Political scientists getting younger

Political scientists are getting younger and more women are entering the profession, but short-term contracts are continuing to gain ground. These trends emerge clearly from the latest survey of the profession, conducted for the Political Studies Association by David Denver of Lancaster University and David Farrell of Manchester University.

The survey points to a sudden influx of under-30s from 1991 onwards. In the two years 1991/93, 47 per cent of those joining the profession were under 30, and 88 per cent were under 40. This compares to 6 per cent under 30 and 62 per cent under 40 in 1990/91. Dr Denver said: "There are more opportunities now, with older staff retiring."

Thirty-three per cent of the 1991/93 joiners were female - almost twice the proportion (17 per cent) of political scientists as a whole at the end of the period.

But women are still much more likely to be recruited to part-time or temporary posts. Nineteen per cent of women joiners were apppointed to part-time posts - against 4 per cent of men - and 64 per cent took short-term contracts, against 59 per cent of men.

Sixty per cent of all new posts in 1991/93 were temporary. Several years of this trend has increased the proportion of temporary post-holders to 20 per cent of political scientists against 12 per cent in 1987.

* Anthony King of Essex University is the most-quoted academic political pundit, says a survey conducted by Pippa Norris of Harvard University, who found him quoted 213 times in the British press on elections, public opinion and party politics in the 1990-94 period. He was followed by his Essex colleague Ivor Crewe, with 148 references and David Butler of Nuffield College Oxford with 121. New universities contributed two names to the top ten with Michael Thrasher and Colin Rallings of Plymouth University in sixth and seventh places with 75 and 68 references.