Special issue proposal guidelines

The Global Political Economy journal will begin publication in Spring 2022, and will publish 3 issues per year (one of which may be a special issue).

Proposals are invited on a rolling basis, in the format described below, for consideration by the Editors and the Associate Board.

What are we looking for?

The aim of a Special Issue is to bring together a set of cutting-edge research articles that develop a specific debate or topic on the theme relevant to the remit of the Global Political Economy journal. This may include articles presenting theoretical, conceptual and/or empirical material. A Special Issue must be integrated around a common theme, and must take forward scholarly debate. It may be internationally comparative or may focus on one specific region of the world, and/or focus on specific themes and debates.

Topics that we would like to consider in future special issues are:

• Global relations of (re)production and exploitation
• Domination, disruption, resistance, emancipation
• State, economy, society, nature
• Sex and gender
• Social reproduction
• Global health, public services
• Supply and value chains, production networks
• Technologies of power and surveillance
• Knowledge production
• Digitalisation, platform economy
• Work, labour, industrial relations
• Critical legal and policy studies
• Class analysis, class struggle
• Race and othering
• Statelessness, migration
• Historical materialism
• Development, de-development
• Colonialism, decolonialism, imperialism
• Political economy of circular economy
• Energy and food
• Environment, ecology
• Slow growth, green capitalism, de-growth
• Education, pedagogy
• Finance, financialisation
• Spatial scales, the production of space
• Regionalisation, triadisation
• Historical sociology
• The rise of non-triad regions
• Varieties of capitalism
• Globalisation, global governance
• Geopolitics, geo-economic rivalry

How to present a Special Issue proposal for the Global Political Economy journal

A special issue proposal must include the following sections:

1. Title: This should clearly reflect the contribution of the proposed Special Issue.
2. Details of guest editor(s): Provide contact details, institutional affiliations, and a short academic profile (of up to 150 words) for each proposed guest editor.
3. Description: In no more than 1,000 words, outline the intellectual focus of the proposed Special Issue; how its proposed content engages with significant issues; and the contribution it will make to the field of global political economy.
4. Draft contents page: This should set out the structure of the Special Issue, listing the titles and authors of each proposed article and stating clearly whether named contributors are already confirmed or are speculative.
5. Article abstracts: A 150-word abstract for each article to be included in the collection must be provided. (Special Issues should include an editor’s or editors’ introduction of approximately 6,000-8,000 words and 6-8 articles, each of approx. 7,000 - 8,000 words.)
6. Timetable statement: Please include your timetable for initial submission, review, resubmission, copy-editing, etc. This may also include ideas for reviewers or meetings. As a guide, we would expect initial submission of full-length articles in September 2022 to be ready for publication in November 2023.
7. Maximising impact: Please consider how you intend to promote and disseminate the Special Issue (blogs, events, conferences, other social media, etc.). Useful tips are here.

How will proposals be assessed?

GPE Editors and Associate Board will review all proposals received and make decisions based on the following criteria:

1. Global appeal

2. Intellectual significance, originality and rigour

The Global Political Economy journal is committed to fostering, developing and showcasing critical, emancipatory debates from consciously cross-disciplinary angles and approaches. Originality of ideas and key interventions into existing literature are both important features for a Special Issue and should be outlined in proposals.

3. Profile of contributors

The Global Political Economy journal is committed to supporting scholars from all backgrounds, disciplines, and parts of the world. Proposals which include a mix of established scholars and ‘rising stars’, and those which are internationally inclusive are particularly welcome. Furthermore, proposals will need to demonstrate gender balance in the contributions.

4. Editorial leadership

a) Are the proposed guest editors experts and sufficiently knowledgeable in the field?
b) Do they have a track record in producing cutting-edge research?
c) Are they committed to the proactive role they will play in steering and managing the development of the Special Issue?
d) Do they have the time and capacity to dedicate the required level of attention to this project?
e) Is the timetable realistic?

The editorial process:

If a proposal is accepted, a clear time-line and memorandum of agreement will be established.

The guest editor(s) will normally manage the process of:

1. Initially considering papers.
2. Identifying reviewers and sending the papers out for double anonymous peer review, in consultation with (one of the) GPE Chief Editors, using the journal’s ‘Editorial Manager’ system (training for this will be provided).
3. Communicating reviewers’ comments to the authors.
4. Deciding whether revised papers need to be reviewed again.
5. Making a provisional decision to accept or reject.
6. Finalising all editorial decisions with GPE Chief Editors.

GPE will appoint one of its Chief Editors to work closely with the guest editor/s in a supportive manner. The Editors will aim to publish the Special Issue according to the original agreed timeline, but proposers should note, and inform all potential contributors, that GPE’s Editors may decide to:

• Run the Special Issue in a later issue than originally planned.
• Accept only some of the papers and put them instead in a Themed Issue, which also includes papers from elsewhere.
• Accept only one or two papers and present them as regular contributions to the journal.
• Determine that none of the papers meets the quality standards or targeted content of the journal.

Informal queries prior to submission of a proposal may be sent to the Editors through the journal’s email address: gpe.editorial@gmail.com and/or directly to the Editors in Chief.
Phoebe V. Moore & Mònica Clua-Losada, Editors in Chief, Global Political Economy, October 2021