Focus and Scope
JPLA, first published in 2009 by the GIGA Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) in Hamburg, is a refereed journal focused on comparative politics on Latin America. The journal is dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding of the political process and political institutions in the region.

JPLA began publication in 2009 as a leading international journal devoted to providing cutting-edge research by and for the political science community in Latin American studies as well as for comparativists focusing on Latin America. An international editorial board of renowned scholars ensures high-caliber and relevant content.

The pages of JPLA are open to all research approaches consistent with the canons of scholarship. JPLA publishes rigorous and original research findings and also includes research-oriented matters (e.g., debates in the discipline, research notes, political science information sources, funding opportunities) and information for politicians, policy makers, the media, and the public.

JPLA seeks to provide a prime forum for the exchange of ideas between scholars and students of comparative politics in Latin America. The journal is committed to the highest standards of peer review, to developing the most promising new work available and to facilitating professional communication in political science on Latin America. In this vein, JPLA, with its clear focus on scholarly work on political institutions, political behavior, and public policy, is well set to become the natural first choice venue for the political science community working on Latin America, as represented for instance by the LASA Section on Political Institutions or the ECPR Standing Group on Latin American Politics.