World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Policy Studies
H-index 12

Policy Studies

0144-2872

Published by: Taylor & Francis

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cpos20/current

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Political Science 137 16 16 8

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 24
Documents by Best Scientists*: 26
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 4
SCIMAGO H-index: 50
SCIMAGO SJR: 0.682
Impact Factor: 2.3

Overview

Top Research Topics at Policy Studies?

The main points discussed in the journal deals with Public administration, Politics, Public relations, Government and Political economy. Topics in Public administration explored in it were investigated in conjunction with research in Policy studies, Public policy, Corporate governance and Democracy. The Politics study featured in Policy Studies draws connections with the study of State (polity).

  • Public administration (30.92%)
  • Politics (15.16%)
  • Public relations (10.59%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Policy diffusion and policy transfer (320 citations)
  • Transfer and translation of policy (228 citations)
  • Policy transfer in critical perspective (202 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Policy Studies:

The most cited publications tackle a plethora of topics, such as Public administration, Politics, Public relations, Government and Public policy. Policy transfer is a major topic of Public administration research in the journal articles. The Politics research presented in the published papers focuses mostly on State (polity) and, on occasion, topics in Competition (economics).

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Law
  • World War II
  • China

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The discussions in the journal mainly cover the fields of Political economy, Politics, Public administration, Corporate governance and Public policy. The journal facilitates discussions on Political economy that incorporate concepts from other fields like Institutionalism, Argument, China, Austerity and Populism. In Policy Studies, Anti-racism, Face (sociological concept), State (polity) and Action (philosophy) are investigated in conjunction with one another to address concerns in Politics research.

The journal facilitated discussions that integrated Public administration and Multi stakeholder. While Corporate governance is the focus of Policy Studies, it also provided insights into the studies of Empirical research, Set (psychology), Participatory budgeting and Policy transfer. Policy studies research are fields of study within Public policy but they also intertwine with concepts in Holy Grail and Co-design.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • The expediency of policy integration (13 citations)
  • Assessing the policy effects of political leaders: a layered framework (5 citations)
  • Multi-stakeholder initiatives, policy learning and institutionalization: the surprising failure of open government in Norway (5 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Policy Studies (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Mark Evans (18 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Charles Carter (14 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • David Marsh (11 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • David Bailey (10 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Toby S. James (9 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Policy Studies (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Canberra (60 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Australian National University (29 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • University of Birmingham (25 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of York (15 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Oxford (14 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 7.35% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 12.70% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 1.59% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 15.87% of all publications and 69.84% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Career Opportunities in Research and Policy Studies

Engaging with the topics, papers, and journals presented can serve as a significant step for those looking to build a career in research or policy studies. These fields offer a variety of career paths that one can consider. Positions such as a governmental policy analyst, research scientist, or even an academic librarian are some of the career opportunities. For instance, a career in library science can be beneficial for those interested in assisting students, researchers, and faculty with their information needs, helping find research articles, and managing information resources like the ones discussed in this article.

Each career path comes with its own set of educational and practical clientele requirements. For example, consider the profession of a school librarian. To pursue this career, one requires specific education, skills, and state-wise certification. If you are interested in learning more about this rewarding career, our article detailing how to become a school librarian in alabama provides an insightful read. It outlines the educational route to embark on, the certification process, and the different roles and responsibilities of a school librarian.

Besides this, there are other research and policy studies related roles to explore, depending on one's interest and educational background. Thus, whether your interest veers towards politics, economics, public administration, or public policy, opportunities to contribute and build a career in these areas are ample.

Top Publications

  • Policy styles and political trust in Europe’s national responses to the COVID-19 crisis

    Unknown

    (2021)
    96 Citations
  • Networked environmental governance: formal and informal collaborative networks in local China

    Chen Huang;Hongtao Yi;Tao Chen;Xiaolin Xu

    (2020)
    38 Citations
  • Trump’s (mis)management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US

    Naim Kapucu;Donald Moynihan

    (2021)
    33 Citations
  • The architecture of inter-community partnerships in renewable energy: the role of climate intermediaries

    (2022)
    22 Citations
  • Intermediating climate change: the evolving strategies, interactions and impacts of neglected “climate intermediaries”

    (2023)
    14 Citations
  • Austerity and governance: coordinating policing and mental health policy in the UK

    Carlos Solar;Martin Smith

    (2020)
    10 Citations
  • Presidents and intermediaries: insights from clean energy policy processes in Mexico

    (2022)
    10 Citations
  • Are inequalities in representation lower under compulsory voting

    Eric Guntermann;Ruth Dassonneville;Peter Miller

    (2020)
    9 Citations
  • Intermediating climate change: conclusions and new research directions

    (2023)
    8 Citations
  • The visual politics and policy of Donald Trump

    Dermot Hodson

    (2021)
    6 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Political Science, exploring related online degrees can open diverse career pathways. Urban planning, for example, combines public policy and community development, making a urban planning master degree a valuable option for those aiming to shape cities and regional development.

Another intriguing field is forensic psychology, which intersects criminal justice and behavioral science. Understanding what can you do with a masters in forensic psychology helps Political Science students consider roles in legal systems, law enforcement, and mental health consultancy.

For those committed to advanced research but constrained by time, exploring 1 year phd programs online no dissertation can be a practical approach. These programs offer rigorous study without the traditional dissertation, accelerating academic progress.

Additionally, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a popular path for aspiring policy makers. Many seek the easiest online mpa programs to quickly gain administrative skills essential for leadership in government and nonprofit sectors.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles