Call for Papers-Spring 2026
Beyond Borders: Advances in Global Welfare (BBAGW) invites submissions for its upcoming themed issue addressing the complexities faced by social work in a rapidly changing world. As practitioners and scholars contend with pressures such as funding contractions, rising nationalism, and shifting socio-political landscapes, our field’s core values, solidarity, equity, human dignity, are put to the test. This themed issue seeks original manuscripts that explore how social workers can remain creative stewards of resources, knowledge, and ethics to meet urgent and emerging global needs.
We welcome contributions that critically engage with strategies for adapting social work values and practices under constraint, demonstrating innovation and impact both locally and globally. Manuscripts may include empirical research, theoretical reflections, concept notes, or teaching notes. They could address topics such as (but not limited to):
- Innovative models for human services delivery and resource management in restrictive or under-resourced settings
- Cross-country analysis of policy responses to threats against human rights, equity, or social justice
- Reimagining professional identity and ethical practice under socioeconomic, political and geographical constraints
- Digital transformation and technology's role in expanding or constraining social work reach and values
- Social movements and grassroots organizing as sites of social work innovation
- Transnational solidarity and cross-border organizing in an era of rising nationalism and isolationism
- Knowledge co-production and South-South collaboration as alternatives to traditional development paradigms
- Multistakeholder participation in development
Submissions should reflect methodological rigor and a clear articulation of global relevance. By fostering reflective and actionable scholarship, BBAGW aims to highlight how social work can live its values creatively, even, and especially, during adversity.
For questions please contact:
mcmahanl@bu.edu
Submission deadline: June 1, 2026
Submission guidelines: https://ejournals.bu.edu/index.php/bbagw/about/submissions
