Editorial Introduction: Institutions, Attention, Narratives, and Policy Outcomes in the Policy Process

As we kick off Volume 54 of the Policy Studies Journal (PSJ) with this first issue of the year, we are reminded of the strength and resilience of the policy community that supports the journal again. PSJ continues to thrive because of the collective efforts of authors, reviewers, readers, editorial team members, and other contributors who dedicate their time and expertise to advancing policy scholarship. We are deeply grateful for this global network of scholars whose intellectual curiosity and collaborative spirit make PSJ possible. The start of a new volume also provides an opportunity to reflect briefly on the journal's ongoing activities and the people who contribute to its daily operations. Recently, we have made several organizational adjustments to strengthen PSJ's editorial infrastructure as the journal continues to grow and receive an increasing number of submissions. We extend our sincere appreciation to Ms. Erica Ivins (Syracuse University), who has served as Blog Managing Editor. Erica played an important role in maintaining the PSJ Blog as a platform that connects policy scholarship with broader audiences and encourages engagement across the policy studies community. As she moves on to pursue a new professional opportunity, we thank her for her dedication and contributions to the journal and wish her all the best in this exciting new chapter. We are pleased to announce that Mr. Ryan Ramaker (University of Arkansas) will serve as the new Blog Managing Editor, and we look forward to his leadership in continuing to expand the PSJ Blog's role in sharing research insights and connecting scholars and practitioners. We have also made several further adjustments to our editorial team. Dr. Eric Button (University of Arkansas) and Dr. Benjamin Galloway (University of Arkansas) have taken on expanded responsibilities as Senior Managing Editors, reflecting their continued leadership and commitment to supporting PSJ's editorial operations. Ms. Rinjisha Roy (University of Arkansas) now serves as a Managing Editor, where she will continue to play an essential role in coordinating the journal's day-to-day editorial workflow. Several members of our editorial team have also transitioned into new roles. Ms. Izehi Oriaghan, Mr. Travis Wagher, and Ms. Annette Nyoni (University of Arkansas) now serve as Editorial Associates. We are also delighted to welcome three new members to the editorial team as Editorial Assistants—Ms. Rachel Britton, Mr. Isaac Owusu, and Ms. Lina Garcia. Their support helps ensure that PSJ continues to operate efficiently while maintaining the high standards expected of a leading journal in policy studies. In addition to these internal developments, PSJ continues to engage actively with the broader policy community. Earlier this year, PSJ was proud to serve as a sponsor of the Conference on Policy Process Research (COPPR) held in Bern, Switzerland. COPPR has quickly become an important venue for scholars studying policy processes across theoretical traditions and methodological approaches. Several members of the PSJ editorial team participated in the conference, leading preconference workshops and contributing to a journal editors' roundtable discussion. These sessions provided an opportunity to engage directly with scholars interested in publishing their work in PSJ and to communicate important information about the journal's mission, editorial expectations, and review process. The conversations at COPPR reaffirmed the vibrancy of the policy process research community and highlighted the many innovative directions scholars are pursuing across institutional, behavioral, and comparative contexts. PSJ 54(1) includes a total of 20 articles, consisting of 14 Original Articles and six Short Articles. The Short Articles include three Perspectives pieces and three Research Notes, each offering concise but impactful contributions that advance theoretical debates, methodological innovation, and empirical inquiry. Taken together, the articles in this issue explore a wide range of topics central to the study of policy processes. They examine institutional arrangements, agenda-setting dynamics, coalition politics within policy subsystems, narrative mechanisms shaping political communication of policy issues, and the consequences of policy decisions across political and social contexts. By bringing together these diverse perspectives, this issue highlights the many ways in which institutions, political actors, ideas, and citizens interact to shape policymaking. The issue begins with several articles that explore the institutional foundations of policymaking and governance. Harleman and Weber (2026) examine whether collective action institutions can outperform state-centered governance arrangements, highlighting the conditions under which decentralized governance structures may produce more effective outcomes than traditional state authority. Shen et al. (2026) introduce the concept of “regularized campaigns” as a distinctive institutional arrangement for governance, demonstrating how recurring campaign-style governance practices can function as stable institutional mechanisms within administrative systems. Chen et al. (2026) investigate how legislative incumbency shapes policy innovation across U.S. states, providing evidence that institutional characteristics of political actors influence the emergence and diffusion of innovative policy solutions. A second group of articles focuses on agenda setting and the politics of attention. Eissler and Rutledge (2026) analyze agenda dynamics among the U.S. president, the House of Representatives, and the Senate, demonstrating how institutional competition and coordination shape issue prioritization in national policymaking. Ba et al. (2026) extend this line of inquiry by examining how legislative attention influences nonprofit sector efficiency, revealing how signals from political institutions affect organizational behavior across sectoral boundaries. The next set of contributions engages directly with major policy process theories, particularly those concerned with policy subsystems and coalition dynamics. Parth et al. (2026) examine spillovers across multiple streams in the case of fur farming bans during the COVID-19 pandemic, illustrating how crises can generate unexpected interactions among problem, policy, and political streams. Garic and Leifeld (2026) advance research on the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) by proposing a three-stage model of the maturation of policy subsystems toward stable advocacy coalitions, drawing on evidence from the United Kingdom's response to COVID-19. Satoh et al. (2026) further expand the ACF research by examining how coalition opportunity structures shape advocacy coordination across consensus and majoritarian democracies, highlighting the role of institutional context in structuring coalition strategies. Another set of articles explores narratives, policy perceptions, and behavioral responses to policy design. Ruff (2026) provides a comprehensive scoping review of plot concepts and measurements within the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), clarifying how narrative structure, valence, and causal mechanisms have been conceptualized and operationalized in existing research. Schaub et al. (2026) analyze the moralization of policy narratives in the contexts of climate change and public health, demonstrating how moral framing shapes political communication and public interpretation of policy issues. Jenkins and Gomez (2026) investigate the multidimensional nature of policy acceptability through a cross-national analysis, revealing how different dimensions of public evaluation influence citizens' support for policy interventions. Haeder (2026) examines how deservingness cues influence tolerance for administrative burdens, highlighting the importance of perceptions of fairness in shaping public responses to policy design. The final set of original articles focuses on policy consequences and feedback processes. Stobb et al. (2026) analyze tradeoffs and spillovers in U.S. criminal immigration enforcement, demonstrating how enforcement policies generate unintended consequences across policy domains. Schober (2026) examines the effects of cash assistance policies on mass consumption behavior in Mexico, providing new evidence of policy feedback mechanisms through which social policies influence economic behavior and political dynamics. The Perspectives articles in this issue continue PSJ's tradition of offering concise and thought-provoking contributions that engage broader theoretical debates. Lubell and Victor (2026) examine presidential powers and the evolution of polycentric governance systems, offering insights into how executive authority interacts with decentralized governance arrangements. Mewhirter et al. (2026) argue that the study of policing subsystems provides important opportunities for advancing policy process theory. Van Ryzin (2026) explores coproduction as a causal process, proposing a conceptual framework that clarifies the mechanisms through which citizen participation influences governance outcomes. The Research Notes in this issue highlight methodological and conceptual innovations that contribute to the advancement of policy scholarship. Churchill et al. (2026) provide an empirical exploration of GPT models for text annotation in policy research, demonstrating how emerging artificial intelligence tools may transform the analysis of policy texts and large-scale datasets. Lewallen (2026) introduces a new approach for measuring attention and participation diversity, offering a methodological advancement for scholars studying stakeholder engagement and policy processes. Waterschoot et al. (2026) examine perceptions of optimal group size in deliberative mini publics, shedding light on how institutional design influences public deliberation and participatory governance. The 20 contributions in this issue reflect the richness and diversity of contemporary policy scholarship. They demonstrate how advances in theory, methodology, and empirical analysis continue to deepen our understanding of the policy process and the many forces that shape policymaking. At the same time, it is difficult to ignore the broader global context in which policy scholars are working today. Around the world, societies are confronting profound uncertainty, from geopolitical tensions and armed conflict to economic volatility, climate pressures, and rapid technological change. Recent developments, including escalating tensions and conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, serve as a sobering reminder of how fragile political stability can be and how consequential policy decisions often are. These realities underscore the importance of thoughtful, rigorous, and compassionate policy scholarship that helps illuminate complex governance challenges and informs more constructive paths forward. As we begin this new volume of PSJ, we extend our sincere appreciation to the authors who entrusted their work to the journal, the reviewers who generously shared their expertise, and the editorial team members and other contributors whose dedication makes the publication process possible. We are also grateful to the broader policy community for its continued engagement and support. In uncertain times, the connections within our scholarly community matter more than ever. We hope that the research presented in this issue not only advances theoretical and empirical debates but also reminds us of the shared purpose that unites policy scholars across disciplines, countries, and perspectives. As always, we encourage readers to continue supporting one another's work, fostering collaboration, and approaching the challenges of our field—and our world—with both intellectual rigor and genuine care. Take care!