Background of the Journal

Founded in 1987, COMMONWEALTH: A Journal of Political Science is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research in all subfields of political science along with interdisciplinary articles. Open to a variety of approaches and methodologies, COMMONWEALTH seeks manuscripts that are based on theoretical perspectives (empirical or normative) as well as those that employ an historical approach. COMMONWEALTH solicits manuscripts for a general issue and one or more policy options issues. An important part of the journal's mission is to encourage research on topics of Pennsylvania and regional importance (northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States). Manuscripts on state and local government, politics, and policy are especially desired. Book reviews are generally limited to essays on recently published works with a Pennsylvania or regional focus. The journal's policy options issues are devoted exclusively to dispassionate academic discourse on state and regional public policy issues and options.

Pennsylvania Political Science Association

Founded in 1939, the Pennsylvania Political Science Association (PPSA) is the nation's oldest state political science association. Its mission has always been to promote scholarship, research, and the exchange of ideas within the Pennsylvania community of political scientists. PPSA draws its membership principally from the political science and public administration faculties of Pennsylvania's public and private colleges and universities but also includes government professionals and faculty members from surrounding states. Since 1939, the PPSA has sponsored an annual conference that features a dozen or more panels and special events on diverse topics involving panelists from the university community as well as government and political practitioners. Conference panels are designed to facilitate the presentation of academic papers followed by reaction and discussion, and other panels use a roundtable format. The PPSA began publishing COMMONWEALTH: A Journal of Political Science in 1987.

Legislative Office for Research Liaison

With initial funding from the National Science Foundation, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives established the Legislative Office for Research Liaison (LORL) in 1976 as the General Assembly's science and technology staff. LORL continues as a nonpartisan research office that enables legislators, committees, and staff to access the expertise of faculty in the LORL University Network, which includes most of Pennsylvania's institutions of higher education (Drexel University, Lincoln University, The Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, the 14 universities in the State System of Higher Education, and the member institutions of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Colleges and Universities). LORL handles more than 1,000 legislative inquiries annually, from both the House and Senate, on topics ranging from agriculture to workers compensation. In addition, the LORL Committee has commissioned major academic studies, conferences and policy workshops on topics such as telemedicine and state medical licensure, land-use policy, school curriculum reform, workforce development, and the policy implications of genetic research. LORL agreed to join with the PPSA to publish COMMONWEALTH: A Journal of Political Science in 2004.