Dear AIB colleagues,

It is a tremendous honour and privilege to be entrusted with the leadership of the Journal of International Business Policy (JIBP). I am especially excited to take the helm at a time when policymakers around the world are rethinking the benefits of international business, as is evident from recent debates over deglobalization, economic resilience, and sustainable development. Academic research has a key role to play in informing these public policy discussions by offering innovative, rigorous, and impactful insights. I look forward to boosting JIBP’s leadership in this regard under the motto of “publishing the finest research for better policy”.

I am grateful to the outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Sarianna Lundan, and her editorial team for handing me a journal with solid foundations. Since its inaugural publication five years ago, JIBP has made enormous strides in establishing itself as a rising top journal. I have had the pleasure to work closely with Sarianna as her Deputy Editor and I look forward to our further collaboration during the transition period. I aim to continue JIBP’s upward mobile trajectory by building on Sarianna and her Team’s work and accomplishments.

I have three main objectives for the next editorial term:

  1. Cultivate JIBP’s distinctive identity.
  2. Nurture, empower, and expand the community of scholars that work on international business policy.
  3. Boost the journal’s recognition in policy circles.

Cultivating a distinctive identity

I look forward to conceptualizing a unique, exciting editorial vision for the journal, and working with a new dedicated team of editors to translate it into action. I would particularly like to recognize the incoming Deputy Editor, Valentina De Marchi, who as my Collaborator-in-Chief has already been working hard to co-develop the journal’s vision and strategy. Stay tuned for our opening editorial this Fall.

Our common view is that JIBP has the potential to become the world’s leading journal of research on international business policy, where scholars in international business and cognate fields publish their finest work, and policy professionals turn for impactful insights.

What do we mean by international business policy? We see it as the mix of actions that public authorities take to shape cross-border business exchanges with the goal of addressing societal challenges. JIBP will focus on publishing the finest and most impactful research that can advance or contribute to the betterment of such international business policies. We will especially welcome submissions in the four following areas:

  • The good, bad, and ugly influence of international business on public policy concerns, ranging from economic issues (e.g., development, innovation) to sustainability matters (e.g., societal inequality, environmental crises) to national security concerns (e.g., economic resilience, geopolitics).
  • The impact of public policies on cross-border business transactions.
  • The influence of multinational firms, global value chains, and other forms of international business on the formulation of public policy.
  • The public policies that governments should adopt to address societal challenges through the shaping of international business.

Nurturing, empowering, and expanding the research community

Publishing the finest research for better policy requires JIBP to have a strong appeal among researchers both within and outside of the AIB community.

How do we intend to improve the journal’s cross-disciplinary allure?

One step is to utilize the reach and expertise of the incoming Editorial Team. We have assembled a versatile group of Area Editors from all four corners of the globe who are recognized leaders in both international business and cognate fields. Each Editor has broad experience consulting for international organizations and national governments, and they collectively reflect the diversity, equity, and inclusion that JIBP aims to embrace. Our Editorial Team will act as dynamic ambassadors for the journal in both IB and non-IB events.

Another step is to make the journal more relevant by ramping up its engagement with current policy debates and nascent policy challenges. Our new Perspectives Editor, Rajneesh Narula, will take a lead in this by taking the responsibility for handling the Commentaries and Perspectives pieces submitted to the journal.

A third step is to work towards including JIBP in the most important journal lists. Good news in this regard is the decision of Clarivate to give all ESCI journals, including JIBP, a Journal Impact Factor in its 2023 Release of the Journal Citation Reports. In the next editorial term, we will double down on our efforts to ensure that JIBP enters, among others, the Social Science Citation Index, the ABS Academic Journal Guide, and the ABDC Journal Quality List.

Boosting recognition in policy circles

JIBP’s ultimate aim is to serve society by publishing research that positively influences public policy debates. We plan to boost JIBP’s knowledge mobilization towards the policy community in several ways.

First, Maria Alejandra Gonzalez Perez will take on the role of JIBP’s Outreach Mobilization Editor. She will oversee our strategy to create an engaged policy community around the journal’s social media accounts and to develop outreach activities with this community. To learn more about this, please follow JIBP on Twitter and Facebook.

Second, we have created a Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) within our Editorial Team that includes (ex) policy professionals from the European Commission, ILO, OECD, UNCTAD, UNECA, UNESCAP, the WTO, and the World Bank. Our PAC Team will advise us on how to attract, review, and enhance policy-relevant research. It will also work with the Area Editors to strengthen the policy insights in JIBP publications.

I am excited about working with the incoming Editorial Team to achieve our three objectives. I would also like to salute here our wonderful Team of Consulting Editors who will advise us on the Journal’s strategy, as well as the Editorial Review Board who will act as gatekeeper of JIBP’s publication standards.

I know I speak for the full Editorial Board when I say that we look forward to engaging with the AIB community to lift JIBP to the next level.

Sincerely,
Ari Van Assche
Incoming Editor-in-Chief, JIBP