World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Social Policy and Administration
H-index 15

Social Policy and Administration

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Political Science 67 26 36 13
Social Sciences and Humanities 688 18 20 7

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 54
Documents by Best Scientists*: 63
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 0
SCIMAGO H-index: 79
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.104
Impact Factor: 2.2

Overview

Top Research Topics at Social Policy & Administration?

Social Policy & Administration explores disciplines such as Social policy, Welfare, Economic growth, Welfare state and Public administration. The journal addresses concerns in Social policy which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Social change, Social work, Political economy and Development economics. The work on Welfare tackled in it brings together disciplines like Public economics, Politics and Social security.

Social Policy & Administration facilitates discussions on Economic growth that incorporate concepts from other fields like Government and Social Welfare. While it focused on Welfare state, it was also able to explore topics like Labour economics, Unemployment and Market economy. The study on Public administration presented in the journal intersects with subjects under the field of Public relations.

  • Social policy (18.89%)
  • Welfare (17.49%)
  • Economic growth (16.56%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Ideas and Social Policy: An Institutionalist Perspective (415 citations)
  • Social Exclusion in Britain 1991—1995 (374 citations)
  • Mothers at the Service of the New Poverty Agenda: Progresa/Oportunidades, Mexico's Conditional Transfer Programme (370 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Social Policy & Administration:

The journal articles investigate studies in Social policy, Welfare state, Welfare, Economic growth and Public relations. The journal papers deal with Social policy in conjunction with other fields like

  • Social Welfare together with Social work,
  • Public administration that intertwine with fields like Corporate governance.. The journal papers deal with Welfare state in conjunction with Market economy and similar fields in Social change.

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

  • Law
  • World War II
  • Social science

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal focuses largely on the fields of Welfare, Social policy, Welfare state, Public administration and Political economy. The journal explores research in Demographic economics and overlapping concepts in Pension to expand the discourse in Welfare. Social Policy & Administration focuses on Social policy but sometimes tackles the closely related topic of Unemployment which is concerned with Labour economics and Psychological resilience.

While Welfare state is the key highlight in it, it also covered some subjects on Development economics and Poverty. The work tackled in it goes beyond the discipline of Public administration as it also encompasses Corporate governance. The journal features Political economy research that overlaps with concepts in Politics.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Inequalities and poverty risks in old age across Europe: The double‐edged income effect of pension systems (12 citations)
  • Social policy responses to COVID ‐19 in Canada and the United States: Explaining policy variations between two liberal welfare state regimes (9 citations)
  • COVID-19, the Great Recession and social policy: Is this time different? (7 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 Social Policy & Administration (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Bent Greve (37 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Martin Powell (20 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • Christopher Deeming (15 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Peter Taylor-Gooby (15 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Daniel Béland (11 papers) published 3 papers at the last 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 Social Policy & Administration (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Birmingham (68 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
  • London School of Economics and Political Science (63 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition,
  • University of York (47 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
  • University of Exeter (43 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Manchester (41 papers) absent at the last 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, 4.26% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 21.48% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 20.00% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 14.07% of all publications and 44.44% 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 Prospects and Further Studies in Social Policy & Administration

The field of Social Policy & Administration offers a range of interesting career possibilities and further study options for professionals and students. As a diverse discipline, it allows for various specializations and research areas that one can pursue. One of the growing areas within this field is school librarianship. The role of a school librarian has evolved from simply managing library resources to actively participating in educational policy planning and implementation. They play a crucial role in establishing an information literate school community, and contribute to the development of a reading culture in schools. School librarians often work in collaboration with teachers and educational leaders to create a supportive learning environment that promotes educational achievement among students. They develop library collections, plan library programs, and provide instructional services that support the school curriculum. To pursue a career in school librarianship, one needs to have a sound understanding of the principles of library science, as well as the educational landscape of the country. Additionally, a keen interest in books and a passion for promoting reading and learning are important. Further, for those seeking more details on training and qualifications, our guide on [how to become a school librarian in Michigan](/careers/how-to-become-a-librarian-in-michigan) provides comprehensive information on this career path in Michigan. This guide provides insights on the education and certification requirements, necessary skills, and potential job prospects in Michigan, which can be helpful for those considering this career option. Moreover, there are numerous research opportunities and doctoral programs in Social Policy & Administration that one can consider for higher studies. These programs offer advanced knowledge and skills in research methodologies, policy analysis, program evaluation, and administration that can open up opportunities in academia, research institutions, policy-making bodies, and government agencies.

Top Publications

  • Social policy in the face of a global pandemic: Policy responses to the COVID-19 crisis

    Daniel Béland;Bea Cantillon;Rod Hick;Amílcar Moreira

    (2021)
    105 Citations
  • Disabled people in Britain and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Tom Shakespeare;Nicholas Watson;Richard Brunner;Jane Cullingworth

    (2021)
    89 Citations
  • Social policy responses to COVID ‐19 in Canada and the United States: Explaining policy variations between two liberal welfare state regimes

    Daniel Béland;Shannon Dinan;Philip Rocco;Alex Waddan

    (2021)
    82 Citations
  • Inequalities and poverty risks in old age across Europe: The double‐edged income effect of pension systems

    Bernhard Ebbinghaus

    (2021)
    81 Citations
  • Work, welfare, and wellbeing: the impacts of welfare conditionality on people with mental health impairments in the UK

    Peter Dwyer;Lisa Scullion;Katherine Jones;Jenny McNeill

    (2020)
    59 Citations
  • The COVID-19 crisis and policy responses by continental European welfare states

    Béa Cantillon;Martin Seeleib-Kaiser;Romke Jan van der Veen

    (2021)
    59 Citations
  • Fifty years of welfare state generosity

    Unknown

    (2022)
    46 Citations
  • Thirty years of the Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism: A review of reviews

    Martin Powell;Erdem Yörük;Erdem Yörük;Ali Bargu

    (2020)
    45 Citations
  • Education as social policy: New tensions in maturing knowledge economies

    (2023)
    21 Citations
  • State-NGOs relationship in the context of China contracting out social services

    Ka Ho Mok;Chak Kwan Chan;Zhuoyi Wen

    (2021)
    20 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Social Sciences and Humanities, pursuing specialized online degrees can open diverse career opportunities. For those passionate about preserving knowledge and facilitating research access, a library degree offers a stable career in information management and archival roles.

Individuals drawn to combining creativity with mental health support can explore art therapy, a growing field that enables practitioners to use artistic expression as a therapeutic tool. Discover programs by checking out the art therapy degree options available online.

Social work remains a critical profession aimed at improving community well-being. The convenience of an best online social work programs allows students to prepare for impactful roles while balancing other commitments.

For those focused on helping individuals and communities navigate challenges, an online masters in human services equips graduates with essential skills for leadership and advocacy in social care settings.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles