Call for papers for a special issue on ‘Transformations of contemporary capitalism: neoliberalism, authoritarianism and the war economy’.

2026-07-09

The Journal of Critical Economics announces a call for papers for its semi-monographic issue for the second half of 2027 on ‘Transformations of contemporary capitalism: neoliberalism, authoritarianism and the war economy’.

Editors: Aurelia Mañé Estrada (UB), Albert Recio Andreu (UAB)

For decades, analysis of capitalist economies has focused on neoliberalism as the emerging order that emerged from the crisis of the 1970s, centred on deregulation, financialisation and globalisation. However, this project — which has always been marked by social resistance and differing national trajectories — has shown clear limitations since the 2007 crisis, following which austerity policies reinforced inequalities and weakened the material foundations of democracy.

Neoliberalism has operated not only as an economic policy, but also as an institutional project and a rationale that reshapes the conditions of democracy, fostering processes of de-democratisation, technocratisation and authoritarianism. In this context, rising inequality, the ecological crisis and the transformations of digital capitalism are combined with the rise of the far right and a growing structural convergence between neoliberalism and new forms of fascism.

At the same time, we are witnessing significant shifts in the role of the state and in global regulation: directed reindustrialisation, a crisis of multilateralism, geopolitical tensions and the intensification of armed conflicts, and a slowdown in ecological transition policies… Within this framework, we are seeing a return to active fiscal policies and the emergence of a possible ‘war-time Keynesianism’, in which defence spending acts as a driver of demand, innovation and productive reorganisation.

Whilst inequalities continue to grow and affect the living conditions of an increasing proportion of the population, even in the dominant countries, new types of business have emerged which wield significant economic power through their control of the central networks of the new digital economy. The debate over how to characterise this new form of capitalism is ongoing, with concepts such as ‘surveillance capitalism’ or ‘techno-feudalism’ being put forward in an attempt to capture the nature of a new model that is more predatory than its predecessor. At the same time, driven by the United States, we are witnessing the dismantling of plurinational institutions and a resurgence of imperial and military tensions. A key aspect of this process is the weakening of policies designed to tackle ecological problems. Growing inequalities, the ecological crisis, imperialist conflicts and the rise of a far right that imposes policies aimed at dismantling rights paint a dramatic picture.

The aim of this special issue is to analyse these transformations, their causes and their direction, taking into account both the continuities and the breaks with historical neoliberalism.

The following lines of inquiry, amongst others, are proposed:

  • Relationships between neoliberalism, the democratic crisis, authoritarianism and fascism
  • The political economy of war: military spending, reindustrialisation and military Keynesianism
  • Transformations of the state and the global order in a context of geopolitical rivalry
  • Digital capitalism, corporate power and new forms of accumulation
  • Finance, inequality and the reconfiguration of social structures
  • The ecological crisis and the limits of the growth model
  • The role of China and new configurations of the international system
  • Elements for characterising contemporary capitalism

Theoretical and empirical contributions from critical and interdisciplinary perspectives will be welcomed.

Formal requirements:

Papers written in English or Spanish will be accepted

Abstract: 400 words maximum.

Full paper: 9,000 words maximum.

Submission deadlines:

Abstract submission: By 10 October 2026. Abstracts must be sent to albertrecio.andreu@gmail.com with the subject line ‘SEMIMONOGRAPHIC ABSTRACT REC’. A PDF file must be uploaded containing a header with the author’s first name and surname, email addresses and universities, as well as the full title of the paper and the text of the abstract. Keywords must be included (max. 5).

Provisional acceptance of papers: 30 October 2026

Submission of full papers: 15 February 2027 via the OJS platform: https://www.upo.es/revistas/index.php/rec/about/submissions.

Publication in REC: second half of 2027.

For further information on publication guidelines and instructions, please consult the REC guidelines: https://www.upo.es/revistas/index.php/rec/about/submissions