Dear Colleagues,
Sally Morton, past-president of the American Statistical
Association, in conjunction with several others, has started
a new journal entitled _Statistics, Politics & Policy_.
This electronic journal is publishing papers that speak
to how statistics informs policy or politics. The work
need not be methodological---applications are perfectly
fine. The journal is also pleased to publish "statistical
editorials", in which there is commentary, from a
statistical perspective, on issues of policy or politics.
Below my signature is a short description of the
journal. Its website is at
http://www.bepress.com/spp/
You are cordially invited to submit papers for publication.
Sincerely,
David Banks
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Statistics, Politics, and Policy
Senior Editors
David Banks, Duke University
Dan McCaffrey, RAND
Sally Morton, University of Pittsburgh
John Rolph, University of Southern California
Consulting Editor
Andrew Gelman, Columbia University
Draft Aims & Scope
Statistics, Politics, and Policy studies the ways that
statistical analysis drives public policy decisions, and
publishes significant research on the application of
statistical ideas to problems that relate to policy
implementation.
The increasing amount and complexity of available data is
constantly creating new challenges for statistical thinking
in policy problems. While many academic statisticians tend
to share among themselves their latest methods and models,
less attention has been paid to the usefulness of those
statistical methods and models when they are used to inform
public policy decisions, and what statistical approaches
might be most effective in designing how policies are
implemented. In the policy sphere, statistical methods are
sometimes taken as a given, with less attention to all the
variations, assumptions, and effects of different methods
in differing contexts. But it is in the policy sphere that
statistical debates can have the great value and impact,
and the intersection of statistics and public policy is a
fertile ground for statistical research and analysis to
address important policy issues that may have widespread
ramifications.
As an electronic journal, Statistics, Politics, and Policy
will use a mix of voices and approaches to reach a broad
audience. The journal aims to open avenues of communication
between statisticians and policy makers on questions that
pique the interest of the public. The journal will appeal
to statisticians, policy analysts, and anyone interested in
the implicit yet powerful ways that statistical thinking
influences decisions that affect many aspects of public
life.
Statistics, Politics, and Policy will publish applied
research articles that explore the implications of
statistical thinking and methods applied public policy
issues. The journal will also publish engaging commentary
pieces and innovative policy ideas on the public issues of
the day where statistics plays, or ought to play, a role.
For papers on applied statistical research, the focus should
be on the relevant statistical issues, with a succinct
description of the policy issue being addressed. The range
of topics is wide and will include areas such as
educational testing and policy, energy and environmental
policy including demography and climate change, public
finance, history and review of statistical ideas applied to
public policy controversies, taxation and business policy,
justice, crime and forensic analyses, health policy
including health care finance, drug development, approval
and monitoring, politics, sociological policy analyses,
statistical methodology including study design and causal
inference, and survey methods. In all the areas noted
above, the primary objective of the journal will be to
highlight the use of innovative statistical methodology in
order to elucidate and resolve important public policy
issues.
Papers for the commentary and ideas section are short,
ideally 600-2000 words, and are intended to be of general
interest and readability. Readers include professional
statisticians and statistically trained professionals from
fields including epidemiology, education, economics, law,
and policy analysis. Letters to the editor are encouraged
and may comment on any Article, Column or Letter. Letters
must be less than 300 words.
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Editors: Diana O'Brien <[log in to unmask]>
Jon C. Rogowski <[log in to unmask]>
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