Plenary Sessions

Plenary Session 1 : What's new(s) in public policy approaches ?

Keynote speaker

Giandomenico MAJONE, Emeritus Professor of Political Science
"Supranational policymaking: benefits, costs, and normative issues"


Moderator : Philippe ZITTOUN, LET-ENTPE, University of Lyon
Discussant : Claudio M. RADAELLI, Professor of Political Science, College of Social Sciences and International Studies, University of Exeter

Plenary Session 2 : Roundtable about the "state of arts" on different approaches

This roundtable examines the different existing approaches to, or schools of, public policy in the light of recent research work on the subject. In the policy field, there are currently several different paradigms used to study policy-making. New institutionalism, Interpretative analysis, agency problem, Advocacy Coalition Framwework, Institutional Analysis and Development and Punctuated Equilibrium theory are explored in this panel. Each participant of this roundtable has played a central role on one of these approaches and will explain what this approach has contributed to our understanding of policy-making ? What is the history of this approach ? And what are the latest developments in research and practice related to it.Eduardo ARARAL, University of Singapore,

  • Edouardo ARARAL, National University of Singapore, on IAD approaches
  • Frank FISCHER,  Kassel University, Germany, on Interpretive approaches
  • Virginie GUIRAUDON, IEP Lille, France, on French approaches
  • Bryan D. JONES, University of Texas, on punctuated equilibrium theory
  • Helen MARGETTS, University of Oxford (to confirm), on instruments approaches
  • Chris WEIBLE, University of Colorado, USA, on ACF approaches

Moderator : Guy PETERS, University of Pittsburgh, USA, and on new institutionalism approaches

Plenary Session 3 : Journals in Public Policy: A roundtable

This roundtable will be on the main journals in public policy – what are their aims, what topics do they cover, what is their contribution to the field, and are there distinct styles of work within public policy that are represented in different journals or does pluralism reign? What do the journals contribute to the study of public policy?  What more can journal editors do to help shape the discipline?  What can scholars of public policy do to sustain journals?  The panel will be an opportunity to hear the perspectives of the editors about their outlets, and to have a debate about the role of journals in the discipline.


Moderator : Leslie PAL, Carleton University

========================================================================================

Critical Policy Studies

Critical Policy Studies brings contemporary theoretical and methodological discussions, both normative and empirical, to bear on the understanding and analysis of public policy, at local, national and global levels. The journal offers a unique forum for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners to challenge established accounts of policy-analytic methods, to explore alternative approaches to policy-making, and to promote democratic governance. To this end, the journal concentrates on the relation of political and policy theory to specific practices of governance, in particular as they pertain to democratic governance, participatory practices, social justice and general public welfare. This necessitates an emphasis on the interplay between qualitative and quantitative modes of inquiry. The journal thus moves beyond narrow empirical approaches to pay special attention to interpretive, argumentative, discursive approaches to policy-making. Although Critical Policy Studies is a rigorous academic journal, it also pays special attention to the practical aspects of policy-making and analysis that confront real-world practitioners. In addition, the journal includes essays on current debates and opinions in the field, review articles that reflect on published research, and book reviews.

"Review of Policy Research:  The Politics and Policy of Science and Technology."

RPR is a journal of the Policy Studies Organization - an interdisciplinary group affiliated with the American Political Science Association (APSA). It is the official journal of the Science, Technology and Environmental Politics (STEP) section of APSA.  The journal publishes original and review articles examining the politics and policy of science, technology and environmental issues. RPR encourages the submission of comparative and international research and is dedicated to publishing empirical and theoretical contributions that advance the understanding of the interrelationships between social, political and economic forces influencing science, technology and environmental policy and outcomes..

Policy Studies Journal:

As the principal outlet for the Public Policy Section of the American Political Science Association and for the Policy Studies Organization (PSO), the Policy Studies Journal (PSJ) is the premier channel for publication of public policy research. PSJ is best characterized as an outlet for theoretically and empirically grounded research on policy process and policy analysis. More specifically, the goal is to publish articles that advance public policy theory, explicitly articulate its methods of data collection and analysis, and provide clear descriptions of how their work advances the literature.

Policy and Society

Policy and Society is an interdisciplinary journal exploring policy and its manifestations in broader politicaleconomic and social contexts. Each issue of Policy and Society is typically devoted to a single policy theme. The theme may be approached from the perspective of single or multiple disciplines. Policy and Society seeks to explore how policies are shaped by their context and, in turn, shape it. The Journal welcomes submissions that deal with policy theory and practice at the local, national and/or international level, including review issues on the state of the field. The journal only accepts proposals for themed issues, not individual papers.

The Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis

 The   Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice (JCPA) is a double-blind peer reviewed journal, indexed in Thomson Reuters SSCI, adhering to the highest quality scholarship. Published five times per year, the JCPA is the only explicitly comparative journal of policy analytic studies. It invites manuscripts that make a contribution to the field of comparative policy studies and related public affairs, administration and management. The JCPA aims to stimulate the intellectual development of comparative policy studies and the growth of an international community of scholars in the field.

Online user: 1