WOMEN AND PUBLIC POLICY JOURNAL (Vol. I) ‘Past, Present, and Future of Democratic Governance in Afghanistan: What are the challenges and how can we overcome them?

On 22 October 2015, the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies (DROPS), supported by the National Endowment for Democracy [NED], launched the first volume of its annual peer–reviewed journal, titled ‘Women and Public Policy (WPPJ)’. The audiences identified for the contents of this publication are the members, organisations, and institutions of the policy community in Kabul, the South Asian region, and the international community; civil society members and think-tanks; and students and academic institutions.

The WPPJ is an extremely unique initiative, as illustrated below:

1. The WPPJ is the first peer-reviewed public policy journal to be authored by Afghan women in Afghanistan

2. The WPPJ carries analyses by Afghan women on a variety of issues, thus breaking the stereotype that women write only on gender-issues

3. The WPPJ has created the much-needed space for women to engage in the policy discourse via policy research in Afghanistan

4. The WPPJ strengthens democratic governance in Afghanistan by bridging the gap between policy research and policymakers