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jpam-workflow

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Use when starting or orienting any Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (JPAM) manuscript and you need the entry point. Routes to the right JPAM sub-skill based on lifecycle stage and which article type (Feature Research Article, Point/Counterpoint, Methods for Policy Analysis, Policy Insights, Policy Retrospective) fits. It dispatches; it does not draft content.

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How to use this skill

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/blob/HEAD/Journal-of-Policy-Analysis-and-Management-Skills/skills/jpam-workflow/SKILL.md

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JPAM Workflow Router (jpam-workflow)

The orchestrator for a JPAM submission. Figure out the stage and the article type, then send the user to the matching skill. JPAM is the cross-disciplinary public-policy-analysis flagship of APPAM (published by Wiley) — the router's first job is to make sure the paper delivers a credibly identified effect of a real policy or program and a clear, non-overclaimed policy implication, legible to economists, political scientists, and public-management scholars alike.

When to trigger

  • Starting a new JPAM paper and unsure where to begin
  • Mid-project and unsure which skill applies next
  • Deciding which article type fits the work
  • Returning with a decision letter (route to jpam-rebuttal)

First question: which article type?

SituationTypeRoute to
Full causal evaluation of a policy/program with broad relevanceFeature Research Articlenormal pipeline below
Invited debate between scholars on a timely policy question (not peer-reviewed)Point/Counterpointjpam-writing-style + jpam-literature-positioning
A methodological advance for policy analystsMethods for Policy Analysisjpam-research-design + jpam-data-analysis
Short, fast-turnaround take on a pressing issue (≤ 3,000 words, not peer-reviewed)Policy Insightsjpam-writing-style + jpam-topic-selection
Reflective look back at how a policy/literature evolvedPolicy Retrospectivejpam-literature-positioning + jpam-theory-building

Point/Counterpoint and Policy Insights are invited / not peer-reviewed — confirm the current invitation and length rules on the author page before pitching (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).

Routing map (stage → skill)

Idea / policy relevance + fit?    → jpam-topic-selection
Where does it sit across fields?  → jpam-literature-positioning
What's the theory of change?      → jpam-theory-building
Is identification credible?       → jpam-research-design
Are the estimates + CBA sound?    → jpam-data-analysis
Are the exhibits clear?           → jpam-tables-figures
Does the implication land?        → jpam-writing-style
Replication package ready?        → jpam-transparency-and-data
How will it be judged?            → jpam-review-process
Ready to submit?                  → jpam-submission
Got an R&R / decision?            → jpam-rebuttal

Default order

topic-selection → literature-positioning → theory-building → research-design → data-analysis → tables-figures → writing-style → transparency-and-data → review-process → submission → rebuttal

Iterate: most papers loop theory-of-change ↔ design ↔ analysis several times before writing-style.

JPAM fit check (run before routing)

CheckPass conditionRoute if weak
Policy relevanceA policymaker or program designer can state what decision this evidence informs.jpam-topic-selection
IdentificationThe causal claim rests on a credible design (RCT / DiD / RD / IV / synthetic control), not selection-on-observables hope.jpam-research-design
Cross-disciplinary reachAn economist, a political scientist, and a public-management reader each see why it matters.jpam-literature-positioning
Implication disciplineThe policy takeaway is calibrated to what the design actually identifies — no overclaiming.jpam-writing-style

If the paper fails the identification check, do not route to writing-style — JPAM reviewers reject well-written papers whose causal claim outruns the design. If it fails policy relevance, it may be a better fit for a field economics/political-science journal (see sibling guard in README).

Anti-patterns

  • Treating JPAM like a field economics journal — the policy decision and cross-field reach must be explicit
  • A clean estimate with no stated policy implication (or an implication the design cannot support)
  • Confusing JPAM with AEJ: Economic Policy / J. of Public Economics (economics field venues) or PAR / JPART (public management)
  • Pitching a peer-reviewed Feature article into the invited, non-reviewed Point/Counterpoint or Policy Insights slots

Output format

【Stage】idea / positioning / theory / design / analysis / exhibits / writing / transparency / review / submit / rebut
【Type】Feature Research Article / Point-Counterpoint / Methods / Policy Insights / Policy Retrospective
【Route to】jpam-<skill>
【Why】one line
【Then】the next skill after that

Supplementary resources