Welcome to the first issue of Annotations — a bi-monthly newsletter featuring short commentary on timely topics in domestic policy, international relations and development, and economic policy from Princeton SPIA students and alumni.
If you’re receiving this, you’re on the mailing list for Princeton’s Journal of Public and International Affairs (JPIA), and part of a dedicated community of policy students, researchers, and practitioners.
Why a newsletter now? The idea isn’t new. However, as we worked to publish our 2021 volume in the midst of pandemic isolation, it became clear that this was the time for an accessible forum that gives voice to new ideas and healthy discourse.
Despite the challenges of the last year, we found unexpected ways to bring the JPIA community together: 42 student editors from 12 graduate schools around the world participated in our first ever fully-virtual Reading Weekend, and in May we hosted our first online launch event featuring a panel of Journal authors.
Though we are hopeful that the coming year will bring more opportunities for in-person connection, today’s evolving world calls on us to continue sharing ideas and fostering discussion in novel ways.
This newsletter and blog is one step in that direction. And just like everything else JPIA, it is the product of a tireless and committed team. We’re excited to work alongside Managing Editor Lea Hunter and Senior Editor Sherrod Smith as members of the Journal’s leadership team for the 2021-22 school year.
Likewise, we’re grateful to Annotation’s inaugural contributors: Galen Hunt, Matt Kertman, and Suzi Ragheb. These three writers invite us to consider unforeseen effects of policy-making and rethink established reference points at all levels of political action.
Below is a preview of their pieces — be sure to click through and read the full articles on JPIA’s website.
Annotations Issue 1 Articles
1) Biden’s Plan for Central America Fails Rural Populations Hurt by Trade Deals
by Galen Hunt, MPA ‘21
Galen Hunt develops a piercing critique of the US development strategy in Central America and its self-sabotaging deference to American economic interests.
2) Do What I Say, Not What I Do: Decolonizing Language in International Development
by Matt Kertman, MPP ‘21
Matt Kertman highlights the power dynamics behind international development’s professional jargon and offers recommendations for a more equitable approach to communications in the industry.
3) How New Jersey Political Parties Rig the Ballot
by Suzi Ragheb, MPA ‘22
Suzi Ragheb offers a critical take on the disenfranchising effects of New Jersey ballot design in a state otherwise known as a ‘progressive laboratory’.
Become an Annotations Contributor
Many aspects of this platform are still a work in progress, but we’re excited to continue building it alongside all of you.
If you’d like to contribute to the upcoming August issue of Annotations, check out our Call for Pitches and submit your idea by Friday, July 9.
Email jpia@princeton.edu with any questions or comments about how to make this project better or more responsive to the needs of the SPIA community and the broader JPIA readership. If you would prefer not to receive forthcoming issues, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.
Finally, before signing off, we would like to thank the former JPIA leadership trio of Sofía Ramírez, Cara Rocío Labrador, and Rebecca Gorin for their guidance and mentorship. We’re humbled to follow in your footsteps!
Happy reading,
Francis Torres & Lynne Guey
JPIA Co-Editors in Chief