Journal of democracy
Johns Hopkins University Press · US · ISSN 10455736
SJR Q1
What the numbers say
Annual output and citation reach have both dropped, changing what to expect from recent issues.
Field-weighted citation impact moved from 17.47 to 7.45. If you aim for high citedness, consider that recent per‑paper citation performance is lower than before. The share of top-10% cited papers moved from 71.9% to 39.6%. Expect fewer articles from this journal to appear among the most‑cited in the field. Climate Change and Geoengineering rose from 0.0% to 9.2% of what the journal runs. If your work is on climate or geoengineering, the journal currently publishes more of that material. Authors from US went from 40.0% to 62.5%. If you prefer US‑centric author networks or readership, this journal now has more US authors represented.
Citation metrics
SJR quartile
Q1
SJR score
3.14
Citations / doc (2y)
6.15
h-index
154
Based on the Scopus and OpenAlex citation graphs. We do not provide Clarivate’s JCR Impact Factor.
Output and citation impact
Whether citation performance keeps up as output grows.
PapersField-weighted impact
2018
77
17.47
2019
73
21.69
2020
69
11.94
2021
63
11.74
2022
60
12.09
2023
78
13.51
2024
63
8.77
2025
53
7.45
Topic shift
Share in the last 24 months (2024-09 – 2026-08) versus the previous 24 (2022-09 – 2024-08).
Rising
- Climate Change and Geoengineering0.0%→9.2%+9.2%pPrevNow
- Middle East Politics and Society0.0%→6.2%+6.2%pPrevNow
- Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics0.0%→4.6%+4.6%pPrevNow
- Political Economy and Marxism0.0%→4.6%+4.6%pPrevNow
- Labor Movements and Unions0.0%→4.6%+4.6%pPrevNow
Falling
- Political Philosophy and Ethics6.1%→0.0%−6.1%pPrevNow
- Ethics and Social Impacts of AI6.1%→0.0%−6.1%pPrevNow
- South Asian Studies and Conflicts8.5%→3.1%−5.5%pPrevNow
- Indian Economic and Social Development4.9%→0.0%−4.9%pPrevNow
- European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies4.9%→0.0%−4.9%pPrevNow
Terms appearing more often
Wording in recent paper titles that stands out against the journal's own baseline.
multiracialauthoritariansyriademocraticrisefreedomthirddocuments
Author countries
Last 24 months (2024-09 – 2026-08) against the previous 24 (2022-09 – 2024-08).
- US40.0%→62.5%+22.5%pPrevNow
- NO0.0%→12.5%+12.5%pPrevNow
- BG0.0%→12.5%+12.5%pPrevNow
- SN0.0%→12.5%+12.5%pPrevNow
- IT20.0%→0.0%−20.0%pPrevNow
- GB40.0%→0.0%−40.0%pPrevNow
Top 5 institutions
Top 5 institutions publishing in this journal, 2018 – 2026.
Recently published
20The 20 most recent papers — not the full list.
1
Article2026
The Rise of Authoritarian Middle PowersMarie-Eve Desrosiers, Nic Cheeseman
OASociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
2
Article2026
Why Elected Leaders Subvert DemocracySusan Stokes*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
3
Article2026
Democracy’s Troubles Should Be No SurpriseSheri Berman*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
4
Article2026
How Global Illiberalism Damages DemocracyMaryhen Jiménez, Javier Enrique Sandoval, Timothy J. Power
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
5
6
7
Article2026
The Ghosts of WeimarSebastián Royo*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
8
Article2026
Georgia: Between Democracy and AutocracyGhia Nodia*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
9
Article2026
Pluralism, Polarization, and Political VoyeurismNicholas Kuipers*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
10
Article2026
Pakistan’s New Military TutelageAqil Shah*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
11
Article2026
How To Secure Venezuelan DemocracyJosé Morales-Arilla*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
12
Article2026
Why We Elect Former Dictators and Their ChildrenJames Loxton*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
13
14
Article2026
The Limits of Authoritarian AIL. Jason Anastasopoulos, Jie (Jason) Lian
Information SystemsComputer Science
15
Article2026
When Populism Can Be GoodPepper Culpepper, Taeku Lee
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
16
17
Article2025
Why Populists Hollow Out Their StatesAndrés Mejía Acosta, Javier Pérez Sandoval
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
18
Article2025
How to Bring Authoritarians to JusticeLuciano Da Ros, Manoel Gehrke
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
19
20
Article2025
Three Mistakes Ukraine Must AvoidNik Hynek, Michal Šenk
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
Most cited
20Top 20 most cited, 2018 – 2026.
1
ArticleCitations 5302019
Polarization versus DemocracyMilan W. Svolik*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
2
ArticleCitations 4432019
Bolsonaro and Brazil's Illiberal BacklashWendy Hunter*, Timothy J. Power
OAPolitical Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
3
ArticleCitations 2672018
The Populist Challenge to Liberal DemocracyWilliam A. Galston*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
4
ArticleCitations 2442018
The Return to Personalistic RuleSusan L. Shirk*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
5
ArticleCitations 2412020
The New Competitive AuthoritarianismSteven Levitsky*, Lucan A. Way
OASociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
6
ArticleCitations 2372018
Orbán's Laboratory of IlliberalismPéter Krekó*, Zsolt Enyedi
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
7
ArticleCitations 2112019
Populism and the Decline of Social DemocracySheri Berman*, Maria Snegovaya
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
8
ArticleCitations 1862021
The Anatomy of Democratic BackslidingStephan Haggard*, Robert R. Kaufman
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
9
ArticleCitations 1552019
President XI's Surveillance StateQiang Xiao*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
10
ArticleCitations 1502019
Artificial Intelligence and Human RightsEileen Donahoe*, Megan MacDuffee Metzger
Safety ResearchSocial Sciences
11
ArticleCitations 1502020
The Future of Nonviolent ResistanceErica Chenoweth*
General Agricultural and Biological SciencesAgricultural and Biological Sciences
12
ArticleCitations 1482018
What Is "Sharp Power"?Christopher Walker*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
13
ArticleCitations 1432022
How Autocrats Weaponize Women's RightsElin Bjarnegård, Pär Zetterberg
OAGender StudiesSocial Sciences
14
ArticleCitations 1392018
Understanding Authoritarian RegionalismAlexander Libman*, Anastassia Obydenkova
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
15
ArticleCitations 1342019
Illiberal Democracy and the Struggle on the RightMarc F. Plattner*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
16
ArticleCitations 1332019
Three Painful Truths About Social MediaRonald J. Deibert*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
17
ArticleCitations 1302019
How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping RepressionSteven Feldstein*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
18
ArticleCitations 1192021
The Rise of Political Violence in the United StatesRachel Kleinfeld*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
19
ArticleCitations 1182019
Cambodia's Transition to Hegemonic AuthoritarianismLee Morgenbesser*
OASociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
20
ArticleCitations 1162019
Populists in PowerTakis S. Pappas*
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
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Data as of 2026-09-05