Focus and Scope
Studies in Political Economy is an interdisciplinary journal committed to the publication of original work in the various traditions of socialist political economy. Researchers and analysts within these traditions seek to understand how political, economic and cultural processes and struggles interact to shape and reshape the conditions of people's lives.
Established in 1979, SPE has, as a Political Economy Journal, become a major forum for people who identify with the struggles to overcome exploitation, exclusion and oppression in Canada and abroad. SPE is especially interested in work by, for and about Canadians, but it aims to be an international Political Economy journal. It welcomes contributions in every field of political economy and within all the traditions of socialist scholarship, including those which question established paradigms.
Those who pursue progressive work within different frameworks will find SPE a venue for communicating with a wide and diversified audience. In addition to articles, Studies in Political Economy publishes interviews, short essays on contemporary political issues, review essays and comments on articles it has published
Section Policies
Articles
 Open Submissions |
Indexed |
 Peer Reviewed |
Peer Review Process
Manuscripts may be submitted to Studies in Political Economy in English or French, with a maximum length of 7,500 words. Submissions should be free of sexist or racist language and written in an accessible style. Please see below for further information about submitting an article.
SPE is a refereed journal. Manuscripts deemed suitable for SPE are assigned to an editor and read by at least two other reviewers familiar with the topic. The review process is open and both authors and reviewers are encouraged to disclose their names, although this is not required. Reviewers are asked to judge a manuscript on its scholarly merit, its congruence with SPE editorial policy, its political importance, topicality, breadth of appeal and literary quality/entertainment value. They are asked to recommend whether a submission:
Should be accepted for publication without qualification (i.e. as is);
Should be accepted subject to the author making specified revisions;
Should be revised and resubmitted before any commitment to publish is given;
Should be rejected.
Reviews are submitted to the editorial committee, which then makes the final decision with respect to publication. Most submissions fall into categories 2 or 3. Authors are encouraged to take suggestions for revision seriously and must be prepared to follow the instructions for revision provided by the editorial committee in cases where a submission receives qualified acceptance. In cases where an author is advised to revise and resubmit, resubmissions will be sent to the original reviewers.
Please be advised that the initial review process takes at least three months and normally takes six months. Studies in Political Economy has limited space and we have thus far found it possible to publish approximately twelve of every fifty manuscripts submitted.
Publication Frequency
Twice a year