CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR SPECIAL ISSUE on Global Dynamics and European Electoral Politics

Special issue editors:
Dr. Jean-Michel de Waele, Professor Department of Political Science, Université Libre de Bruxelles, jean-michel.de.waele@ulb.be
Dr. Sorina Cristina Soare, Associate Professor, Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Florence, sorinacristina.soare@unifi.it

The Canadian Journal of European and Russian Studies (CJERS) is inviting submissions for a special issue on the following topic: Global Dynamics and European Electoral Politics.

Conventional wisdom has long held that foreign policy plays only a marginal role in electoral competition, with voters primarily motivated by domestic economic and social concerns. However, recent scholarship has increasingly challenged this assumption, highlighting how international and domestic politics have become deeply intertwined. Issues such as migration, geopolitical conflict (notably Russia’s war against Ukraine), trade disputes, and global economic interdependence blur the boundary between “internal” and “external” politics, thereby reshaping electoral agendas and voter preferences. At the same time, research on European politics shows that foreign policy is not politically neutral, but structured along ideological lines. Party competition over international issues reflects enduring cleavages—such as left-right orientations, positions on European integration, and attitudes towards the use of force—which shape both elite behavior and electoral contestation. This suggests that international issues may enter electoral arenas not as exogenous shocks, but as politically mediated and ideologically filtered dimensions of competition. Moreover, growing concerns about foreign interference, transnational campaigning, and the diffusion of global narratives further point to the increasing permeability of national electoral arenas. In this context, elections in Europe can no longer be understood as purely domestic events, but rather as embedded in a broader transnational and geopolitical environment.

CJERS invites submissions that address any aspect of this thematic in the European context. We welcome both theoretical and empirical contributions that explore how international processes, actors, and issues shape electoral competition, party strategies, and voter behavior. Of particular interest inquiries on recent or upcoming national elections in EU Member states.  
To be considered for inclusion in the special issue please send an abstract of the proposed submission no later than July 1, 2026 to one of the special issue editors, with the subject line “Special Issue European elections”. Along with the abstract, also please submit the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s), along with a short bio for each author. Please designate a corresponding author to receive communications from the journal.

The abstract should be between 250 and 300 words and should specify the question or thesis of the study, the conceptual or theoretical framework, and the methodology of the research. The article should provide original research and meet submission criteria for the journal.
The editors will notify authors of the suitability of their proposals for the special issue within four weeks of receipt. Full articles should be submitted to the special issue editors by December 1, 2026. Following an internal review process, including preliminary peer review by the editors, selected manuscripts will be formally submitted through the journal’s platform by February 1, 2027. All submissions will be subject to double-blind peer review. Publication in the special issue will depend on the outcome of the peer review process.

Feel free to contact us at CJERS@carleton.ca with any questions about the procedure or informal inquiries you may have.
CJERS is a double-blind peer-reviewed online journal. All articles are open access. The journal is  housed at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada and is interdisciplinary with a focus on the social sciences, policy studies, law, and international affairs. The journal addresses topics related to Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, post-communist countries of the Transcaucasus, as well as the European Union and its member states.