Third World Quarterly

Third World Quarterly
Title	Third World Quarterly
Discipline	International relations; Development studies; Area studies
Abbreviation	Third World Q.
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
Country	United Kingdom
Frequency	Monthly
History	1979–present
Issn	0143-6597

Third World Quarterly is a peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on international relations, development studies, and area studies with particular attention to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Founded in 1979, the journal has published scholarship on decolonization, Cold War alignments, global development institutions, and postcolonial theory. Contributors have included scholars affiliated with universities, think tanks, and international organizations across London, New York, Delhi, Johannesburg, and Brasília.

History

The journal was established in 1979 amid debates shaped by the Non-Aligned Movement, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War. Early editors sought to engage with voices from India, Egypt, Nigeria, Cuba, and Indonesia while responding to scholarship produced at institutions such as London School of Economics, Columbia University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Cape Town, and Universidade de São Paulo. During the 1980s the journal published work addressing the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and structural adjustment programs linked to policy debates in Zambia, Chile, Mexico, and Philippines. In the 1990s contributions increasingly engaged with post-Cold War institutions such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union, and the World Trade Organization. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s the journal featured analyses referencing events including the Arab Spring, the Asian Financial Crisis, the Haitian earthquake (2010), and the Venezuelan presidential crisis.

Editorial Structure and Policies

The editorial board has historically included scholars and practitioners drawn from universities and research centers such as Oxford University, Harvard University, SOAS University of London, Princeton University, Sciences Po, and University of Toronto. The publisher, Taylor & Francis, oversees peer-review logistics and production alongside managing editors based in London and editorial offices that have engaged with networks at International Institute for Strategic Studies, Overseas Development Institute, and the Brookings Institution. Manuscript selection follows double-blind peer review with reviewers drawn from lists of academics at institutions including Stanford University, Yale University, McGill University, Australian National University, and University of Delhi. Policies on conflict of interest and publication ethics reference guidelines used by associations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics and funding disclosures from agencies like the United Kingdom Research and Innovation and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Scope and Topics Covered

The journal publishes articles, review essays, and special issues on topics relating to regions including Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Recurring subjects include analyses of relations involving the People's Republic of China, the United States, Russia, the European Union, and regional bodies such as the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It covers policy areas involving multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization, as well as thematic work on migration crises exemplified by events in Rohingya crisis, Mediterranean migrant crisis, and diasporas linked to Afghanistan and Syria. Scholarship often draws on theoretical traditions rooted in figures and works associated with Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Amartya Sen, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and debates sparked by publications such as The Wretched of the Earth and Orientalism.

Controversies and Criticism

The journal has been the site of high-profile disputes involving debates over peer review, editorial independence, and the politics of publication. Controversies have at times intersected with campaigns by scholars connected to movements including decolonization movement, Black Lives Matter, and critiques of neoliberalism popularized after the Washington Consensus. Specific incidents prompted responses from academic bodies such as the Modern Language Association, the American Political Science Association, and institutional leaders at universities including Cambridge University and University of Glasgow. Critics have raised questions about editorial decisions in relation to funding ties to foundations and state-backed entities, prompting comparisons with debates about media and publishing involving organizations like Reuters, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

Impact and Reception

The journal is cited in scholarship across disciplines connected to area studies, international relations, and development, appearing in work affiliated with centers at Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, London School of Economics, and University of California, Berkeley. Its articles have been discussed in public fora including panels at conferences organized by the International Studies Association, the African Studies Association, and the Latin American Studies Association. Citation analyses reference metrics used by databases such as Scopus and Web of Science; curricula at institutions including SOAS, American University, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México have assigned articles from the journal in graduate seminars.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major services such as Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and JSTOR, and is discoverable via library catalogs at institutions including the British Library, the Library of Congress, Biblioteca Nacional de España, and university libraries at University of Cape Town and University of São Paulo. It appears in citation indexes that inform rankings by organizations like Clarivate Analytics and databases used by grantmakers including European Research Council and national research councils.

Category:Academic journals