jpam-workflow

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?

Situation	Type	Route to
Full causal evaluation of a policy/program with broad relevance	Feature Research Article	normal pipeline below
Invited debate between scholars on a timely policy question (not peer-reviewed)	Point/Counterpoint	jpam-writing-style + jpam-literature-positioning
A methodological advance for policy analysts	Methods for Policy Analysis	jpam-research-design + jpam-data-analysis
Short, fast-turnaround take on a pressing issue (≤ 3,000 words, not peer-reviewed)	Policy Insights	jpam-writing-style + jpam-topic-selection
Reflective look back at how a policy/literature evolved	Policy Retrospective	jpam-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Point/Counterpoint and Policy Insights are invited / not peer-reviewed — confirm the current invitation and length rules on the author page before pitching (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).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)

Check	Pass condition	Route if weak
Policy relevance	A policymaker or program designer can state what decision this evidence informs.	jpam-topic-selection
Identification	The causal claim rests on a credible design (RCT / DiD / RD / IV / synthetic control), not selection-on-observables hope.	jpam-research-design
Cross-disciplinary reach	An economist, a political scientist, and a public-management reader each see why it matters.	jpam-literature-positioning
Implication discipline	The 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

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — policy-evaluation data sources + software by method
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official JPAM / APPAM / Wiley URLs behind every fact in this pack