01/24/2023
The Journal of Peacebuilding and Development (JPD) is seeking a new institutional host. Why not consider joining us and leading this innovative journal into its new era?
JPD is a peer reviewed journal published by SAGE, whose mission is to provide a forum for critical thinking and constructive action at the intersections of conflict, development and peace. Since its founding in 2002, JPD has held a unique commitment to publish at least 50% of our authors from the Global South and/or countries affected by conflict and fragility in every issue. We are deeply committed to advancing epistemological diversity and decoloniality in our subject area. Another unique dimension of our journal is that it strives to serve scholars, practitioners and policy actors, cultivating conversation and collaboration across these arenas, towards visionary but practical approaches to address contemporary challenges within the peacebuilding-development nexus.
Since our founding of JPD in 2002 the conflict landscape has evolved in complexity, incorporating fragility, violence, and natural disasters, presenting ever greater challenges for analysis, framing, and effective policy and practice responses. We anticipate that a new journal host will help JPD adapt and innovate in response to these complex, inter-related crises. While JPD rests primarily in the critical scholarly tradition, our editors and advisors recognise that inter-paradigm learning, pluralism, and synergy drive our ability as scholars and policy actors to envision and realize the transformative measures required to tackle systemic crises.
Value proposition and what we offer
Hosting JPD offers several benefits. These start with having professional impact: the journal offers you a platform and mechanism to influence the peacebuilding-development nexus scholarly and practice space. Over two decades, JPD has developed an expansive network of scholars, practitioners and policy actors who engage as readers, authors and advisors - a network that can serve the cross-fertilization of ideas and activities in your institution. Journal hosting brings notoriety for the institution, department or program, offering a collaborative space for reflection, innovation and service. It provides a platform for students and faculty in an educational setting, or program staff in a think tank or association, to gain editorial and wider professional experience.
As a journal host, you will have the support of the publisher, JPD’s founding editors, and the Advisory Board in carrying out the mission. As with most journal publishers, Sage’s services include managing the processes from submission of finalized content through production (including copyediting, layout, producing both online and print formats, and marketing). They also offer the editors (in this case the new hosts) a small annual stipend.
The founding editors (Erin McCandless and Mohammed Abu-Nimer) manage the online open access collections, as well as the advisory board, while driving business development. The international advisory board reviews articles and supports marketing and key decision-making around transitions. Moving forward, they will be regularly engaged in the production of special issues and the holding of dialogues around the content of the journal and the critical issues driving our field.
Hosting costs and arrangements
Anticipated costs for hosting the journal are focused on the staff needed to run the journal. This means an Executive Editor and other editors to support this person towards producing 3 issues per year. DIfferent formulas are feasible here, including the possibility of having more than one institutional host and associated Executive Editor. An administrator (or Managing Editor) 50% time, approximately, is needed, which can potentially be fulfilled by a graduate student. Ideally this post should be located alongside the main editor and not have too much transition of staff. If a hosting partnership is constructed (ideally with partners who have worked together), each host could produce one issue per year. While we are flexible on arrangements, we are ideally seeking expressions of interest for 5 years minimum.
JPD has had three primary hosts to date: American University’s Center for Global Peace, University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and most recently, Kennesaw State University’s School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development. We have also had joint hosting arrangements in the past, including with Africa University’s Institute for Peace, Leadership and Governance in Zimbabwe and the UN University for Peace Africa Program (UPEACE) in Ethiopia. We would welcome a co-hosting arrangement, particularly one that includes institutions based in the Global South and/or countries affected by conflict.
Please send expressions of interest (or questions) to the founding editors, Erin McCandless and Mohammed Abu-Nimer, ideally with a cover letter sharing your vision for taking the journal forward. We will be reviewing applications as they arrive but hope to finalize our decision by April 30, 2023. We will also be attending the International Studies Association, along with several of our advisory board members, if you would like to speak in person with us. Our goal is to have a new host in place by September 15, 2023. This will allow time for a transition period with the existing host - KSU - whose hosting arrangement finishes at the end of 2023.