Frontiers Ahead
| Published date | 01 November 2015 |
| Date | 01 November 2015 |
| Author | Eva‐Maria Nag,David Held |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12296 |
Frontiers Ahead
David Held
General Editor
Eva-Maria Nag
Executive Editor
We founded Global Policy in 2009 to create a bridge
between academics and policy makers. The focus is on
global challenges which, if unchecked, could have dam-
aging or even catastrophic consequences for the planet.
Specifically, we set out six main themes which Global Policy
would examine in the years ahead. These included global
risks and collective action problems, shifts in the power
structure of the global order, mechanisms of interna-
tional policy coordination, innovations in global gover-
nance and competing discourses and normative theories
of global governance.
In its first five years Global Policy has become a unique
hub generating research and cutting edge analysis. It has
brought together world class academics and practitioners
and is read by academics, experts and a wider general
public. Today it comprises a peer reviewed journal, a
freely accessible website, a lively social media presence
and innovations such as the Global Policy app and Global
Policy e-books. We think it is reasonable to claim that
Global Policy has succeeded in shaping an emerging
interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field, forging con-
nections between global policy research and leading
international actors and agencies, as well as influencing
the debate at the regional and global levels about how
to respond to pressing global challenges.
The journal appears quarterly and has, in a short time,
generated substantial download and usage figures.
Remarkably, it was awarded an Impact Factor within four
years of launch, and this despite the inclusion of publica-
tions from a large number of practitioners who are often
not cited in the traditional academic manner. This is
almost unprecedented for an academic journal and is
due in no small part to the visitor numbers generated by
our online presence.
The journal has featured many topical special sections
(for instance on climate finance, the BRICS development
bank, geotechnologies), brought together by leading
experts in their fields. In addition, Global Policy publishes
at least one special issue each year, drawing on its
network of global partnerships. Our web content is
updated daily and features comment and analysis,
essays, videos, reports and much more. Alongside regular
content the Global Policy website now also hosts a num-
ber of learning and teaching tools, such as the Global
Policy Snapshots, topical infographics and interviews with
leading academics. The journal’s website is visited hun-
dreds of thousands of times annually by users spread
across the world. Bolstered by our active use of Twitter,
Facebook and bi-weekly email updates Global Policy
content now reaches across continents.
Global Policy has always had an extensive e-presence.
From the first issue of 2016 Global Policy will become an
online-only journal in order to expand and enhance its
online presence. The publisher, Wiley-Blackwell, has
made this decision reflecting on the fact that subscrip-
tions are now overwhelmingly online-only. Of course, los-
ing the print version of the journal will be a loss for
some readers. But we can make available a print-on-
demand service for those who wish to continue to receive
hard copies. We will work closely with the publisher to
ensure that these changes will bring lasting benefits to
both our authors and readers.
In the years ahead Global Policy will remain commit-
ted to both academic excellence and practical rele-
vance. Global Policy occupies a unique space between
academia and the practical world of policy making at
the international level. We will continue to leverage our
unique position through our multimedia platform
involving the journal, website and our partners. Our
partnerships stretch across the world and we will renew
these in the years ahead. For now, we would particu-
larly like to thank our editors, partners, publisher and,
above all, our readers for their support. We will make
every effort to continue to build on and surpass the
high expectations for Global Policy. It remains a truism
that the world of global policy is riddled with uncer-
tainty and risk, and the need for systematic analysis is
as great as ever.
Global Policy (2015) 6:4 doi: 10.1111/1758-5899.12296 ©2015 University of Durham and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Global Policy Volume 6 . Issue 4 . November 2015 329
Editorial
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