Dear JEPP colleagues,
I suppose this is a formal announcement. However, as you all know, I don’t do ‘formal’ very well. Anyway, I have decided to retire as Co-editor of JEPP at the end of this year. I founded the Journal over thirty years ago and, at aged 82, I think it is time for me to slow down a bit. I think I am in good shape (not ‘a job for the spade’ as they say in my Shropshire village!) and I have one or two public policy projects that I want to try my hand at while I still have my marbles. Also, Murphy would like to go for more walks (in our suburb, I am known as ‘the man with a dog’). He has never shown any interest in JEPP, poor thing.
To be serious for a moment (I am not too good at serious either!), JEPP has been a big part of my life, and that of Sonia, Tess, and Molly. I met Sonia about the time I had the JEPP idea in my head and she has always been a source of sound advice. Tess and Molly were born in the early years of JEPP and so JEPP has been art of their lives too.
Running JEPP has been great fun and I will miss it greatly. The oddest thing about being a Journal Editor is that one ends up with so many friends that one has never met in person. As my retirement news has travelled, I have received so many emails from established scholars reminding me that their first article was published in JEPP. They also reminded me that I had taken a gamble on them as young scholars, sometimes setting aside critical referee reports. People have often asked me, what makes a successful Editor? I think the answer is, be informal, don’t take yourself too seriously, and be prepared to gamble on articles that contain a new idea.
Finally, do keep in touch and tell me your news from time to time.
All good things,
Jeremy