Welfare, families, housing and ageing - across the Asia and Pacific region some of the biggest challenges faced by all nations are in social policy.

An upcoming issue of Crawford School’s journal Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies (APPS) aims to shine a light on the region’s social policy issues and solutions, and the editors have put out a call for papers for the publication.

The special issue, Changing social policy in the context of globalisation will be guest edited by the Director of the Social Policy Institute Professor Peter Whiteford and Dr Bingqin Li of Crawford School, plus Professor Chu Songyan of the Chinese Academy of Governance.

APPS’ Editor-in-Chief Professor Tom Kompas said the special issue – to be published in January 2015 – was looking for contributions addressing a wide range of social policy issues.

“This issue will aim to capture the social policy challenges and policy responses in the region,” he said.

“Possible manuscripts may include the impact of globalisation on changing social needs; changing patters of social spending; reform of social protection and service delivery; or the future of social policy in Asia and the Pacific.

“We’re particularly keen to encourage submissions that offer insights on transnational and cross-border issues, multi-sectoral topics that highlight innovative approaches and regional analysis that connects different levels of local, regional and global policy.”

The first issue of Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies was published in January 2014. All contributions are online and available free of charge. In the first three months of publication, papers from the first issue had been downloaded more than 8000 times.

Researchers wishing to contribute to the social policy issue of APPS should submit a one-page outline of their proposed paper to APPS’ Managing Editor, Sung Lee – sung.lee@anu.edu.au

Based in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Crawford School is the University's gateway to public policy teaching, research and outreach.