Climate Change10▲ 1.60×24 topics
  11. Sustainability9▲ 1.62×23 topics
  12. Sustainable Development9▲ 2.5×21 topics
  13. Global Governance8▲ 15×12 topics
  14. Mental Health7▲ 2.2×18 topics
  15. Big Data7▲ 3.3×9 topics
  16. Economic Development7▲ 3.9×17 topics
  17. Ethics6▲ 5.5×8 topics
  18. Geopolitics6▲ 17×7 topics
  19. Politics6▲ 10×7 topics
  20. Legal Regulation6▲ 11×7 topics
  21. Risk Management6▲ 5.2×5 topics
  22. Governance5▲ 7.2×10 topics
  23. Genocide5▲ 44×3 topics
  24. Information Security5▲ 23×3 topics
  25. Ethnicity5▲ 5.9×8 topics
  26. Cybersecurity5▲ 8.8×5 topics
  27. Surveillance5▲ 7.6×3 topics
  28. Democracy5▲ 6.0×9 topics
  29. Nationalism5▲ 4.7×13 topics
  30. Digital Sovereignty5▲ 45×2 topics
  31. Diplomacy5▲ 22×5 topics
  32. Information Warfare5▲ 59×2 topics
  33. Migration5▲ 6.0×9 topics
  34. NGOs4▲ 21×3 topics
  35. Terrorism4▲ 42×3 topics
  36. Discrimination4▲ 8.7×3 topics
  37. Refugees4▲ 15×5 topics
  38. Nation-Building4▲ 32×3 topics
  39. Transparency4▲ 11×3 topics
  40. Security Council4▲ 32×2 topics

Which research topics does Institute for Security Studies publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Ethics and Social Impacts of AI, Global Peace and Security Dynamics, Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East and Global Security and Public Health.

Ethics and Social Impact…3Ethics and Social Impacts of AI: 3 fractional worksGlobal Peace and Securit…3Global Peace and Security Dynamics: 3 fractional worksPolitics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East: 3 fractional worksGlobal Security and Public Health: 3 fractional worksTerrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence: 3 fractional worksDisaster Management and Resilience: 3 fractional worksNuclear Issues and Defense: 3 fractional worksInternational Relations …3International Relations and Foreign Policy: 3 fractional worksSecurity, Politics, and Digital Transformation: 3 fractional worksEuropean and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies: 3 fractional works
Safety ResearchPolitical Science and International RelationsSociology and Political Science

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Ethics and Social Impacts of AI Safety Research 3 works
  2. 2 Global Peace and Security Dynamics Political Science and International Relations 3 works
  3. 3 Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East Political Science and International Relations 3 works
  4. 4 Global Security and Public Health Sociology and Political Science 3 works
  5. 5 Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence Sociology and Political Science 3 works
  6. 6 Disaster Management and Resilience Sociology and Political Science 3 works
  7. 7 Nuclear Issues and Defense Political Science and International Relations 3 works
  8. 8 International Relations and Foreign Policy Political Science and International Relations 3 works
  9. 9 Security, Politics, and Digital Transformation Political Science and International Relations 3 works
  10. 10 European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies Political Science and International Relations 3 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available43.2%not open56.8%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors30.9%domestic only69.1%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Institute for Security Studies's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 88% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Institute for Security Studies as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00076% in 2024.

still counting0.0010%0.0020%Institute for Security Studies0.0013% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Institute for Security Studies over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.

still counting5%10%15%all institutions10.0% in 2025Institute for Security Studies5.7% in 202520102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 14.9% in 2011.

Other research institutions in Nairobi

All research institutions in Nairobi

Share Institute for Security Studies's ranking

Institute for Security Studies on Science Explorer

A card with Institute for Security Studies's standing and the fields it leads in, for a post or a slide. A link to this page previews as the same card.

Download the card

1200 × 630 PNG, sized for social posts, drawn from the latest snapshot.

Badges for a website1Each links back here and updates with every snapshot

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners have tabs of their own, above.

Discussion

Ask a question or share a note about Institute for Security Studies. Posts are plain text and can be reported.