On 'blind spots' in (international) political economy

Two recent linked special issues on 'blind spots' in (international) political economy present a welcome challenge: to think more carefully about the topics to which (I)PE pays insufficient attention. I argue in this commentary that while these special issues make a compelling case for incorporating certain topics more centrally into (I)PE, their conceptualization of and approach to identifying 'blind spots' contain unrecognized tensions, ambiguities and exclusions. The special issues also share with most discussions of (I)PE research a consequential failure to treat (I)PE as labour done by humans who are usually university employees facing professional (dis)incentives that influence how and what they study. I conclude with concrete suggestions regarding how (I)PE scholarship might more effectively incorporate understudied topics and perspectives.

Automated summary

These two recent special issues on 'blind spots' in (international) political economy challenge us to pay more attention to topics that are overlooked by (I)PE. However, their conceptualization and approach to identifying 'blind spots' contain tensions, ambiguities, and exclusions, and they fail to consider the realities faced by human laborers in the field.