Focus and Scope

The Journal of Administration in the Global South (JAGS) focuses on advancing scholarly debates in public administration and public policy by foregrounding the institutional realities, governance challenges, and policy dynamics emerging from countries in the Global South. The journal is particularly interested in how public administration is practiced, negotiated, and transformed within contexts characterized by socio-economic inequality, political complexity, and resource constraints.

JAGS positions itself as a platform for generating knowledge that not only examines administrative practices in developing contexts but also contributes to the refinement, extension, and critique of existing theories in public administration and policy studies. The journal welcomes contributions that move beyond descriptive accounts by offering analytical, comparative, and theory-informed insights with broader relevance across regions.

The scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

  • Public sector governance and institutional capacity, including bureaucratic performance, accountability, and administrative reform in developing and transitional states
  • Public policy processes, including agenda-setting, formulation, implementation, and evaluation in complex and resource-constrained environments
  • Decentralization, local governance, and multi-level administration, particularly in relation to regional autonomy and community-based governance systems
  • Policy innovation and adaptive governance, including frugal innovation, policy experimentation, and context-driven solutions
  • Digital governance and public sector transformation, including e-government, digital inclusion, and data governance in unequal societies
  • Collaborative governance and multi-actor policy arrangements involving government, private sector, civil society, and community actors
  • Social policy and public service delivery, particularly in sectors such as health, education, and social protection
  • Governance in peripheral, rural, and small island contexts, where administrative systems often operate under unique structural constraints
  • Comparative and cross-regional studies that engage with similarities and differences between Global South countries or between Global South and Global North contexts

JAGS particularly encourages submissions from scholars and practitioners based in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Small Island Developing States, as well as collaborative research that bridges perspectives across regions. Contributions that incorporate local knowledge, indigenous practices, and context-sensitive approaches are highly valued, especially when they are articulated within broader theoretical or comparative frameworks.

The journal publishes original research articles, review articles, and policy-oriented papers that demonstrate methodological rigor, conceptual clarity, and relevance to contemporary governance challenges. Submissions are expected to engage critically with existing literature and clearly articulate their contribution to the advancement of public administration and public policy as global fields of study.

By fostering inclusive and globally engaged scholarship, JAGS seeks to strengthen the visibility of research from the Global South and to promote a more balanced and representative development of knowledge in public administration and policy studies.