Stochastic programming-A theoretical field or relevant for managers

We are delighted to present this special issue of the IMA Journal of Management Mathematics that includes selected papers presented at the XIII International Conference on Stochastic Programming held in Bergamo in 2013 and the First Euro mini conference on Stochastic Programming held in Paris in 2014. Stochastic programming has been from its start in the 1950s, when Dantzig 1955 gave the recourse formulation and Beale (1955) independently a similar formulation, a field driven forward by the motivation to solve practical problems. Therefore, given the editorial profile of this journal (Van de Velde 2015), the early ambitions of the field and the fact that stochastic programming is now more than 60 years old, it is fair to ask if the field has practical relevance? Does our work matter to managers and influence decision makers in government and industry? While theoretical contributions and the theoretical evolution of a field is easy to spot through highly ranked journal publications, prizes and plenaries, the practical relevance of research may be more difficult to evidence. Nonetheless, real management relevance comes from bringing theory into practice in companies and government departments. Do we have enough of these success stories in stochastic programming?