Paradoxes of scientometry: ratings of Nobel Prize laureates in economic sciences in international databases

The relevance of this study is determined by the absence of a comprehensive ranking of Nobel laureates in the field of economics, based on international databases such as the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) and Scopus. This study aims to address this gap by developing a four-factor integrated assessment method for the normalized ranking of economic Nobel laureates, utilizing both the Hirsch index and citation metrics from these databases. A significant aspect of the study is the exploration of the interdisciplinary nature of the Nobel prize winners’ creative legacy. The study reveals the number of Nobel Laureates by country and field of economics based on foreign classification systems, as well as correlations between the citations of the authors and their Hirsch indices, according to Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Additionally, a comparative analysis is conducted to evaluate the accuracy of predictions regarding the ranking of laureates. Based on the integrated normalized rating, the top 20 most cited Nobel Prize winners have been identified, which correlate significantly in WoS and Scopus databases. The ranking positions and scientometric status of these scholars in both the WoS and Scopus do not coincide, even in the top three positions. The study outlines prospects for further research related to the need for Russian scientists to publish in international journals and the inclusion of Russian journals in international scientometric databases. Government departments and private companies can benefit from the work of these scientists. Future research should focus on improving the visibility of Russian science on the global stage. This can be achieved through increased publication in high-impact journals and inclusion in major scientometric databases such as WoS and Scopus.