Proliferating Bias? American Political Science, Nuclear Weapons, and Global Security

Abstract

This article examines whether there is a US bias affecting how American political scientist study nuclear weapons and their effects. US dominance in the production and dissemination of political science literature on nuclear weapons is reflected in concepts and theories of their spread and use, as well as prominent datasets on nuclear proliferation. More broadly, is there a US bias in scholarship on nuclear weapons produced by American political scientist? In this article I examine whether there is a US bias that affects what is studied, what kinds of questions are asked and what cases are examined, and how the evidence is interpreted.