CALL FOR PROPOSALS: 2015 Special Issue of State and Local Government Review on Emerging from the Great Recession

 CALL FOR PROPOSALS

State and Local Government Review

2015 Special Issue on Economic Polarization and Challenges to Subnational Governments

Michael J. Scicchitano, University of Florida, Editor

State and Local Government Review invites authors to submit proposals for the 2015 Special Issue on “Economic Polarization and Challenges to Subnational Governments.”  The focus of the Special Issue will be to examine how subnational governments have been affected by economic polarization and how they have responded to this phenomenon.  The Special Issue will be published as the last issue of State and Local Government Review in 2015.  This publication schedule requires a shorter than normal period for the process of selecting and completing papers for the Special Issue.  Manuscripts published in the Special Issue will be reviewed and considered refereed publications.

One of the challenges that seems to have a profound impact on subnational governments is the increasing economic polarization of the residents and possibly a related loss of the middle class.  This polarization may have consequences such as higher crime rates, issues of increased hunger (especially among school children) and the loss of businesses that mostly serve middle class residents. While subnational governments face ever greater policy challenges they may also have reduced revenues to address these problems.  The 2015 State and Local Government Review Special Issue will examine issues related to the impact of the increased economic polarization on subnational governments.  State and Local welcomes proposals from all disciplines for papers related to this theme.  Below are some specific topics that would be appropriate for the 2015 Special Issue:

•  From a governance perspective, what exactly does the term economic polarization mean?  Does this mean that there is both a decline of a “middle class” and a great divide between the lower and upper income classes?   What are the different manifestations of this phenomenon such as the degree of loss of the middle class as well as economic polarization?  What stage or level of economic polarization can result in policy or governance problems for subnational governments?
• To what extent do taxing and spending policies at subnational levels redistribute burdens and benefits?
•  What are the specific ways/policy areas that polarization is evident (i.e., education, housing, stagnant wages, etc.)?
•   Has there been a change in the level of middle class loss or economic polarization? If so, when did these changes begin, are they increasing, or is it stable or declining? What are the best techniques to document or monitor these changes?
• What factors contribute to increased economic polarization--actions by international, national, or subnational governments?
• What are the implications of middle class loss and/ or economic polarization for subnational governance-i.e. what problems has this caused for subnational governments?
•  What actions have or could subnational governments take to reduce the loss of the middle class and economic polarization as well reduce the impact on their citizens?
•  Why hasn’t societal and economic information shown a capacity to scale effectively across jurisdictional, operational, and organizational boundaries?  Are we missing major policies and monitoring procedures that would identify this process more effectively, leading to more timely policy action?

Please submit a proposal that outlines a specific topic that conveys how subnational governments have been affected by economic polarization and how they have responded to this phenomenon.  Clearly outline the empirical basis for the manuscript, and if your paper is data driven, please indicate whether data has already been collected. Also, identify the current status of the research and writing and the extent to which the manuscript can be completed according to the schedule outlined below.

We encourage proposals from all disciplines including but not limited to public administration, political science, sociology, economics, planning, etc. and expect to publish papers where there is collaboration between academics and practitioners and authors both from inside and outside the U.S.

Note:  Acceptable topics are not limited to those listed above.

Proposals should be submitted between February 25, 2015 and April 1, 2015 to the following email address:  slgrspecial@gmail.com   

The proposals should be double-spaced and include no more than two pages of text.  There is no need to include tables or appendices and references do not count against the two page limit. All proposals will be subject to editorial review.  Please do not send complete papers—if you have a draft of your paper, please note that in the proposal.

Submissions will be evaluated with respect to the following criteria:

·         Relevance. The proposed manuscript should examine issues related to how subnational governments have been affected by economic polarization and how they have responded to this phenomenon.   

·         Viability. The proposal should represent an achievable manuscript project within the tight time constraints required. More detail on the timeline is provided below.

·         Scope of Interest. Papers of broad interest to scholars and professionals will be preferred.

·         Organization and Coherence. The proposal should follow a logical structure, read clearly, and thoroughly represent the available research.

·         Insight for Future Work. The proposal should convey important implications for both future research and practice related to local government.

Due to editorial constraints, it is vital for authors to adhere to the following strict timeline. We will not be able to consider late submissions. If you have any questions, please contact the Editor at mscicc@ufl.edu or by phone at (352) 846-2874.

Relevant dates* are as follows:

·         February 25- April 1, 2015: Proposals due to the State and Local Government Review to be sent to slgrspecial@gmail.com  

·         April 15, 2015: Final decision on proposals and initial feedback provided to authors.

·         July 15, 2015: Full draft of paper due to State and Local Government Review.

·         August 15, 2015: Review and feedback to authors on full paper.

·         September 15, 2015: Final paper submitted to State and Local Government Review.  Final manuscripts should be no longer than 18 pages of text with standard margins and font size.

*Please note that these are basic guidelines, each paper may require a different number of revisions or timing to make the September 15, 2015 deadline

Feel free to email or call me if you have any questions regarding your proposal or manuscript.