Aims & Scope

Journal of Law and Society Review (JLSR) is a high-impact, peer-reviewed international journal positioned at the forefront of socio-legal scholarship. The journal aims to advance cutting-edge, theoretically grounded, and methodologically rigorous research that interrogates the reciprocal relationship between law and society in an era of rapid global transformation.

JLSR prioritizes original contributions with strong analytical depth, conceptual innovation, and global relevance, particularly those that:

  • Challenge dominant legal paradigms
  • Offer interdisciplinary synthesis across law, sociology, political science, and economics
  • Provide comparative or transnational perspectives
  • Engage with contemporary global challenges (e.g., digitalization, inequality, climate crisis, governance shifts)

The journal seeks to become a leading platform for critical socio-legal inquiry that not only explains how law functions in society but also rethinks its normative foundations, institutional design, and transformative potential.

Strategic Scope and Thematic Priorities

JLSR selectively publishes manuscripts within the following high-impact thematic clusters:

1. Law, Power, and Social Inequality

  • Structural inequality, marginalization, and access to justice
  • Critical legal studies, postcolonial and Global South perspectives
  • Law as an instrument of power and resistance

2. Governance, Democracy, and Rule of Law

  • Democratic backsliding and constitutional resilience
  • Legal institutions, legitimacy, and accountability
  • Regulatory governance in complex societies

3. Law in the Digital and Technological Society

  • Artificial intelligence, algorithmic governance, and legal disruption
  • Data protection, surveillance, and digital rights
  • Platform regulation and digital economy

4. Transnational Law and Global Legal Orders

  • Legal globalization and fragmentation
  • Comparative law with analytical contribution (not descriptive)
  • Migration, borders, and international legal regimes

5. Law, Economy, and Development

  • Law and development in emerging economies
  • Corporate power, ESG, and regulatory capitalism
  • Informal economies and legal pluralism

6. Criminal Justice, Security, and Society

  • Penal policy, mass incarceration, and social control
  • Criminological transformation in the digital age
  • Restorative and transformative justice

7. Law, Environment, and Sustainability

  • Climate governance and ecological justice
  • Environmental regulation and global policy regimes
  • Law in the Anthropocene

8. Law, Culture, and Religion

  • Legal pluralism and normative orders
  • Religion, law, and public life
  • Islamic law and contemporary socio-legal dynamics

Editorial Selection Principles (Q1-Oriented)

To ensure international competitiveness, JLSR applies strict selection criteria:

  • Originality & Novelty: Clear contribution beyond existing literature
  • Theoretical Contribution: Strong conceptual framing (not merely descriptive)
  • Methodological Rigor: Robust qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods design
  • International Relevance: Broad implications beyond a single local case
  • Scholarly Engagement: Active dialogue with recent high-impact global scholarship

Positioning Statement

JLSR distinguishes itself from conventional law journals by prioritizing socio-legal, interdisciplinary, and critical approaches, aiming to shape global debates rather than merely report legal developments.