Journal profile · Multiple
Local Government Studies
ISSN 0300-3930 · eISSN 1743-9388 · Taylor & Francis
Local Government Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.68; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 273 days to acceptance (85 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 8% (journal website); 41 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Local Government Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Public Policy and Administration Research, Local Government Finance and Decentralization and Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism, together about 30.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Local Government Studies is the leading journal for the study of local politics, policy, public administration and management and governance. First established in 1975, it is an influential forum for critical dialogue and exchange on local government and a vital resource for academics, politicians, policy makers and practitioners internationally. The editors welcome submissions in this field, particularly work of a comparative, methodologically innovative and theoretically challenging nature. Please note that we only consider papers that address issues of local government, and do not publish articles that focus on regional, state or provincial levels of governance. We also expect manuscripts to engage with current topics and debates within the journal, and ask authors to explain how their paper fits within LGS's aims and scope when submitting papers. Additionally, please be aware that LGS adheres to Taylor and Francis' policy on the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools. Please see https://taylorandfrancis.com/our-policies/ai-policy/ for full details. Peer review All articles published in Local Government Studies have undergone rigorous peer review.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 2, United States 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Public Policy and Administration ResearchSocial Sciences13.9%
- Local Government Finance and DecentralizationSocial Sciences10%
- Housing, Finance, and NeoliberalismEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.3%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.9%
- Political and Economic history of UK and USSocial Sciences5.8%
- Political Systems and GovernanceSocial Sciences5.7%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.8%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEPublisher website
Other: Periodicals Content Index
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.68LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.87Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.35LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.35Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 71OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 842OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.49OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 28.21%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 40LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 209,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,786 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 47 | 22 | 4 |
| 2025 | 41 | 27 | 56 |
| 2024 | 77 | 39 | 351 |
| 2023 | 49 | 20 | 341 |
| 2022 | 46 | 24 | 539 |
| 2021 | 67 | 32 | 1,068 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
273 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 212 days – 359 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (85 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 293 days
- Sample
- 85 articles with submission and acceptance dates (113 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 8%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 73 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Open access, Peer review
- AI use
please be aware that LGS adheres to Taylor and Francis' policy on the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools. Model summary
please be aware that LGS adheres to Taylor and Francis' policy on the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Local Government Studies is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Model summary
Local Government Studies is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
All articles published in Local Government Studies have undergone rigorous peer review. Model summary
All articles published in Local Government Studies have undergone rigorous peer review.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0300-3930
- Electronic ISSN
- 1743-9388
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 52, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Local Government Studies
What CAS zone is Local Government Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Local Government Studies is in Zone 3 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Political Science / Public Administration / Regional & Urban Planning. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Local Government Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.68; CiteScore 5.3, h-index 71.
How long does peer review take at Local Government Studies?
Based on the dates recorded on 85 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 273 days (interquartile range 212–359 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 8%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What JCR quartile is Local Government Studies in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Management.
Where are the editorial board members of Local Government Studies based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (2) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Local Government Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Local Government Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Local Government Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Local Government Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .