SEARCH for EDITOR of Publius: The Journal of Federalism

Deadline for proposals: April 25, 2023

Publius is seeking a new editor or editorial team to succeed the current editor, John Dinan, at the time of the 2023 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association’s Section on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations. It is expected that the editorial transition will occur during September-December 2023, with the new editor or editorial team assuming full editorial responsibility for the journal on January 1, 2024. The term of office is five years, with a five-year renewable option for a maximum of ten years of service as editor.

Publius, first published in 1971, is the premier journal on federalism worldwide. The journal is sponsored by the Section on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations of the American Political Science Association and published four times per year by Oxford University Press pursuant to a contract with the copyright holder, CSF Associates: Publius.

Publius is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes high-quality research on all aspects of the theory and practice of federalism in the United States and worldwide.

The editor or editors will be expected to:

• Solicit and develop promising manuscripts for submission to the journal so as to sustain and build the premier status of Publius.
• Guarantee that the journal encourages submissions on all aspects of the theory and practice of federalism in the United States and worldwide.
• Be impartial, equitable, and scholarly during all aspects of the review process.
• Maintain the confidentiality of the double-blind review process.
• Maintain, update, and expand a stable of diverse manuscript reviewers.
• Make publication decisions in a fair, reasonable, and timely manner.
• Organize and host the annual editorial board/advisory council meeting at the annual APSA meeting and report on the status of the journal with statistical input from Oxford University Press.
• Recruit, in consultation with the editorial board, the Annual Review of Federalism editor or editors and work with them to solicit appropriate manuscripts.
• Solicit and select appropriate special issues of the journal, including digital compilations of published articles on timely and topical areas, by being on the lookout for important trends in federalism scholarship or practice that can be highlighted in a special issue. The editor(s) should select an editor or editors of the special issue and work with the editors to solicit appropriate manuscripts.
• Work with the publisher to seek opportunities to market the journal to new audiences.
• Select the book review editor and work with them to identify recent books and select the most appropriate reviewers.
• Communicate and work cooperatively with APSA’s Section on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations.
• Maintain journal operations and the editorial office.
• Continue to improve the journal’s scope and contribution through innovative uses of the worldwide web and other technology.

The editor can expect to review more than 120 manuscripts per year, publishing more than 30 articles each year.

Oxford University Press provides the editor’s institution with $10,000 per year for travel support to the APSA meeting and other necessary expenses incurred directly by the editor. Publius itself provides supplemental support for a part-time 12-month editorial assistant and other necessary and direct miscellaneous journal expenses.

The editor’s home institution is expected to provide the editor with office space, basic supplies, computer, and printer. The home institution will also provide indirect support such as accounting for funds provided by Publius and paying the editorial assistant from funds provided by Publius. Publius does not require direct expenditures or subsidies by the host institution.

The Search Committee for the new editor consists of:

John Dinan, Wake Forest University
Kent Eaton, University of California, Santa Cruz
John Kincaid, Lafayette College, Committee Chair
Carol S. Weissert, Florida State University (Emerita)

Candidates should email (as PDF attachments) the following information to the chair of the search committee, John Kincaid, no later than April 25, 2023:

• A letter of interest explaining the candidate’s (or team of candidates’) relevant experience, goals for the journal, ideas for innovations or changes, if any, and direct and/or indirect support to be provided by the candidate’s home institution

• A current curriculum vita (or vitae for a team)

• A proposal from a team also should spell out the proposed arrangement and distribution of responsibilities among the team members.

If you wish to nominate someone to serve as editor or if you are thinking about proposing yourself or a team to serve as editor but have questions about Publius or the editorship, please contact:

John Kincaid
Tel: 610-330-5598
Email: kincaidj@lafayette.edu