This call for papers, from the editors of Parliamentary Affairs, is for a special section of the journal on the state of British politics in 2024/5. It will identify the key institutions, issues and challenges that need to be addressed by a new Government taking over in 2025, following the general election expected at the latest by the end of 2024.
The special section’s guest editors will propose five or six papers, including an introduction drawing out key themes and theoretical approaches. All papers and the special section will be peer reviewed.
The deadline for proposal submissions is 30 September 2023, with first drafts due at the end of January 2024.
The aim is to publish the special section in late 2024 or early 2025, to coincide with the general election.
Proposals should include: a summary of the overall special section and its contribution to wider theoretical and practical debates (at minimum, one page in length); titles; authors and their affiliations; and abstracts (of 250 words) for each paper proposed. The proposals should also contain a suggested timeline for delivery, alongside a list of potential reviewers. The guest editors will be responsible for submission of the papers. All papers will be subject to peer review. Prospective guest editors are recommended to contact the editors of Parliamentary Affairs in advance of submitting their proposal.
With a general election expected by the end of 2024, this special section of Parliamentary Affairs will consider the current state of British politics. After 14 years of Conservative-led rule, the UK is a very different state to the one governed by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition that came to power in 2010.
The UK is no longer part of the European Union, support for potential independence has grown in three parts of the Union, and the British party system has seen the rise, fall and influence of some significant non-mainstream parties. British institutions have been under considerable and sustained pressure, with parliamentary scrutiny and processes at the centre of much of this. Leadership has experienced large turnovers. Public opinion has seen a range of shocks, from the economic to the political. And public policy has struggled to cope against a variety of major challenges, including – but not only – the Coronavirus pandemic.
For queries, please do not hesitate to contact the editors of Parliamentary Affairs:
Alistair Clark (alistair.clark@ncl.ac.uk)
Louise Thomson (louise.thompson-4@manchester.ac.uk)
Dr Alistair Clark is Reader in Politics at Newcastle University. His research interests revolve around political parties, Parliament, electoral politics and integrity in public life. He is a former editor of the British Journal of Politics and International Relations, and the ECPR Political Data Yearbook. He is a former winner of the PSA’s Arthur McDougall Prize, and his publications include Political Parties in the UK (2nd Edition, Bloomsbury, 2018).
Dr Louise Thompson is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on the UK Parliament, particularly the legislative process and the role of parliamentary parties. Louise is the author of The End of the Small Party (MUP, 2020) and Making British Law (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) and is co-editor of the textbook Exploring Parliament (OUP, 2018).
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