J.P. Singh is Professor of International Commerce and Policy at George Mason University, where he researches, teaches, and writes on topics including international trade and development, national and international cultural policies, and international negotiations and diplomacy. He has authored numerous books and articles, including Sweet Talk: Paternalism and Collective Action in North-South Trade Relations, and is Section Editor for UC Press’s journal Global Perspectives. In previous years, Professor Singh has served as chair for three different International Studies Association sections: International Communication; International Political Economy; and Science, Technology, Art and International Relations.
UC Press: Thank you for your work with Global Perspectives, where you launched the journal’s Political Economy, Markets, and Institutions section, and congratulations on the recent news that the Council of Editors of Learned Journals has named Global Perspectives as the Best New Journal for 2021!
JP: It’s been a privilege. Global Perspectives is truly transdisciplinary with a creative and intense editorial team including the staff at UC Press. We’ve been able to cater to multiple worldviews and disciplines with a great deal of rigor, and I think the journal will get better and better in the future. The recent award was an affirmation that we are doing the right thing. Editor-in-Chief Helmut Anheier must be commended for leading the way.
UC Press: You’ve been working on a new special collection for the journal: The Future of Multilateralism and Global Development. What can we expect to see in the collection?
JP: Concerns about decline in multilateralism congruent with questions about the effectiveness of international organizations continue to mount. Yet, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows, multilateralism remains as important and necessary as ever. The recent 141-5 vote against Russia at the UN General Assembly is an instance.
Our forthcoming special collection with 14 essays and five commentaries from leading academics and practitioners will examine the changing nature of multilateralism and global development. Collectively we analyze new forms of multilateralism, changes underway in old multilateralism, the possibility of some quick fixes, along with the impossibility of a few strategies. The essays provide policy advice for the future with special implications for development efforts affecting the global south.
UC Press: The ISA’s Annual Convention commenced this week; what are your plans for the meeting?
JP: As always, ISA provides a good sense of the latest scholarship in the discipline and the opportunity to meet colleagues from around the world. I plan to attend panels that are of immediate interest to me, but also a few about those issues which are important but where my knowledge is not so up to date. I’m also particularly excited because the International Communication Section of the ISA is presenting me with its Distinguished Scholar Award at the Convention. I’m also looking forward to a few long chats with colleagues that I haven’t seen in person for over two years because of the pandemic.
UC Press: Congratulations on another great achievement! For other scholars who might be considering submitting manuscripts to your section of Global Perspectives, do you have any words of advice?
JP: Several words of advice, actually! Apart from interdisciplinary scholarly articles, Global Perspectives welcomes many other forms of submission. Take a look at our guidelines and discuss possibilities with our section editors. The commentaries are an especially exciting way to highlight new research and issues. For example, last year, the political economy section published a special collection on Covid-19 to mark the passing of one year of the pandemic. The collection was timely and garnered a great deal of attention from academic communities.
UC Press: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about your plans, and best wishes for a successful ISA meeting!
Global Perspectives is an online-only, peer-reviewed, transdisciplinary journal seeking to advance social science research and debates in a globalizing world, specifically in terms of concepts, theories, methodologies, and evidence bases. Work published in the journal is enriched by invited perspectives that enhance its global and interdisciplinary implications.
Editor-in-Chief: Helmut K. Anheier
online.ucpress.edu/gp