CFP: Public Affairs Quarterly

Public Affairs Quarterly will hold a special issue focusing on connections between ethics and political psychology.  Philosophers, political theorists, and political psychologists are invited to submit normative papers exploring connections between these fields.  Although contributions should be normative or conceptual, submissions from practicing social scientists are particularly encouraged.  Submissions may raise new philosophical questions from a social scientific point of view, foster philosophical focus on concepts from political psychology, or introduce new ways of approaching normative questions.  Examples of possible topics include: opinion change in political beliefs, bias and heuristics in political reasoning, polarization (including its causes, various dimensions, and normatively significant consequences), rural or urban consciousness, symmetries and asymmetries between political parties, connections to democracy and democratic norms, the psychology of deliberation, attitudes toward political violence, contact theory and politically significant relationships, epistemic deference or resistance to expertise, trust in media and political institutions, and the political psychology of race and gender.  This issue aims in particular to initiate conversations about issues of common normative concern between philosophers and political scientists.  As such, submissions need not be situated in an existing philosophical literature; interested scholars are encouraged to introduce normatively significant conceptual questions from their own disciplinary point of view. 

Manuscripts should be between 7,000 and 9,000 words, prepared for anonymous review, and submitted through the PAQ submission portal by October 15, 2026. Please note in the submission that this is intended for the special issue on Ethics and Political Psychology. Review will begin November 1, 2026. The special issue is planned for Spring/Summer 2027. Questions may be directed to Ryan Davis.