I am serving as associate editor of a new journal, Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research (Routledge).
Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research publishes original policy-oriented papers, addressing a broad range of natural resource fields including water, minerals, energy, fisheries, and forestry in a synthesizing fashion, rather than as stand-alone specialty areas. It will also publish papers on the natural resource implications of climate change, natural disasters, and biodiversity loss, among others. The papers, ideally, will be based on both conceptual and empirical studies and will be primarily policy-focused. Our goal is to foster productive dialog among the disparate sectors in the broad field of natural resources and among various social science perspectives leading to an improved understanding of institutional and economic dynamics and informed policy making.
Journal webpage: www.informaworld.com/rjnr

We identify a gap in science and policy in that policy analysts studying natural resource problems tend to work in specialized scientific and policy networks—forests, water, air, wildlife, agriculture, energy, climate change, etc. We seek to build connections across these knowledge "silos," and perhaps even identify institutional design principles that transcend specific problem domains.

We are now soliticing manuscripts and administering peer reviews for our first issue to appear January 2009. We are marketing the journal as an outlet for policy-relevant academic work and developing our reputation in various intellectual communities.

The editor, the associate editors, and the international editorial board have begun to build connections among analysts working on what traditionally have been seen as isolated problem domains. Research approaches, methods, and findings, as well as policy instruments, can be enhanced by buidling a forum for intellectual exchange.

natural resource policy and management

The journal is published by Routledge.