The covid-19 pandemic has again demonstrated that the success of government policies - such as social distancing, face covering, vaccination, etc. - depend heavily on the voluntary compliance and cooperation from the public. Covid-19 response is not unique; many government policies rely on citizen cooperation that ranges from passive acceptance to active participation in the implementation of the policy. Education policy relies heavily on either the contributions of parents at the K-12 level or the coproduction of outcomes at the post-secondary level (either academic or vocational). Tax capacity is greatly enhanced if individuals pay taxes. No democracies have such large police forces that they do not rely on voluntary compliance with most laws or the active contributions of citizens to solve crimes. Health policies, employment policies, social welfare programs, and countless others depend in some part on the active engagement of citizens.

The Journal of Policy Studies is seeking articles for a special symposium issue on “Designing and Implementing Public Policy: Issues of Compliance, Cooperation, and Coproduction.”

The call is open to studies of compliance, cooperation and coproduction in any policy area. We are particularly interested in studies that are set in different national contexts and discussions of how that context affects the extent of voluntary activities by citizens.

To propose a paper for the symposium, please send a detailed abstract to kmeier@american.edu and jps@snu.ac.kr by December 15, 2021. Plans for the symposium are to have full papers submitted to JPS by May 1, 2022 for review with scheduled publication in late 2022.

Kenneth J. Meier, Editor-in-chief, Journal of Policy Studies