Journal of Development Studies

Journal of Development Studies
Title	Journal of Development Studies
Discipline	Development studies
Language	English
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
Country	United Kingdom
History	1964–present
Frequency	Monthly
Issn	0022-0388

Contents

Journal of Development Studies is a peer-reviewed academic periodical focusing on issues of decolonization, poverty alleviation, rural development, urbanization, and related topics in the Global South. Established during the postwar era alongside institutions such as the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the journal has published research by scholars affiliated with London School of Economics, University of Oxford, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of California, Berkeley. It engages with debates connected to events and frameworks like the Green Revolution, the Structural Adjustment programs of the International Monetary Fund, and the Millennium Development Goals.

History

The journal was founded in the context of the 1960s decolonization wave and the growth of area studies, paralleling the creation of African Studies Association, Asian Development Bank, and the expansion of departments at University of Cambridge and SOAS University of London. Early editors drew on scholarship connected to figures and institutions such as Raúl Prebisch, Hans Singer, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Across the 1970s and 1980s the journal featured work responding to the Oil Crisis (1973), analyses influenced by Dependency theory, and critiques associated with scholars at University of Sussex and British Council. In the 1990s it addressed postsocialist transitions exemplified by the Fall of the Berlin Wall and policy shifts linked to the Washington Consensus, while later decades incorporated research related to the Sustainable Development Goals, the rise of BRICS, and the consequences of the 2008 global financial crisis.

The journal aims to publish empirical and theoretical work concerning development issues in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Middle East‎ and North Africa. It seeks contributions that intersect with policy arenas like the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Labour Organization, and with scholarly debates located at institutions including Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale University, and University of Chicago. The journal prioritizes studies on topics connected to events and programs such as the Green Revolution, land reform campaigns in Brazil, India, and Mexico, social movements akin to Solidarity (Poland), and interventions modeled on microfinance pioneered in contexts linked to Grameen Bank.

Published by Taylor & Francis on a monthly schedule, the journal's editorial board has included scholars associated with London School of Economics, University of Sussex, University of Cape Town, University of Ibadan, and Peking University. It operates a peer review process used by comparable titles such as World Development, Development and Change, and The Journal of Economic Literature. Special issues have been guest-edited by academics from Stanford University, New York University, Australian National University, and University of Nairobi, and have addressed topics related to the Arab Spring, China–Africa relations, and climate change adaptation following accords like the Paris Agreement.

The journal is indexed in major services and bibliographic databases including Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, and ProQuest, and is discoverable through platforms used by libraries such as the British Library, Library of Congress, and university systems at University of Toronto and University of Melbourne. Its metadata supports citation tracking employed by entities like Clarivate Analytics and research assessment frameworks such as the Research Excellence Framework. Articles are cataloged alongside publications from publishers like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.

The journal has been cited in policy reports by organizations including the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, and has influenced academic debates visible in venues such as Annual Review of Sociology and conferences organized by the International Studies Association and the African Studies Association. Its impact factor and citation metrics are reported by Journal Citation Reports and monitored by departments at institutions like University of Manchester and London School of Economics. Reviews and critiques of the journal's orientation have appeared in outlets connected to schools such as University of Sussex and in essays by scholars influenced by Amartya Sen, Paul Collier, and Dani Rodrik.

Noteworthy contributions include empirical studies on landholdings in India, urban informal settlements research from Brazil and South Africa, analyses of trade policy with reference to General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization, and assessments of aid effectiveness tied to initiatives by United States Agency for International Development and Department for International Development. The journal has published influential pieces engaging with theoretical work by authors associated with Dependency theory, critiques of neoliberalism as discussed in relation to the Washington Consensus, and case studies of social policy experiments in countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam. Special issues have highlighted crises like the HIV/AIDS epidemic and responses to natural hazards after events such as the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Category:Academic journals Category:Development studies journals