Adaptive Leadership: New Directions for Policy Design and Practice

Call for Papers

Journal: Policy Design and Practice

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

Manuscript Deadline: 03 February 2027

About the Special Issue

Policy Design and Practice invites submissions for its Special Issue on "Adaptive Leadership: New Directions for Policy Design and Practice."

This Special Issue explores the growing importance of adaptive leadership in addressing complex policy challenges within rapidly changing governance environments. As governments and public institutions navigate uncertainty, technological disruption, climate challenges, and evolving societal expectations, adaptive leadership has emerged as a critical framework for policy innovation and systems change.

The issue seeks conceptual, empirical, methodological, and practice-oriented contributions that examine how adaptive leadership shapes policy design, public sector innovation, collaborative governance, and institutional learning. Authors are encouraged to critically explore adaptive leadership as a socially, politically, and organizationally embedded practice rather than simply a leadership toolkit.

Topics of Interest

Submissions may address, but are not limited to:

Adaptive leadership and policy design
Leadership in complex and uncertain policy environments
Systems thinking and adaptive governance
Public sector innovation and organizational learning
Cross-sector and networked governance
Political dimensions of adaptive leadership
Equity, ethics, and inclusive leadership practices
Indigenous, feminist, and postcolonial perspectives
Leadership capability development in public organizations
Methodological innovations for studying adaptive leadership
AI, digital transformation, and adaptive public leadership
Comparative and cross-jurisdictional policy leadership research

Submission Guidelines

Authors should first submit an abstract (maximum 500 words) outlining the research question and contribution to the Special Issue.
Selected authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts.
Research articles (6,000–8,000 words) and practice-based or reflective papers (3,000–5,000 words) are welcome.
Full manuscripts must follow the Policy Design and Practice author guidelines.
All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer-review process.
During submission, authors should clearly indicate that the manuscript is intended for the Special Issue "Adaptive Leadership: New Directions for Policy Design and Practice."

Important Dates

Abstract Submission Deadline: 14 August 2026
Invitation for Full Papers: By 28 September 2026
Full Paper Submission Deadline: 03 February 2027
Expected Publication: 2028

Special Issue Editors

Professor Catherine Althaus, UNSW Canberra, Australia

Dr. Lisa Carson, UNSW Canberra, Australia

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Adaptive Leadership: New Directions for Policy Design and Practice

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