Call for papers to celebrate 20 years of EPS journal

European Political Science was launched in 2001 as the professional journal of the political science community in Europe. Its coverage included teaching, pedagogy, curricula, career development, graduate training, regulation, mobility and exchange — all of which remain core to the journal today.

Twenty years ago...

In the journal's inaugural issue, Jean Blondel reflected on the need for political science to establish itself as a voice that governments would listen to, as they do to economists. He highlighted the need to move away from country compartmentalisation to promote the development of an integrated profession. Some of his comments, such as the need for greater mobility among staff, have become the norm in many European countries.

Yet political science remains in an uneven state, and the economic retrenchment of years of austerity has created notable inequalities in the profession, across Europe and beyond.

20th anniversary call for papers

We seek to reflect on how the profession has developed over the last two decades, and to set out a call to action for the next decades. In 2001, Blondel could write from a point of optimism on the back of the removal of the East-West division in Europe, and the potential for a truly integrated political science community.

Recent developments, including the rise of populist politicians such as Viktor Orbán in Hungary, have challenged that sense of community. The discipline seems to be under challenge, in its validity to political leaders and the public, as well as in its perceived relevance by university leaders.

Now, more than ever, political science needs to find its voice.

About your paper

We are keen to receive submissions that reflect on how the discipline has changed over the past 20 years, and will continue to change in the two decades to come:

What has changed in how we teach and learn in political science over the past 20 years and what will change in the next 20 years?
Have we increased diversity and inclusion in the profession during this time?
What still needs to change in the profession in order for it to become truly inclusive?
How (if at all) has the role of the political scientist changed in the public eye?
Has there been any shift in dominant paradigms, topics, theories and methods in European political science since 2001?
Have new challenges arisen over the past 20 years?
To become more relevant in the years to come, how does the discipline of political science need to change?

How to submit

Email your abstracts (max. 300 words) to both Editors, Alasdair Blair and Daniel Stockemer, by Saturday 1 August.

You will be notified of their decision by 10 August. If you are invited to submit a full paper (max. 6,000 words), it will be due by Sunday 1 November.

EPS special 20th anniversary edition will be the first issue of 2021