Critical Policy Studies (CPS) is a non-mainstream and non-positivist journal that has managed over time to consolidate its space within the vast field of policy studies. It 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. We try to offer 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 methodological reflexivity, the interplay between theoretical and empirical research and methodological pluralism. The journal thus moves beyond narrow empiricist approaches to pay special attention to interpretive, argumentative, discursive approaches to policy-making.
More information about the journal can be found in its website here.
Currently, the CPS Editorial Team is inviting applications for the position of Editor. The new Editor will serve for a five-year term and join two Editors and an Editorial Team (two Forum Editors, two Review Editors, a Social Media Editor, an Honorary Editor) and an Editorial Board.
- Each Editor is responsible for routine editorial work managing article submissions and selecting the contents of each issue of the journal. The Editors meet monthly to address journal business (e.g., renewing contracts with the publisher, issuing calls for papers, generating interest in submitting to the journal, making decisions on symposia proposals, discussing rotation of the Editorial Team and Editorial Board, etc.). Editors also meet quarterly with the Editorial Team to discuss content for the Forum and Book Review sections, social media strategies, and more general issues related to the direction of the journal. In addition to this routine work, Editors each year write an annual report to the Editorial Board, organize annual Editorial Board meetings, organize the best paper award committee (Gottweis Prize and emerging scholar prize). Finally, Editors may choose to write an occasional forum article, commission symposia, organize panels at the Interpretive Policy Analysis Conference or other related conferences, and/or work on special initiatives, such as expanding the journal’s reach to new geographical regions.
- The length of the term is five years.
- The general editors currently manage a yearly budget of 12.000 Euros to support initiatives and to fund a small honorarium in recognition of the work.
The CPS Editorial team is looking for someone whose research focuses on Critical Policy Studies, who show a willingness to engage with scholars from diverse critical policy studies traditions and an openness to both supporting the existing CPS community and expanding into new areas of critical scholarship that may not be strongly represented in the journal (for example, Critical Race Theory, Feminist/Gender Studies or Decolonial/Postcolonial Studies, to the extent that these are engaged in critical policy studies). The team is looking for candidates who demonstrate that they belong to dense networks of critical (policy) studies in the United States and/or Canada. Editorial experience – including time served on editorial boards – is desirable.
Deadline to apply: November 14, 2022
Start date: January 1, 2023
To apply, please send an email to Bill Sisk at bsisk@albany.edu with a statement of interest — including your interest in becoming an editor of Critical Policy Studies, your editorial experience, and the goals and contributions you would like to make to the journal – and a short CV (about 5 pages in total).
