Legal and Constitutional Studies
Legal and Constitutional Studies is a research topic within Economics and Econometrics. Science Explorer counts 15k research works in it since 1950. 17.7% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers covers a wide range of topics related to the intersection of law and economics, with a focus on public policy and regulation. It includes discussions on cost-benefit analysis, judicial system, property rights, constitutional law, taxation, antitrust, and intellectual property.
- Law and Economics
- Public Policy
- Regulation
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Judicial System
- Property Rights
- Constitutional Law
- Taxation
- Antitrust
- Intellectual Property
- Research works
- 15k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 2.6k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 17.7% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- -16% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Legal and Constitutional Studies research?
By volume, the United States and Brazil publish the most (627 and 73 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 627 works
- 2 Brazil 73 works
- 3 United Kingdom 49 works
- 4 Germany 31 works
- 5 Canada 25 works
- 6 Indonesia 24 works
- 7 Australia 19 works
- 8 India 18 works
- 9 Russia 18 works
- 10 France 17 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Legal and Constitutional Studies research?
By volume in 2022–2025, University of Michigan publishes the most Legal and Constitutional Studies research, followed by George Mason University and University of Chicago.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 University of MichiganUnited States 16 works
- 2 George Mason UniversityUnited States 14 works
- 3 University of ChicagoUnited States 13 works
- 4 University of HoustonUnited States 12 works
- 5 Yale UniversityUnited States 12 works
- 6 University of VirginiaUnited States 9 works
- 7 New York Law SchoolUnited States 9 works
- 8 Georgetown UniversityUnited States 8 works
- 9 Cornell UniversityUnited States 8 works
- 10 Chicago Kent College of LawUnited States 7 works
Who are the leading researchers in Legal and Constitutional Studies?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Legal and Constitutional Studies include Oliver E. Williamson, Cass R. Sunstein and Richard A. Posner.
- 1 Oliver E. Williamson United States 6.6k citations
- 2 Cass R. Sunstein United States 2.5k citations
- 3 Richard A. Posner United States 1.9k citations
- 4 Robert W. McGee United States 1.9k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Legal and Constitutional Studies research done?
The largest centres of Legal and Constitutional Studies research in 2022–2025 are New York (United States), Washington D.C. (United States), Chicago (United States) and Houston (United States). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Chicago and Washington D.C..
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 New York United States 38 works
- 2 Washington D.C. United States 38 works
- 3 Chicago United States 28 works
- 4 Houston United States 16 works
- 5 Ann Arbor United States 16 works
- 6 São Paulo Brazil 16 works
- 7 Boston United States 14 works
- 8 Fairfax United States 14 works
- 9 Los Angeles United States 12 works
- 10 New Haven United States 12 works
Where it is the local speciality
- ChicagoUS · 27.6 works10×
- Washington D.C.US · 38.1 works9.3×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Legal and Constitutional Studies than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Legal and Constitutional Studies?
Among universities, judged by research, University of Houston, George Mason University and Yale University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of HoustonUnited States | 76.5 | 16.9% | 33.1× | 12 | +12.9% |
| 2 | George Mason UniversityUnited States | 65.1 | 8.8% | 39.9× | 14 | -3.7% |
| 3 | Yale UniversityUnited States | 60.8 | 12.4% | 10.9× | 12 | -23.5% |
| 4 | University of ChicagoUnited States | 59.0 | 19.9% | 14.7× | 13 | -53.0% |
| 5 | University of VirginiaUnited States | 57.5 | 17.4% | 14.4× | 9 | +12.0% |
| 6 | Cornell UniversityUnited States | 54.7 | 31.3% | 7.5× | 8 | +17.4% |
| 7 | University of MichiganUnited States | 54.2 | 1.1% | 10.8× | 16 | -27.1% |
| 8 | Georgetown UniversityUnited States | 51.1 | 17.5% | 23.9× | 8 | -17.7% |
| 9 | New York Law SchoolUnited States | 43.5 | 11.1% | 365.1× | 9 | -22.5% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Legal and Constitutional Studies research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 16% lower than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2012. The fastest-growing topics are Legal and Constitutional Studies.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.