The Waseda University Top Global University Initiative and the Center for Positive/Empirical Analysis of Political Economy held the Waseda-Essex Scientific PoliSci/IR Collaboration and Exchange (WE-SPICE) over six weeks from December 2023 to January 2024. The aim was to stimulate researchers at the University of Essex, the UK’s top school in the field of political science, and Waseda University by bringing together graduate students, young faculty members and even professors leading large-scale projects to discuss the same theme in each session. The themes ranged from comparative politics to international politics, and methodologically covered a wide range of topics, including social science experiments, machine learning, quantitative text analysis and semantic network analysis.
Prof. Han Dorussen, University of Essex
Professor Han Dorussen, the facilitator from the University of Essex, expressed his gratitude for the meaningful workshop, which was a continuation of last year’s and the year before. He described the one hour of intense time shared in an online format as an effective forum for dialogue. Based on the success of the workshop, the participants agreed to continue WE-SPICE in the following years and beyond.
Comments from participating students
“It was helpful to learn about new methods and data.”
“I felt that it was helpful for understanding how to debate and discuss. I would definitely participate again.”
“I could understand the importance of international intellectual exchange, such as in situations where the same political science is interpreted differently in the UK and Japan.”
