Back to The IR thinker

Podcast Episode

Regional & Federal Studies - Davide Vampa & Mariely Lopez-Santana | Ep. 16 (2026)

The IR thinker··9 June 2026·1h 8m

About this episode

Today, it is a real pleasure to speak with the editorial team of Regional & Federal Studies, one of the leading journals in the field of territorial politics, regionalism, and federalism.  The journal was established in 1991 as Regional Politics and Policy: An International Journal focusing on regionalism in Western Europe. In 1995, the journal changed its name to Regional and Federal Studies, expanding its focus and scope. Impact Factor: 1.4 / 5-Year Impact Factor: 1.6 Indexed: Scopus / Web of Science First Decision: 40 days Acceptance Rate: 28% Davide Vampa & Mariely Lopez-Santana Davide Vampa, Lead Editor of the journal and Senior Lecturer in Territorial Politics at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he also serves as Co-Director of the Centre on Constitutional Change and Chair of the ECPR Standing Group on Federalism and Regionalism, as well as Mariely Lopez-Santana, Deputy Lead Editor and Associate Professor of Political Science at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, USA. Content 00:00 - Introduction 01:45 - The Journal’s Intellectual Identity 06:01 - How the Journal Adapted to a Changing Field 08:33 - Managing Breadth and Coherence Across Federalism, Regionalism, and Multilevel Governance 10:43 - Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries: Bridging Political Science and Beyond 14:02 - Theory or Empirics? Balancing Conceptual Innovation and Case-Based Research 18:00 - Major Intellectual Trends in Regional and Federal Politics 22:09 - Underexplored Topics 25:32 - Methodological Diversity: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Approaches 27:48 - Methodological Shifts: Dominant Approaches and Emerging Techniques 29:53 - The Data Challenge: Obstacles in Gathering Quantitative Evidence 32:44 - Why Papers Get Rejected: Common Problems in Manuscript Submissions 37:25 - Early Career Scholars: Frequent Mistakes and Professional Advice 44:34 - The Journal’s Position on AI 48:59 - Peer Review Process: Fairness, Transparency, and Editorial Efficiency 53:47 - The Role and Strategic Importance of the Editorial Board 57:03 - Supporting Underrepresented Scholars and Regions 01:03:33 - Should Authors Recommend Reviewers? 01:03:49 - Looking Ahead: Future Priorities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.