IS ECONOMICS A HOUSE DIVIDED? ANALYSIS OF CITATION NETWORKS

Abstract

We investigate divisions within the citation network in economics using citation data between 1990 and 2010. We consider all partitions of top institutions into two equal‐sized clusters and pick the one that minimizes cross‐cluster citations. The strongest division is much stronger than could be expected to be found under idiosyncratic citation patterns and is consistent with the reputed freshwater/saltwater division in macroeconomics. The division is stable over time but varies across the fields of economics . ( JEL A11, D85, I23)