In an era of unprecedented policy challenges—from climate change and economic inequality to technological disruption—the demand for innovation in policy is ever-growing. Yet, despite the increasing attention to policy innovation, comparative perspectives remain underdeveloped. Our section aims to address this gap by fostering research that examines how different types of policy innovations emerge, diffuse, and succeed across different policy contexts.

The Policy Innovation section of JCPA seeks to advance these conversations by fostering research that, among others:

clarifies conceptual foundations and theoretical underpinnings of the field;
develops and applies novel methods for studying policy innovation;
assesses policy innovation across jurisdictions, policy domains, and time;
investigates the interplay between technological development and policy innovation;
examines the effects of policy innovation on equity, inclusion, and justice; and
explores neglected contexts and domains, especially in the Global South.
 

In our introductory editorial (available here: ), we outline the vision for this section and the key directions we aim to explore. We invite conceptual, empirical, and review articles that push the boundaries of our understanding of policy innovation. Submission guidelines can be found on the Journal’s website.