Journal profile · Multiple
Social Choice and Welfare
ISSN 0176-1714 · eISSN 1432-217X · Springer Nature · 8 issues per year
Social Choice and Welfare: CAS Zone 4 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.29; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,890; median 412 days to acceptance (86 articles, last 24 months); 72 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Choice and Welfare is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 4 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Game Theory and Voting Systems, Auction Theory and Applications and Economic theories and models, together about 44.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Social Choice and Welfare explores all aspects, both normative and positive, of welfare economics, collective choice, and strategic interaction. Topics include but are not limited to: preference aggregation, welfare criteria, fairness, justice and equity, rights, inequality and poverty measurement, voting and elections, political games, coalition formation, public goods, mechanism design, networks, matching, optimal taxation, cost-benefit analysis, computational social choice, judgement aggregation, market design, behavioral welfare economics, subjective well-being studies and experimental investigations related to social choice and voting. As such, the journal is inter-disciplinary and cuts across the boundaries of economics, political science, philosophy, and mathematics. Articles on choice and order theory that include results that can be applied to the above topics are also included in the journal. While it emphasizes theory, the journal also publishes empirical work in the subject area reflecting cross-fertilizing between theoretical and empirical research. Readers will find original research articles and surveys. Officially cited as: Soc Choice Welf
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 20, France 13, Belgium 6, United Kingdom 5, Spain 5 (69 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Game Theory and Voting SystemsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance25.5%
- Auction Theory and ApplicationsDecision Sciences10.9%
- Economic theories and modelsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8.6%
- Game Theory and ApplicationsDecision Sciences8.5%
- Experimental Behavioral Economics StudiesSocial Sciences7%
- Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsDecision Sciences5.8%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences4.9%
- Income, Poverty, and InequalitySocial Sciences3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEzbMATHDBLPEconLitCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, RePEc
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
- 1.29LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.49LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.12LetPub ·
- h-index
- 96OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,169OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.09OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 50.77%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 73LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 224,600Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,467 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 | 15 | 9 |
| 2025 | 72 | 48 | 40 |
| 2024 | 74 | 54 | 142 |
| 2023 | 48 | 27 | 377 |
| 2022 | 67 | 35 | 205 |
| 2021 | 84 | 52 | 389 |
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
412 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 301 days – 580 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 30 days (86 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 443 days
- Sample
- 86 articles with submission and acceptance dates (127 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
- Submission to first decision
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,890 / EUR 2,290 / GBP 1,990 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; use must be documented Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for original research Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Social Choice and Welfare, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Reviewer suggestions/exclusions allowed Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism screening software may be used Model summary
the journal may use software to screen for plagiarism
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 8 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0176-1714
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-217X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 67, Issue 2 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Choice and Welfare
What CAS zone is Social Choice and Welfare in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Choice and Welfare is in Zone 4 of Economics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Economics / Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Social Choice and Welfare?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.29; CiteScore 1.9, h-index 96.
How long does peer review take at Social Choice and Welfare?
Based on the dates recorded on 86 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 412 days (interquartile range 301–580 days). 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 are the manuscript requirements of Social Choice and Welfare?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Social Choice and Welfare based?
Of the 69 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (20), France (13) and Belgium (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Social Choice and Welfare?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Choice and Welfare is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, zbMATH, DBLP, EconLit and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Social Choice and Welfare open access, and what is the APC?
Social Choice and Welfare is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,890.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .