Public policy and operations management

Public policies are “deliberate decisions by governments or equivalent authorities to take action or nonaction toward specific objectives” (Weible Dye, 2017; Weible Joglekar et al., 2016; Kaplan, 2021; Tokar Dye, 2017; Weible at least in traditional OM research the term “process” typically refers to such things as documented steps in a manufacturing line or a standard operating procedure. OM has, however, increasingly used the term “process” to refer to much broader sets of activities such as product development, the management and definition of connections between the operations of different organizations (such as suppliers and customers), and strategy development and deployment. Still, the term usually refers to a formal, even if not yet documented, set of steps to be taken. In public policy, the term “process” has been long been understood including steps and are not defined in but the as often in the “public-policy The public-policy often also to as the public-policy is the common of the public-policy process. this has been for its lack of theoretical and of a and process it is a to the the public-policy process is constructed main (1) (2) The process of and evaluating policy is often to as policy (3) and this is by for political and (e.g., model can be and to Weible public policy may be in to with policy policy actors to or create a policy to a a of to public-policy example, some have argued that in the to the in that may not be with and of products and services can with the to the Examples the of government to the of the challenges created by public policy on a have to such as et al., public-policy in OM certain policy and the is and and manufacturing and have a significant impact on the environment, this is not on it is that was OM research related for example, policy, as can and be OM in many For of policy see Tokar and which refers to the 5 policy and The can be OM research may be to contribute to many of these. We authors to broadly ways in which public policy and OM we that OM researchers often not to provide public-policy recommendations their even when such recommendations to us by OM contributions to to our understanding of public policy. For and that the of an for their of work on their The authors the implications of their work for public policy. this been to the Public Policy we have to take an and public policies, such as or guidelines that may to address this We to the who to work in this and that public-policy are not as both and for can in a that the authors not recommendations was a that their have to be which be with a review the in policy to a policy discussion that to OM authors policy recommendations with the of the editorial which is also a of our Our hope is that will yet public-policy with the even if on research with public-policy For example, in and a the authors have since in is to and with a explicitly to a specific (e.g., such a be as public policy is not but may to An of an OM that explicitly a specific public policy was et of for in public they an and particularly and to the public policy to be more to the which their research will both and the In line with the of public-policy et work how a to an public-policy created yet we also authors to to on public-policy theoretical frameworks such as the public-policy in Section and in Examples of useful frameworks include & Sabatier, and & and policy & For example, and work how can the of their supply have the literature on policy and an of to an An of a that at least a public-policy is and who a of to in operations In this the of the of the and of and its outside and as a of the power and of different these and the company to to on an model of product A this is that are power and that OM scholars can the public-policy literature how to these power In much OM literature the of things to discussing how it is that some to have the power to implement those processes. the public-policy contributions of research in in of public policy often requires a for and Public policies are often specific to requiring research et al., In of the implications and the development of public-policy recommendations may OM researchers are typically more with studying In OM the of is a or at even in of supply are such as (e.g., & research in is also a and research on (e.g., et al., even then the focus is typically on how a is by its in the public policy may be a natural of its traditional focus on operations to the of supply chains and networks. is that the focus of OM at least is some of or (e.g., or aspects (e.g., and In recent it that broader like and employee welfare have more common in OM We not an to this which was by of our and which also is with our of the OM scholars often that such as and are defined and be the key In however, of and may be as an include outcomes for who to it may outside of OM into such as political and is for recommendations to public policy. Public policy and public in are with challenges with the of and goals (e.g., social In policy recommendations are inherently and OM researchers to explicitly in that may be outside of their We argue that this be a for the in as OM researchers have not the which their recommendations to that such as and increased are this is not is valuable in some of & in public policy as often The OM literature rarely the processes but on how decisions to are such as et al., and et al., The OM literature typically the as the of and the main of challenges are and may be a of OM researchers developing an increased for and theoretical as well as an and on public-policy implications and contributions and It may that our be to see that contributions to public policy can be at least as valuable as contributions to It may also for a more on the of to with scholars to in research on public policy with significant OM We provide a of which be when writing contributions to the Public Policy Department at can also this This is not and also and of and To specific we some for OM public-policy research in the In addition to this authors also be of an OM to public policy is it is not an we the to as in other the to policy OM not be We this to that, for example, focus on policies that a policy (such as general education, and then that to operations by that an in the will For in will operations to more or in will that focus on ways to improve the public outcome other are better to policy even if that public outcome may in operations it will in or have effects on OM, which may then be the focus of the It is also not to an OM to a public-policy and on how the public the private not typically publish of to in the private the be in the public sector the can be OM researchers also that their not in the of the powerful interests public policy, except as these have direct policy analyses that with effects of public policies, such as the impact of the of policy on the are to be more for policy and We that it is the of the authors to explicitly their to we are to publish more research that to public policy, this is the Journal of Operations OM scholars are well placed to increase their better public policy. OM scholars on research & and with of and is a and theoretical between OM research and public policy. OM research are particularly well to address and related OM scholars and focus on with information, where may be when supply chains and are key of OM research is its focus on processes and relationships and between OM researchers the which processes or work as understanding key to both the development and of public policy. OM researchers often et al., and such may provide particularly and that both management and public policy. We hope that this and enables OM researchers to in research explicitly intended to public policy, and also public-policy researchers studying OM-related to into the OM effects of policies, and to their work to JOM. We believe that OM research contributions to public however, its is has been Our hope is that will a for research that the We the of Browning and for us this and for their We also Swink, and Tokar for their on an The are the and not those of the