History of Publius: The Journal of Federalism 

Publius: The Journal of Federalism was founded in 1971 by Daniel J. Elazar at Temple University with the assistance of Earl M. Baker also of Temple University. The journal remains the flagship publication of the Center for the Study of Federalism. Publius: The Journal of Federalism began quarterly publishing in 1974. A notable feature of the journal–the Annual Review of the State of American Federalism–was first published in 1978 for the year 1977 under the editorship of Stephen L. Schechter of Russell Sage College who initiated the idea for the annual review. The Annual Review proved, among other things, to be ideal for classroom adoption. Schechter served ably as the Annual Review editor through 1985.

Baker served as associate editor of the journal until 1977 when Benjamin R. Schuster became managing editor until 1981. John Kincaid of North Texas State University became associate editor in 1981, later serving as co-editor and editor. He revived the journal’s finances and subscriptions and remained responsible for both the content and management of Publius: The Journal of Federalism as a self-published journal for 25 years. The journal’s offices were housed at NTSU’s Department of Political Science from 1981 to 1994 and then at the Robert B. and Helen S. Meyner Center for the Study of State and Local Government at Lafayette College until 2006.

Before retiring from the editorship in 2006, Kincaid negotiated an agreement with Oxford University to publish the journal. In 2005, Publius: The Journal of Federalism became the sponsored journal of the Section on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations of the American Political Science Association. Carol S. Weissert of Florida State University served as editor of the journal from 2006 to mid-2015 when John Dinan of Wake Forest University became the editor.