Utilities Policy

Network Systems, Critical Infrastructure, Essential Services

Utilities Policy is a leading peer-reviewed resource for academic researchers and practitioners in the utilities policy community. The journal bridges theory and practice by disseminating original applied research that is rigorous, contemporary, and policy-relevant. The journal publishes full-length articles, insightful perspective pieces, and thematic special issues. The journal's primary objective is to advance knowledge by publishing policy-relevant papers in the public utility field, supported by a thorough and timely peer-review and publication process.

Utilities Policy is international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral. Articles are focused on networked utility services and address trends and issues within and across the utility subsectors. The journal defines these sectors as:

• Electricity

• Natural and renewable gas

• Water and wastewater

• Solid waste

• Postal service

• Communications and broadband

• Public transportation, toll roads, and ports

Utilities Policy welcomes authors and reviewers from any relevant discipline, including (but not limited to) economics, political science, sociology, law, finance, accounting, management, and engineering.

Utilities Policy invites submissions that apply quantitative and qualitative methods, consider institutional and development contexts, and focus on national, subnational, urban, and rural scales. Cross-sector comparative analyses of shared concerns are especially welcome. Contributions are welcome from established and emerging scholars and accomplished practitioners. Submissions to the journal should engage deeply with policy dimensions – those that motivate the research, and the policy implications of the research – in ways that aim to inform and improve policymaking.

Relevant topics include utility policy-focused works related to:

• Coexistence of regulatory and market institutions

• Industry structures, ownership, and governance

• Public policy institutions, processes, and history

• Economic and environmental regulation

• Regulation of AI use and AI infrastructure in relevant utility sectors

• AI use in the practice of utilities regulation

• Regulatory commissions and performance

• Alternative regulatory and governance models

• Restructuring, deregulation, and reregulation

• Monopolies, market power, and competition

• Market design and dynamics and strategic behavior

• Utility infrastructure financing, risk, and the cost of capital

• Network and system modeling, operations, and integration

• Integrated resource and resilience planning

• Economic efficiency and cost-benefit analysis

• Centralized and decentralized technologies

• Ratemaking and rate design processes and policies

• Pricing incentives and behavioral economics

• Supply and demand-side change drivers

• Service quality standards and accountability

• Performance measurement and benchmarking

• Clean energy and clean water transitions

• Sustainable systems and development

• Climate change impacts, action, and adaptation

• Carbon markets, pricing, and taxation

• Improving access to networked utility services

• Consumer participation, protection, and policies

The subject and analytical approach of submissions should consider the interests of the utility policy community and implications for policymaking. Papers that do not meet our criteria for utility policy engagement, even if topically aligned with the above areas, will be rejected without review.

Please note that Utilities Policy does not focus on energy or water resources and management, , purely technical models, nonutility or off-grid services, ride sharing, public-private partnerships or public finance topics outside of the sphere of networked utility services, or macroeconomic and socioeconomic trends. Review articles, bibliometric studies and techno-economic analyses must meet an exceptionally high bar for originality, and meet our criteria for engagement with utility policy, in order to be considered for publication.

Audience: Academic researchers, government officials, industry professionals, sector analysts, and advisors and consultants in the global utilities policy community.

This journal welcomes contributions that are consistent with these aims and scope which support and advance the UN's sustainable development goals, in particular, SDG6 (Clean water and sanitation), SDG7 (Affordable and clean energy), and SDG9 (Industry innovation and infrastructure).