“Power and Politics in Project Management”

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “Power and Politics in Project Management”

Journal: International Journal of Project Management
Publisher: Elsevier
Impact Factor: 7.5 | CiteScore: 14.2
Submission deadline: 31 August 2026

Overview

This special issue examines power and politics as core, inescapable elements of project management, challenging the myth of projects as purely technical, rational endeavors. It argues that projects are socio‑political arenas where decisions on scope, resources, and priorities reflect competing interests and power‑laden negotiations. The SI seeks to mainstream these concepts in project studies by integrating theories from sociology, political science, organization studies, and philosophy to explore how power shapes governance, leadership, stakeholder engagement, and project outcomes.

Why This Issue Matters

Power and politics permeate every phase, from initiation to closure, as resources are scarce, agendas conflict, and stakeholders jockey for influence.
Despite evidence of corruption, legitimacy struggles, and institutional complexity in megaprojects (e.g., infrastructure, PPPs), these dynamics remain under‑explored versus purely managerial perspectives.
Digital transformation (AI, surveillance platforms) and grand challenges (climate, sustainability) amplify political risks and ethical trade‑offs, demanding new frameworks for “political literacy” in project practice.

Research Streams

Stream 1: Micro‑Foundations of Power

Power in team decision‑making (scope, budgets, risks);
Intersectionality (gender, race, class) in project dynamics;
Professional diversity effects (e.g., engineers vs. managers).

Stream 2: Meso‑Arena of Power

Governance structures (e.g., PPPs) and power imbalances;
Stakeholder politics (e.g., activism, resistance, legitimacy battles).

Stream 3: Macro‑Context

Institutions, culture, and geopolitics (e.g., tariffs, resource wars) shaping global projects;
Cross‑cultural power dynamics.

Stream 4: Emerging Frontiers

Digital power (AI, algorithms, data control);
Grand‑challenge politics (sustainability, health, equity).

Methodologies: Ethnography, discourse analysis, phenomenology, or quantitative methods—all with a strong narrative focus on power relations.

Key Dates & Process

Abstracts (800–1,000 words): Submit to xinyue.zhang@sydney.edu.au by 1 April 2026 for feedback.
Full papers: Submit via Editorial Manager (select “SI: Power and Politics in Project Management”) by 31 August 2026.
Workshop: Online authors’ workshop in May 2026 for invited submissions.
Rolling publication; final collection by August 2027.

Guest Editors

Stewart Clegg, University of Sydney
Xinyue Zhang, University of Sydney
Joana Geraldi, Copenhagen Business School
Mhamed Biyguatane, University of Melbourne

Submission Guidelines

Follow IJPM’s Author Guidelines (double‑blind review).
Original, unpublished work only.
Submissions: https://www.editorialmanager.com/jpma

Target audience: project management scholars, organizational theorists, and practitioners advancing critical, interdisciplinary project research.

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