serts, “That’s the field where the cancer of economics has spread
most. So our field is kind of penetrating that field and perceptions in
that field are to some extent shaped a little like economics in ways
that [are] not true for literature, anthropology, sociology.” Of the po-
litical scientists on his panel, he says, “I could see the cogs going
around in their heads in ways that were similar to mine a lot of the
time.” During interviews, political scientists explicitly mentioned the
influence of rational choice on their field and on the evaluations.
In the respondents’ view, the hegemony of the rational choice ap-
proach has translated into a redefinition of standards of excellence
for everyone in political science, thus influencing how scholars
define their goals and intellectual trajectory. For example, while one
panelist states that now “it all comes down to how quantitatively
sophisticated you are,” a top comparativist explains that he would
like to produce more quantitatively sophisticated work, and in par-
ticular, simulation, because this is where the action is now in his
field. “I think that there are possibilities for tremendous creative
breakthroughs. It’s just a hunch that I have.” Even political scientists
who have not been fully converted by this revolution may still use
its tools sporadically; and some take an eclectic approach, using
rational choice models along with other paradigms and their accom-
panying methodologies. Others note that those who reject the ratio-
nal choice paradigm are disadvantaged when applying for funds
from some organizations. Many within the field believe that certain
funding sources, such as the political science program at the Na-
tional Science Foundation, are particularly welcoming toward ratio-
nal choice proposals, while others, such as the SSRC’s Interna-
tional Dissertation Field Research Competition that I studied, are
more open to qualitative research. In short, different funders are
perceived as using different standards and emphases for awarding
grants.
The emphasis on rational choice theory in political science also
On Disciplinary Cultures / 97