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Journals in Development planning and policy

Futures

  • ISSN: 0016-3287
  • 5 Year impact factor: 3.3
  • Impact factor: 3
Futures: for the interdisciplinary study of futures, visioning, anticipation and foresightJournal Overview Futures is a forum for substantive research and knowledge at the intersections between disciplines (and beyond them) about the relationships between humanity and its possible futures. It has a long-standing commitment to analyse and challenge misuses and abuses of futures, and to build robust knowledge about the conditions for creating emancipatory, socially, responsible, and ecologically just futures.The editors invite contributions that present:- new knowledge about humanity's diverse anticipatory practices and how to understand, challenge, develop or enhance them - novel futures-oriented research that provides insights from a range of relevant disciplines into the diverse aspects of society’s relationship with the future- the highest quality interdisciplinary scholarship in the field of futures studies.Contributions to Futures are typically motivated by a wide range of aims and objectives:questioning the assumptions that shape how futures are imagined; encouraging dialogue across different fields and different knowledge traditions about the futures of cultures and societies, science and technology, economics and politics, environment and the planet, individuals and humanity, organisations and their strategies, building greater understanding of anticipatory behaviours, beliefs, expectations, and practices and their implications in the presentpluralizing the worldviews and perspectives that inform scholarship on and about futures, in particular learning from the knowledges of those who have, hitherto, not been in positions of power developing further the intellectual, ethical and empirical foundations of futures inquiry in interdisciplinary studies, the arts, humanities and social sciences, as well as in practice and policy settingsstrengthening the methodological development of professional practices in the futures field - including e.g. foresight, scenario planning and horizon scanning, as well as methods with roots outside these traditionsengendering high quality, responsible approaches to futures education - in schools, universities, and professional and policy settingsanimating research interest in emerging questions of significance to the futures of people and planet.What criteria should contributions meet in order to be considered for publication? To be considered for publication, submitted articles should make a substantive contribution to knowledge in one or more of the following areas:Understanding how relationships between human societies and their futures are changingUnderstanding anticipatory processes, and in particular the uses of ideas of the future by individuals, organisations, or systemsContributing original insights and novel approaches to the theory, ethics, methods and practices of futures, foresight and other forms of prospective knowledge;The research and practice of futures education and futures literacy.Submitted articles should also: Be transparent and reflexive about the theories, assumptions and methods that they use to make their arguments;Have the potential to make a significant contribution to efforts to create more plural, democratic and ecologically just futures, by providing new empirical/conceptual insights and challenging assumptionsSituate their contributions in relation to existing literature on their chosen topics within the field of futures studies, and where possible, in relation to relevant literature published within Futures and other future-oriented communities journals.We welcome in particular contributions from scholars in the global South and proposals for Special Issues from researchers seeking to create an interdisciplinary forum for topics and issues that fit within the aims and scope of the journal. We also welcome for consideration articles that adopt novel presentational strategies but which fulfil one or more of the above criteria. What kinds of contributions will Futures not consider? We are unable to publish papers that:Do not refer to futures or to potential implications of the paper’s topic for the relationship between society and its futures. For example, papers that would fall into this category are ones that: simply describe technological applications and their possible improvements and efficienciesdiscuss methods, theories or innovations with no reference to their implications for humanity's relationship to futures or for developing futures-oriented researchdo not explain why a proposed theory, method or innovation is of significance for human anticipatory capacities.Do not engage with and contribute to existing scholarly work within futures studies that is relevant to a paper’s topic. Our readers expect papers published in the journal to engage with existing relevant debates within Futures and in other leading futures journals. Expressly advocate for a vision of a particular desired, possible or probable future, without reflecting on the basis for these visions and/or without enquiring into the potential consequences of these future visions for the present. Simply describe the outcome of a specific futures method or technique (e.g. ‘we produced these scenarios’ or 'we used method discussion of its potential consequences for scholarship, policy or practicereflexivity towards the assumptions and theory that underpinned itno analysis of the contribution to the scholarship or practice already existing in the field of futures studies, broadly construedThis excludes from consideration contributions which simply set out a particular model or forecast.History of the journal Futures was launched in 1968 to create a forum for the emerging field of Future Studies and is internationally recognised as a leading journal in the fieldToday, Futures is at the cutting edge of developments in the theory and practice of futures-oriented research across many disciplines, opening-up new ways of theorising, studying, challenging and cultivating human anticipationFutures acts as a point of encounter between the 50+ year history of Futures Studies and emerging interests in time and futures across many fieldsThe journal is at the forefront of efforts to create more plural, democratic and sustainable futures through robust research, high quality scholarship and responsible practicePapers are subject to a rigorous double blind peer review process and are published soon after final acceptance
Futures

International Review of Law and Economics

  • ISSN: 0144-8188
  • 5 Year impact factor: 1
  • Impact factor: 0.9
The International Review of Law and Economics provides a forum for interdisciplinary research at the interface of law and economics. IRLE is international in scope and audience and particularly welcomes both theoretical and empirical papers on comparative law and economics, globalization and legal harmonization, and the endogenous emergence of legal institutions, in addition to more traditional legal topics.Benefits to authors We also provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.Please see our Guide for Authors for information on article submission. If you require any further information or help, please visit our Support Center
International Review of Law and Economics

Journal of Policy Modeling

  • ISSN: 0161-8938
  • 5 Year impact factor: 3.3
  • Impact factor: 3.5
A Social Science Forum of World IssuesThe Journal is published by the Society for Policy Modeling as a forum for analysis and debate on policy issues. The Journal focuses upon the economic, social and political developments that now shape the world economy and the policies needed to improve them.The Journal emphasizes formal modeling techniques serving the purposes of decision making. Such a focus requires, in the first place, the highest academic standards, adherence to the state-of-the-art in the field, and the ability to critique prevailing conceptual methods. The proposed analytical instruments must be empirically validated on the basis of replicable data, and take into account the interdependence of economic trends over-time, countries and sectors.A second, key element in the evaluation of a submitted article is whether the proposed model can be of use for policy purposes and what policy-makers can learn from it. Editors discourage submission of papers exclusively focused on techniques, without answering the question: "what can public policy make out of the conclusions reached by the proposed model?" Historical and thematic reviews of modeling are welcomed.The Journal of Policy Modeling is published bimonthly by Elsevier Inc. It is supported by a special purpose, on-line depository of scientific papers, EconModels.com . By fostering an interactive exchange views about fully refereed papers, EconModels.com helps authors to adapt to digital life, gain broad recognition, generate debate, and share information with peers hard to reach otherwise. A Board decision whether to publish a given paper in the Journal of Policy Modeling or in EconModel.com reflects mostly logistical considerations (length, space, relevance, timing, queue). The scientific merits of research must be outstanding in either case.
Journal of Policy Modeling

Urban Governance

  • ISSN: 2664-3286
The official journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University The Article Publishing Charge (APC) fee will be covered by Shanghai Jiao Tong University for articles submitted by 31st December 2025.Urban Governance seeks to advance knowledge of how to make cities more liveable, inclusive, and sustainable. We aim to provide a forum to address some of the most challenging issues facing cities and governance worldwide, to inspire academic research and debates, and to share knowledge, experience, and critiques on urban governance.Contributors to and the readership of Urban Governance include academics, practitioners, and policy makers. We welcome rigorous studies that develop new theoretical and empirical insights on and/or innovative method for the research and practice in urban governance, especially those contributing new theories and solutions from public administration perspective.Topics covered include: urban governance; urban studies; urban theory; urban policy; urban politics; urban economic development; urban development and planning; urban infrastructure; urban adaptation; urban regeneration; urban sustainability governance; local governance; government; local government; public administration; government budget; public policy; civil services; civil society; public-private sector cooperation; citizen participation; regional collaboration; community development; livability and quality of life; housing; community; greening; neighborhood conservation; immigration and labor migration; healthy city; friendly city; social and cultural dynamics; social innovation; smart cities ;technological innovation; digital technologyARTICLE TYPES:Research ArticlesResearch articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although submissions longer than 9000 words might be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic demands this length of treatment. The submitted papers should make clear how they present broader impacts and significance theoretically, methodologically, practically and/or globally, for the governance of urban affairs. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary manuscripts with diverse methodological orientations, though we value research with high reliability, validity, and generalizability.Practice ArticlesPractice articles are expected to share practices in urban governance around the world and demonstrate innovative solutions adopted and developed in specific local contexts with strong potential for cross-jurisdictional learning. The length of the articles should be 3000-5000 words.ViewpointsUrban Governance also welcomes practitioners and policy makers to submit comments or make one argument on specific topics based on their experience in urban governance. The length of viewpoints should be shorter than 3000 words generally.All submissions are reviewed by at least two anonymous reviewers with the identities of the authors concealed from the reviewers, and vice versa. Urban Governance's editors will make the final decision on a publication.All new submissions should not be under review, in process or published by another other journal or in another form of publication. Publishers or authors who wish to republish or translate the published articles in Urban Governance should contact the editors directly.Submission should be done via online Editorial Manager at: https://www.editorialmanager.com/ugj Papers will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Accepted papers will be published online after it is formally accepted by the journal, and assigned a volume number later.For detailed style guideline, please refer to the "Guide for Authors".
Urban Governance

World Development

  • ISSN: 0305-750X
  • 5 Year impact factor: 6.5
  • Impact factor: 5.4
The Multi-Disciplinary International Journal Devoted to the Study and Promotion of World DevelopmentWorld Development is a multi-disciplinary monthly journal of development studies. It seeks to explore ways of improving standards of living, and the human condition generally, by examining potential solutions to problems such as: poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, disease, lack of shelter, environmental degradation, inadequate scientific and technological resources, trade and payments imbalances, international debt, gender and ethnic discrimination, militarism and civil conflict, and lack of popular participation in economic and political life.Contributions offer constructive ideas and analysis, and highlight the lessons to be learned from the experiences of different nations, societies, and economies. World Development recognizes 'development' as a process of change involving nations, economies, political alliances, institutions, groups, and individuals. Development processes occur in different ways and at all levels: inside the family, the firm and the farm; locally, provincially, nationally, and globally. Our goal is to learn from one another, regardless of nation, culture, income, academic discipline, profession or ideology. We hope to set a modest example of enduring global cooperation through maintaining an international dialogue and dismantling barriers to communication.Benefits to authors We also provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.Please see our Guide for Authors for information on article submission. If you require any further information or help, please visit our Support CenterAuthors are also welcome to submit to the journal?s companion title, World Development Perspectives .
World Development

World Development Perspectives

  • ISSN: 2452-2929
  • Impact factor: 2.2
The multi-disciplinary journal devoted to the study and promotion of international developmentWorld Development Perspectives is a multi-disciplinary journal of international development and a companion title to the respected World Development . It seeks to explore ways of improving human well-being by examining the performance and impact of interventions designed to address issues related to: poverty alleviation, public health and malnutrition, agricultural production, natural resource governance, globalization and transnational processes, technological progress, gender and social discrimination, and participation in economic and political life. Above all, we are particularly interested in the role of historical, legal, social, economic, political, biophysical, and/or ecological contexts in shaping development processes and outcomes.We welcome contributions that offer constructive ideas and analysis, and highlight the lessons to be learned from the experiences of different nations, societies, and economies. World Development Perspectives recognizes 'development' as a process of change at and across multiple scales, involving a diverse range of actors at each scale. Keeping in mind this diversity, our objective is to build a rigorous understanding of the interactions between the relevant contextual factors and specific development interventions in explaining development outcomes. We aspire to create a forum that brings together development researchers, practitioners, and administrators from all domains, disciplines, and geographies.
World Development Perspectives