Law and Public Policy

Law and public policy is a dynamic, interdisciplinary area of study that has broad appeal to scholars, policymakers, and stakeholders. Scholarship in the subfield is critical to our general understanding of existing public policies and calls for future and reformed policies. While some of the subfield's utility and commonalities are obscured by diverging methodological approaches and topical foci, this review highlights some common fibers that run through the scholarship streams from public policy, public law, and doctrinal disciplines. We focus on several substantive policy areas to illustrate some of the best studies in the subfield and how scholars might better embrace the strength of the subfield's diversity by coordinating with scholars with similar topical interests. In so doing, we attempt to articulate clearer boundaries that integrate discipline, method, and the distinction between law and public policy.