What question did this study set out to answer?

The paper aims to reframe peer review as a governance issue shaped by reviewer scarcity rather than just a social contract.

July 8, 2026Open Access

Reciprocity Is Not Governance. Reviewer Scarcity, Editorial Rationing, and the Limits of the Social-Contract

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Working paper critiques the social contract in peer review, highlighting governance challenges and suggesting reforms.

The paper aims to reframe peer review as a governance issue shaped by reviewer scarcity rather than just a social contract.
Analyzed peer review through theoretical frameworks including contract theory and social epistemology.
Conducted a documentary audit of anonymized editorial trajectories.
Proposed reforms for improving editorial processes and transparency.
Identified reviewer scarcity as a significant governance problem impacting transparent allocation of expert attention.
Distinguished between reciprocity and governance, emphasizing the need for structural reforms in peer review.
Proposed specific initiatives like explicit decision taxonomies and procedural clarification channels to enhance accountability.

Hugo Roger Paz (2026) studied this question.

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