From the Editor

Daniel J. Phaneuf

In July of this year I began my tenure as editor of Land Economics, taking over from Dan Bromley after his more than 40 years of leading the journal. I am excited by this opportunity and grateful to inherit the legacy of nearly a century of scholarship.

Transitions are a time for looking back and looking ahead. To begin I would like to thank Dan for his long and dedicated service to the journal. In their 1974 letter announcing the last editorial transition, Dan and his coeditor, Charles Cicchetti, wrote that Land Economics is “a scholarly journal devoted to land. … We especially seek to publish articles which either address the determinants and consequences of economic activity on the value and use of land, or the contribution of natural and environmental resources to economic activity.” This sentiment was expressed around the time of the birth of environmental economics as a distinct field. It is noteworthy because their letter foreshadowed the evolution of Land Economics into its current form, reaffirming its historical emphasis on place-based institutional detail and real-world empirics, while broadening its topical coverage to serve the needs of the growing field of environmental economics. Thanks to Dan’s vision and leadership, Land Economics today is a vibrant outlet for scholarly communication on a wide range of environmental and resource economics topics.

As I begin my term, my goal is to maintain the journal’s emphasis on empirical and policy-relevant research in the field, while continuing to expand its readership and author community to include broader swaths of researchers in the profession. I do not anticipate major changes in how the journal is run; I am fortunate to have inherited a capable and dedicated team that has done an excellent job of shepherding Land Economics in recent times. Likewise, I do not expect to make major changes in editorial policy. Instead, my early emphasis will be on increasing the journal’s visibility, circulation, and overall impact—tasks for which I will call on current authors, readers, and reviewers for assistance and suggestions.

I have shared elsewhere my views on effective scholarly communication (Phaneuf 2011), and my general views of the current research needs of the field (Phaneuf and Requate 2016), and so will not repeat them in detail here. I will note, however, that a decade of editing at JEEM and JAERE has taught me that while an editor can never hope to please everyone all the time, he or she can seek to foster communication that is clear and respectful, so that there is agreement on the legitimacy of the publication process, even if parties disagree on the outcome. I encourage all journal participants to strive for this ideal.

I look forward to serving the profession as the new editor of Land Economics. Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts, comments, or questions.

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