Aims and Scope

Mission

Politics & Security is an international peer-reviewed open-access journal dedicated to advancing scholarly understanding of the complex relationships between political processes, governance, and security at national, regional, and global levels. The journal serves as a forum for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to engage with rigorous theoretical and empirical work addressing contemporary challenges in political science, security studies, public administration, and law.

Aims

The journal aims to publish original research that contributes substantively to the academic literature at the intersection of politics and security. We prioritise work that is methodologically sound, theoretically grounded, and of relevance to both scholars and those engaged in policy and practice.

Scope

Politics & Security publishes research within the following thematic areas:

Political Science and Security Studies — analysis of national security strategies and doctrines; geopolitics and international security; hybrid warfare, armed conflict, and conflict resolution; terrorism, radicalisation, and counter-terrorism policy; intelligence, strategic decision-making, and defence policy; information warfare, disinformation, and cognitive security.

Public Administration and Governance — institutional design and reform in security-relevant contexts; crisis management and emergency governance; migration governance and border security policy; democratic institutions under security pressure; constitutional frameworks and rule of law in transitional settings; anti-corruption policy and public integrity.

Economic and Financial Dimensions of Security — economic sanctions and financial coercion as instruments of statecraft; energy security and its geopolitical implications; financial crime, money laundering, and terrorist financing; economic resilience and the security of critical infrastructure; geoeconomics and the weaponisation of trade and finance.

Law and Security — international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict; legal frameworks regulating intelligence and surveillance; human rights in security contexts; criminal law and law enforcement in security-sensitive environments; cybersecurity law and digital sovereignty.

Submission Scope Boundary

Manuscripts that do not fall within the thematic boundaries described above will not be sent for peer review, regardless of their academic quality. Authors are strongly encouraged to review recent issues to assess whether their work aligns with the journal's focus before submitting.

Types of Contribution

The journal welcomes original research articles, review articles, and policy-relevant analytical papers. All submissions must present a clear research question, an explicit methodological approach, and findings that advance the existing literature.

Disciplinary Approach

Politics & Security encourages interdisciplinary research. The journal's primary disciplinary home within international classification systems is:

  • Political Science and International Relations (3320)
  • Law (3308)
  • Economics, Econometrics and Finance — security dimensions (2002)
  • Public Administration (3321)

Language

All manuscripts must be submitted in English. Authors whose first language is not English are strongly encouraged to seek professional language editing prior to submission.

Publication Frequency

Politics & Security publishes four issues per year, released in March, June, September, and December.