brycewang-stanford 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| Invited debate between scholars on a timely policy question (not peer-reviewed) | Point/Counterpoint | jpam-writing-style + jpam-literature-positioning |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| Short, fast-turnaround take on a pressing issue (≤ 3,000 words, not peer-reviewed) | Policy Insights | jpam-writing-style + jpam-topic-selection |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Point/Counterpoint and Policy Insights are invited / not peer-reviewed — confirm the current invitation and length rules on the author page before pitching (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).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