Review of Radical Political Economics

Review of Radical Political Economics
Title	Review of Radical Political Economics
Discipline	Political economy
Abbreviation	Rev. Radic. Political Econ.
Publisher	Political Economy Research Institute
Country	United States
History	1968–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0034-1436

Review of Radical Political Economics is a peer-reviewed academic journal founded in 1968 associated with heterodox and critical traditions in political economy, featuring interdisciplinary scholarship that engages with labor, development, inequality, and power. The journal has been linked through contributors and editorial networks to prominent figures and institutions across United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Germany, and has influenced debates intersecting with social movements, trade unionism, and policy advocacy. Its audience spans scholars, activists, and policymakers connected to radical critiques emerging from events such as the 1968 protests and the rise of the New Left.

History and founding

The journal was established in 1968 amid intellectual ferment tied to episodes like the May 1968 protests in France, the Prague Spring, and campus mobilizations at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University. Founding figures included economists and activists associated with organizations like the Union for Radical Political Economics and research centers such as the Political Economy Research Institute. Early issues drew on dialogues between scholars influenced by works from John Maynard Keynes, Karl Marx, Paul A. Baran, Paul Sweezy, and participants in conferences alongside affiliates of New Left Review and Monthly Review. The journal's formation paralleled policy contests involving the Great Society programs, labor disputes led by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and international solidarity with movements in Vietnam and Chile.

Aim and editorial scope

The stated aim emphasizes heterodox analysis of production, distribution, class, and power, encouraging submissions that engage with historical materialism, feminist political economy, ecological critiques, and radical development studies. Its scope encompasses interdisciplinary work linking scholars associated with institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University of Toronto, and research networks around the International Labour Organization, World Bank, and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The editorial remit invites critical engagements with theories advanced by figures like David Harvey, Amartya Sen, Immanuel Wallerstein, E. P. Thompson, and debates shaped by events such as the 1973 oil crisis and the Washington Consensus.

Notable contributions and special issues

The journal has published influential special issues and symposia on topics including neoliberal restructuring, labor precarity, imperialism, feminist critiques, and ecological Marxism. Landmark contributions have engaged with scholarship from Michel Foucault, Antonio Gramsci, Rosa Luxemburg, and empirical studies linked to casework in Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, and India. Special issues have responded to crises like the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and policy shifts tied to administrations such as those of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, showcasing debates involving activists from Industrial Workers of the World and scholars from the Institute for Policy Studies.

Abstracting, indexing, and impact

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major bibliographic services associated with academic dissemination, comparable to listings used by databases indexing titles like American Economic Review, Cambridge Journal of Economics, and New Political Economy. Its citation patterns intersect with works published in venues such as Economy and Society, Socialist Register, and Monthly Review, and its impact is measured alongside metrics that track influence in networks involving Scopus, Web of Science, and disciplinary rankings used by universities including University of California system and University of Oxford.

Editors and editorial policy

Editorial leadership has included scholars affiliated with universities and institutes like the University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Michigan, University of California, Los Angeles, and the Political Economy Research Institute. The editorial policy prioritizes double-blind peer review, methodological pluralism, and commitments to diversity reflecting contributors from regions such as Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Editors have overseen thematic calls coordinated with collaborators at organizations like Social Science Research Council, Routledge, and Oxford University Press authorship networks.

Reception and critiques

Reception has ranged from praise in outlets sympathetic to heterodox perspectives, such as Monthly Review and New Left Review, to critiques from mainstream venues represented by American Economic Association panels and journals like Journal of Political Economy. Critics have challenged methodological rigor, ideological commitments, and policy prescriptions, often invoking debates sparked by theorists such as Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek. Supporters highlight the journal’s role in fostering scholarship linked to labor movements, public intellectuals, and policy interventions by organizations like Amnesty International and Oxfam.

Publication format and accessibility

Published quarterly, the journal issues content in print and digital formats comparable to distribution models used by publishers such as SAGE Publications and Taylor & Francis. Back issues and special collections have been made available through academic libraries at institutions like Library of Congress, British Library, and university repositories at Harvard University Library and University of Michigan Library. Accessibility initiatives have included special pricing for student groups and subscriptions coordinated with consortia such as JSTOR and institutional licensing via university presses.

Notable articles and influence on scholarship

The journal has featured articles that became touchstones for subsequent debates in political economy and social theory, cited alongside canonical texts by Karl Polanyi, Paul Krugman, Joan Robinson, and Hanna Arendt. Influential pieces examined structural adjustment in Latin America, labor informality in South Asia, and environmental justice in contexts like Amazon rainforest deforestation. Its scholarship has informed curricula at departments across University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics, and University of Toronto, and has been referenced in policy briefs produced for bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and United Nations Development Programme.

Category:Political economy journals