Policy Review was the preeminent publication for new and serious thinking and writing about the issues of the day. Established in 1977; the bimonthly journal became a publication of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, in 2001.

Hoover Institution director John Raisian and Policy Review editor Tod Lindberg announced that the February–March 2013 edition of Policy Review would be its last. The journal's online archive will remain available on the Hoover Institution website.

Policy Review and the Hoover Institution were well matched. They shared a commitment to free and rigorous inquiry into the American condition, into the workings of government and of our political and economic systems and those of others, and into the role of the United States in the world. They both brought together scholars with an interest in current affairs and journalists interested in exploring our world in greater depth. They both take up topics not as exercises in theory, but for the purpose of better understanding the world and the betterment of people's lives. They both are committed to civil discourse, the airing of reasoned disagreement, and a vigorous and open debate. They both are diligently independent, not least in affirming and guarding the independence of those associated with them in the community of informed discussion.

As the Hoover Institution is a premier home for serious scholars, so Policy Review was a premier vehicle for serious writers and thinkers.