Classical Liberals in the Carolinas

Political Economy in the Carolinas is a fully refereed interdisciplinary journal broadly focused on government and public policy in North and South Carolina. It is published by Classical Liberals in the Carolinas, a scholarly organization of academics, policy analysts, and business leaders meant to foster research and discussion of classical liberal ideas in formulating public policy in the two states. The analysis and research in published papers can take a broad range of approaches. The editors especially encourage comparative empirical analysis with other states in the region or nation, historical perspectives, interpretive or theoretical essays, and philosophical essays that might highlight classical liberal ideas in the context of contemporary policy analysis. 

There are no requirements in terms of approach or disciplinary perspective. Indeed, submissions are welcome from a wide range of disciplines including political science, economics, legal studies, history, and philosophy.  The only requirement is that articles be rigorous, thoroughly researched, and represent an original contribution to the literature. In addition, articles should be written in a way that is intelligible to a non-specialist but broadly educated and engaged audience that would include academics, public policy and think tank researchers, and policy makers.

Manuscripts should not exceed 8,000 words and should include an abstract of no more than 250 words. Once the manuscript is under review, it is assigned to a member of our editorial board, along with a blind outside reviewer. The editor then determines acceptance of the manuscript based on feedback received. Accepted manuscripts must conform to Political Economy in the Carolinas' style requirements. Citations should be in the author-date format, with full bibliographic information in a reference list and substantive notes prepared as numbered footnotes.

This journal is committed to upholding the integrity of scientific investigation and the importance of civility and honesty in the exchange of ideas. To advance these goals we expect authors to refrain from misrepresenting research results and we encourage our reviewers to be on guard against any such misrepresentations, including the falsification of data and plagiarism while assessing papers for publication. If after rigorous investigation it is found that there has been willful violation of these norms by the author, the article will be automatically rejected. If the article has already been published it will be retracted and removed from the journals archive. If a violation is discovered but not thought to be willful, submitting authors will be informed and corrections will be insisted upon before the review process can continue. If the paper has already been published the editors will determine on a case by case basis whether a full retraction is necessary or if an addendum to be included with the archived article will be sufficient. In addition, we require that articles not be published elsewhere or submitted elsewhere for consideration while also under review at Political Economy in the Carolinas. Our overriding goal is to ensure the integrity of the research published in Political Economy in the Carolinas.