Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies
Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies is a research topic within Political Science and International Relations. Science Explorer counts 18k research works in it since 1950. 21.4% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers explores the complex political, social, and economic dynamics in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Thailand and Laos. It delves into topics such as political movements, ethnic identity, democracy, economic development, social resistance, cultural politics, hydropower projects, and borderlands.
- Thailand
- Laos
- Political Movements
- Ethnic Identity
- Democracy
- Economic Development
- Social Resistance
- Cultural Politics
- Hydropower Projects
- Borderlands
- Research works
- 18k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 3.9k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 21.4% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +15% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies research?
By volume, the United States and India publish the most (527 and 425 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 527 works
- 2 India 425 works
- 3 Thailand 297 works
- 4 United Kingdom 243 works
- 5 Indonesia 140 works
- 6 China 119 works
- 7 France 112 works
- 8 Australia 112 works
- 9 Vietnam 98 works
- 10 Japan 96 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 Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Chulalongkorn University publishes the most Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies research, followed by Thammasat University and Chiang Mai University.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Chulalongkorn UniversityThailand 44 works
- 2 Thammasat UniversityThailand 39 works
- 3 Chiang Mai UniversityThailand 33 works
- 4 National University of SingaporeSingapore 30 works
- 5 Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityIndia 29 works
- 6 University of DelhiIndia 23 works
- 7 Australian National UniversityAustralia 23 works
- 8 Mahidol UniversityThailand 22 works
- 9 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom 21 works
- 10 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom 18 works
Who are the leading researchers in Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies include Fredrik Barth.
- 1 Fredrik Barth United States 1.3k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies research done?
The largest centres of Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies research in 2022–2025 are Bangkok (Thailand), New Delhi (India), London (United Kingdom) and Paris (France). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 Bangkok Thailand 160 works
- 2 New Delhi India 84 works
- 3 London United Kingdom 68 works
- 4 Paris France 67 works
- 5 Singapore Singapore 54 works
- 6 Tokyo Japan 44 works
- 7 Chiang Mai Thailand 41 works
- 8 Hanoi Vietnam 38 works
- 9 Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam 34 works
- 10 New York United States 32 works
Where it is the local speciality
- Chiang MaiTH · 41.3 works34×
- BangkokTH · 160.1 works23×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies?
Among universities, judged by research, Chiang Mai University, National University of Singapore and Chulalongkorn 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 | Chiang Mai UniversityThailand | 72.9 | 21.4% | 35.7× | 33 | +373.4% |
| 2 | National University of SingaporeSingapore | 72.2 | 31.4% | 10.3× | 30 | +12.5% |
| 3 | Chulalongkorn UniversityThailand | 69.8 | 22.1% | 37.2× | 44 | +62.7% |
| 4 | University of DelhiIndia | 65.3 | 19.4% | 15.7× | 24 | +248.7% |
| 5 | Australian National UniversityAustralia | 63.8 | 27.2% | 15.5× | 23 | +33.9% |
| 6 | Tata Institute of Social SciencesIndia | 63.8 | 34.3% | 74.2× | 9 | +409.7% |
| 7 | Thammasat UniversityThailand | 61.8 | 16.3% | 75.5× | 38 | +41.7% |
| 8 | The University of MelbourneAustralia | 59.6 | 38.7% | 6.3× | 18 | +67.9% |
| 9 | Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityIndia | 58.5 | 13.6% | 50.8× | 29 | +108.0% |
| 10 | Heidelberg UniversityGermany | 57.4 | 33.2% | 8.9× | 14 | -1.8% |
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 Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 15% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2021. The fastest-growing topics are Southeast Asian Sociopolitical 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.