What Makes Strong Research in Regional & Federal Studies? — Davide Vampa & Mariely Lopez-Santana

9. 6. 2026

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