About this journal

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, emphasizing socially inclusive values. The journal offers a unique and geographically plural 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, including necessary debates towards the expansion of critical epistemologies. 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, intersectional and decolonial policies, and general public welfare. This necessitates an emphasis on the interplay between qualitative and quantitative modes of inquiry. The journal thus moves beyond narrow empiricist approaches to pay special attention to interpretive, argumentative, discursive approaches to policy-making.

Critical Policy Studies is a rigorous academic journal, and also pays special attention to the practical aspects of policy-making and analysis that confront real-world practitioners in different cultural contexts. While we emphasize academic articles, we explicitly welcome practical contributions that provide stories of insight related to efforts to transform domination or oppression in public policy practices and structures. In addition, the journal includes essays on current debates and opinions in the field, review articles that reflect on published research, and book reviews.

Peer Review

All articles that appear in Critical Policy Studies have been subjected to rigorous peer review. Submissions to the journal undergo an initial editor screening and, where it is decided to pursue the possibility of publication, are reviewed by two referees to whom the identity of the writer is not revealed. Where articles engage with the work of one or more of the editors themselves, referees are chosen not by the latter, but by another editor or member of the editorial board. This screening and refereeing process applies to all texts published in CPS except editorial introductions, comments on articles previously published, forum papers, comments on forum papers, and book reviews.

All authors must adhere to the  Publisher’s AI policy  by clearly acknowledging within your manuscript any use of Generative AI tools.

Editors:
Rosana de Freitas Boullosa, University of Brasília, Brazil
Regine Paul, University of Bergen, Norway
Tracy Smith-Carrier, Royal Roads University, Canada

Editorial Assistant:
Gareth Wall, University of Birmingham, UK

Forum Editors:
Piyapong Boossabong, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
Dieter Plehwe, WZB Berlin Social Science Centre, Germany

Reviews Editors:
David Olanya, Gulu University, Uganda
Stephanie Paterson, Concordia University, Canada

Honorary Editor:
Frank Fischer, Rutgers University, USA, Emeritus

Editorial Board:
Rebecca Abers, University of Brasília, Brazil
Leonardo Avritzer, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil
John Boswell, University of Southampton, UK
Kathrin Braun, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Jennifer Dodge, University at Albany-SUNY, USA
John Dryzek, University of Canberra, Australia
Anna Durnová, Vienna Institute for Advanced Studies, Austria
R. Mireille Manga Edimo, University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon
Laureen Elgert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA
Selen Ercan, University of Canberra, Australia
Susan Fainstein, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, USA
Peter Feindt, Humboldt University, Germany
Verónica Figueroa Huencho,Universidad de Chile, Chile
Steven Griggs, De Montfort University, UK
Maarten Hajer, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
Bob Jessop, Lancaster University, UK
Eva Lövbrand, Linköping University, Sweden
Samantha Majic, City University of New York, USA
Navdeep Mathur, Azim Premji University, India
Tamara, Metze, TU Delft, The Netherlands
Sybille Münch, University of Hildesheim, Germany
Erhan Özşeker, Kirklareli University, Turkey
Katharina T. Paul, University of Vienna, Austria
Regina Queiroz, Universidade Lusófona, Portugal
Preeti Raghunath, University of Sheffield, UK
Vivien A. Schmidt, Boston University, USA
Holger Strassheim, Bielefeld University, Germany
Paul Stubbs, Institute of Economics, Zagreb, Croatia
Helen Sullivan, Australian National University, Australia
Douglas Torgerson, Trent University, Canada
Imrat Verhoeven, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Séverine van Bommel, University of Queensland, Australia
Joy Y. Zhang, University of Kent, UK
Philippe Zittoun, University of Lyon, France

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