A third issue of Barents Studies: Peoples, Economies and Politics, a new scientific journal concerning Barents Region and its people, economy and politics, has recently been published. The open access journal is available as both electronic and printed version.

The new issue of Barents Studies
has four peer-reviewed scientific articles, a book review and introductions of young
scholars of the region. According to the chief editor of the issue, researcher
Aileen Espíritu from the Barents Institute at the
University of Tromsø, a common theme in the articles is the economic region-building
in the Barents Region and its consequences to the development of the region in the
future. In her editorial Espíritu also states that during the current era of
geopolitical conflicts research and academic exchange, and public engagement, are
some of the most effective ways of continuing and strengthening the important
cross-border relations in the Barents Region.

Previously two
academic issues of Barents Studies as well as a popular
magazine have been published. The Kolarctic ENPI, an EU programme for cooperation
between the North Calotte and Northwest Russia, granted funding for years 2013-15
for establishing the journal. The current issue is the last published under the
project funding, but the journal will be published also in future. The issue
published now has been admitted permission to use Finnish symbol denoting
peer-reviewed beside each refereed article and on the journal itself. Over the next
few months, the publishers hope to also earn a ranking for peer-reviewed
publications in the journals ranking system in Norway.

“In the
future, the journal could also raise the profile of social sciences in the Artctic
research in general”, says Research Professor Monica
Tennberg from the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland, a
member of the editorial board of Barents Studies and the chief editor of the first
issue of the journal. The Arctic Centre was the lead partner of the project for
establishing the journal and continues to publish it with the Luzin Institute for
Economic Studies of the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences and
The Barents Institute at the University of Tromsø.

Additional information:

Research Professor Monica Tennberg,
Arctic Centre at the
University of Lapland
+358 (0)400 192 005
Monica.Tennberg[at]ulapland.fi

The webpage of the journal: http://www.barentsinfo.org/barentsstudies