The Italian Journal of Electoral Studies (IJES) invites expressions of interest from scholars wishing to serve as Guest Editors for a Special Issue devoted to the 2027 Italian General Election.

The Special Issue will provide a timely scholarly assessment of the election and, more broadly, of the transformations affecting electoral competition, political parties, campaigns and voting behaviour in contemporary Italy.

The journal is particularly interested in a Special Issue that combines the analysis of the Italian case with the broader theoretical and comparative concerns of electoral studies. Contributions should therefore go beyond the description of election results and use the 2027 election to address questions of wider relevance to the study of elections, parties, representation and political behaviour.

Role of the Guest Editors

The Guest Editors will work in close collaboration with the Editors of the Italian Journal of Electoral Studies. Their responsibilities will include:

• contributing to the definition of the intellectual profile and thematic scope of the Special Issue;
• preparing and disseminating the Call for Papers;
• encouraging submissions from scholars working in Italy and abroad;
• participating in the preliminary assessment of submitted manuscripts;
• identifying appropriate reviewers and contributing to the management of the peer-review process;
• ensuring the thematic coherence and scientific quality of the Special Issue;
• preparing an introductory article presenting the main themes of the issue and situating the 2027 Italian election in the broader literature on electoral politics.

We welcome applications from individual scholars as well as teams of two or three Guest Editors. Joint proposals involving scholars from different institutions, career stages, methodological traditions or national academic communities are especially encouraged, as are gender-balanced teams.

Applications

Applications should include:

1. the name, institutional affiliation and short biographical note of the proposed Guest Editor(s);
2. a short statement outlining the proposed intellectual focus of the Special Issue and the main questions it could address;
3. an indication of the relevant expertise of the proposed Guest Editor(s);
4. where appropriate, some preliminary ideas concerning possible themes or types of contributions to be included in the issue.

Applications should be no longer than 800 words and should be sent to the IJES Editors
(silvia.bolgherini@unipg.it and paolo.bellucci@unisi.it ) by December 31, 2026.

The selected Guest Editors will work with the journal's Editors to finalise the Call for Papers and the timetable for submission, peer review and publication.

For further information, please contact the Journal editorial team.