Editorial introduction: Exploring policy theories, narratives, and policing

As we approach the end of another year, we are delighted to introduce the final issue of the Policy Studies Journal (PSJ), Volume 51, Issue 4. This issue marks the culmination of an outstanding year with incredible contributions from various research traditions in the field. We are excited to present 10 top-quality articles from established and emerging scholars, which explore diverse themes related to policy theory and a range of substantive policy domains. Alongside these exceptional articles, we are thrilled to announce some significant developments and updates in PSJ's operations, including the addition of new editors, the launch of the PSJ Blog, the addition of short articles, and a call for special issue papers. These developments aim to further enhance the journal's impact as a leading publication outlet in the field. In this editorial, we will provide an overview of these exciting updates, as well as highlight the excellent contributions in this issue. Firstly, we would like to welcome Dr. Saba Siddiki (Syracuse University) as our new Associate Editor. We are confident that her expertise and experience will enhance our editorial team's strengths. Additionally, we are proud to have Drs. Heasun Choi (University of Arkansas), Briana Huett (Drexel University), and Davor Mondom (Syracuse University) join us as Managing Editors. They will contribute to PSJ in various capacities, ensuring that the journal stays up-to-date with cutting-edge research in the field. Aligned with our mission of fostering a vibrant community of policy scholars, practitioners, and citizens, we are excited to launch the PSJ Blog (https://psjblog.net). Led by Dr. Melissa Merry, our Associate Editor, the PSJ Blog provides a platform for authors to extend the reach and impact of their research and encourages dialogue between policy researchers and practitioners. We express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Merry for her enthusiastic commitment to spearheading this initiative as the PSJ Blog Editor. In our dedication to publishing top-notch policy research that facilitates meaningful conversation within the policy community, we are pleased to announce that we are now accepting manuscripts in short article form (3000–5000 words). These submissions are expected to meet the same rigorous standards for theoretical depth and methodological sophistication as full PSJ articles. The difference is that short articles offer a narrower contribution, concisely communicating new ideas or approaches in policy research. We extend our appreciation to Dr. Gwen Arnold, our Associate Editor, for leading this endeavor as the PSJ Short Article Editor and welcome your contributions. We are excited to share that we are currently working on publishing a PSJ special issue on homelessness in the upcoming year. Homelessness is a critical social problem that calls for innovative and resolute policy solutions. We eagerly anticipate more impactful policy research to contribute to the policymaking process in this area. We extend our sincere gratitude to Dr. Gwen Arnold, our Associate Editor, for her exceptional leadership in spearheading this special issue initiative. Finally, we are proud to announce that this year's American Political Science Association (APSA) Public Policy Section's Theodore J. Lowi Policy Studies Journal Best Article Award goes to Drs. Saba Siddiki, Tanya Heikkila, Christopher M. Weible, Raul Pacheco-Vega, David Carter, Cali Curley, Aaron Deslatte, and Abby Bennett for their article, titled “Institutional Analysis with the Institutional Grammar.” In this article, Siddiki et al. (2022) reintroduce the Ostrom-type Institutional Grammar as an approach for assessing the structure and content of institutions. Congratulations to all the winners! Turning to the articles in this issue, first, we have four original research articles that focus on various policy theories and their applications to different aspects of policy processes. These articles provide valuable insights for advancing the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) (Satoh et al., 2023; Weible et al., 2023), Policy Design (Koski & Siddiki, 2022), Intergovernmental Cooperation (Kim et al., 2022), and the Accountability Regimes Framework (ARF; Hui & Smith, 2022). In the lead article “Coalition cascades: The politics of tipping points in clean energy transitions,” Meckling and Goedeking (2023) offer a novel analytical framework to study the interactions between policy subsystems in the context of clean energy transitions. By analyzing the case of California, the authors illustrate how policy feedback and coalition-building across subsystems can result in tipping points that mobilize coordinated action toward sustainable energy transitions. In the second article “Operationalizing social equity in public policy design: A comparative analysis of solar equity policies in the United States,” Zhou et al. (2023) provide a comprehensive analysis of the design and implementation of solar equity policies in the United States. Through a comparative analysis of 54 policies, the authors conceptualize and operationalize social equity considerations in energy policy content, providing insights into the multifaceted dimensions of energy justice and the instruments that policymakers use to promote it. Next, in their article “Design paths of federal intergovernmental cooperation,” Montfort et al. (2023) delve into the institutional design choices made at different stages of subnational cooperation to tackle complex policy problems. By analyzing the Swiss water governance sector, the authors show how earlier institutional design choices between subnational governance units can influence subsequent institutional designs and shed light on the factors that contribute to self-reinforcing and path-dependent cooperation. Lastly, in their article “How street-level dilemmas and politics shape divergence: The Accountability Regimes Framework,” Thomann et al. (2023) offer a theoretical framework to explain how accountability relations affect policy implementation behaviors that may diverge from intended policy outcomes. Focusing on the counter-terrorism “Prevent Duty” policy in the United Kingdom, the authors show how street-level bureaucrats become informal policymakers when rules clash with their roles as professionals, citizen agents, or “political animals.” Now, we turn to the next three articles that hold significant ramifications for the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) research (Kuenzler & Stauffer, 2023; Peterson, 2023; Schlaufer et al., 2023). These articles provide experimental evidence on how state legislators engage with artificial intelligence policy, offer a micro-level analysis of the sourcing, synthesizing, and sharing of policy narratives in rural Texas, and analyze the association of policy narratives with problem tractability in the implementation of EU decisions in the phytosanitary policy domain. In their article “Narratives and expert information in agenda-setting: Experimental evidence on state legislator engagement with artificial intelligence policy,” Schiff and Schiff (2023) use a field experiment to evaluate how policymakers engage with outreach on artificial intelligence (AI) policy. The authors find that narratives are as effective as expert information in engaging legislators and that an ethical framing of AI policy is as effective as an economic one. This study advances our understanding of policy narratives and entrepreneurship and is particularly relevant given the growing importance of AI in policymaking. In the next article “The role of policy narrators during crisis: A micro-level analysis of the sourcing, synthesizing, and sharing of policy narratives in rural Texas,” Hand et al. (2023) examine how policy narrators respond to crises. The authors use a case study approach to analyze how policy narrators in seven counties in Texas constructed and shared narratives during the oil bust and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors find that policy narrators tailor their narratives to the action they hope for and emphasize common ties with their audience. This study provides valuable insights into the construction of policy narratives during times of crisis. Next, in their article “Analyzing the association of policy narratives with problem tractability in the implementation of EU decisions: Evidence from the phytosanitary policy area,” Schito (2023) explores how policy narratives may impact the implementation of EU decisions. The author analyzes media commentaries surrounding the implementation of European decisions to tackle a tree-killing epidemic in Italy. The author finds that narratives may illustrate the intractability inherent in the policy debate, but that they may also develop independently of factors that contribute to lowering intractability. The study suggests that the NPF may be a promising approach to understanding policy implementation processes. The final three articles focus on critical issues related to policing, which remain ongoing policy problems, particularly in the US context (Baumgartner et al., 2021; Maltby & Kreitzer, 2023; Shoub et al., 2021). These articles examine police unions and use-of-force reform in American cities, the adoption of citizen oversight of police, and how police agency diversity, policies, and outcomes shape citizen trust and willingness to engage. In their article “Police unions and use-of-force reform in American cities,” Nicholson-Crotty et al. (2023) examine the role of police unions in use-of-force reform across the 100 largest US cities. Drawing on Halpin's interest group theory, the authors hypothesize that union efforts to influence policy will correlate positively with reform adoption when the political environment is conducive to victory or makes the cost of opposition too high and negatively when the opposite conditions hold. Their findings demonstrate that the nature and direction of union influence are moderated by the political climate of the jurisdiction in which they operate. Next, in his article “The adoption of culturally contentious innovations: The case of citizen oversight of police,” Ali (2023) examines the factors that influence the adoption of citizen oversight agencies (COAs) for the police. The author argues that culturally contentious innovations are more likely to be adopted when antecedents have productive symbolic force, revealing contradictions between dominant cultural assumptions and existing institutions. Applying this framework to COAs, Ali finds productive antecedents, such as a consent decree or an increase in civil rights nonprofits, are associated with adopting investigative COAs. In contrast, incapacitative antecedents, such as a Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights or an increase in violent crime rates, are associated with adopting non-investigative COAs. Lastly, in their article “How police agency diversity, policies, and outcomes shape citizen trust and willingness to engage,” Stauffer et al. (2023) explore the impact of police agency diversity, policies, and outcomes on citizen trust and willingness to engage with the police. Their two conjoint experiments suggest that while both racial and gender diversity can influence public evaluations, these effects tend to emerge in the context of only the most (least) diverse institutions and are muted compared with the effects of agency policies and performance. In closing, we are acutely aware of the challenges that our global community is currently facing. The impact of recent events in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East has been profound, and our thoughts remain with those who continue to struggle in the wake of such difficulties. This year has truly highlighted the importance of international collaboration, and we feel honored to have been able to contribute to the exchange of ideas and perspectives through PSJ. At the same time, the challenges of this year have made us more determined than ever to uphold our mission of promoting rigorous theoretical and empirical research. Through the support of our authors, reviewers, and the policy community, we have been able to maintain a strong and sustainable platform for scholarly exchange and we are grateful for your ongoing support. Looking ahead, we are excited to bring you a new slate of articles in the coming year and remain committed to fostering new ideas and collaborations, while providing a venue for diverse voices and perspectives. We look forward to continuing our meaningful collaborations in the year ahead. Take care!