Narrowing the Academic-Policy Divide: Will New Media Bridge the Gap?

Abstract

relevant to policymakers, but scholars struggle to engage key audiences. In other words, the problem is with the packaging: it is too long, too inaccessible, and not timely. This follows media theorist Marshall McLuhan's famous distinction between the "message" and the "media." 2 Many scholars thus look to various types of online new media as a promising means to address this challenge. These outlets offer a quick and easy way to translate and disseminate existing research to a broader public. The format makes it possible to bring social science research to bear on pressing issues more quickly than going through the lengthy and ponderous peer-review process. New media sites also force political scientists to convey their findings succinctly and in plain English and apply them to contemporary issues. Warming to this possibility, George Washington University political scientist and blogger Marc Lynch effuses that "this is in most ways a golden age for policy-relevant public spheres." 3 Social media such as Facebook and Twitter can, in turn, help disseminate online posts or serve as a direct platform for commentary. There are now so many new outlets for scholars to engage in the policy debate, it is both easier for them to do so and also unnecessary for them to concern themselves with doing so in their scholarship. This new media relevance model counsels that scholars publish basic research-what Vannevar Bush defined as research "performed without thought of political ends" 4 -in scholarly venues and then highlight its applied implications online.To date, however, there has been little systematic assessment of the broader impact of academic new media and blogs. 5 We rely on two new sources of data to help us gauge its influence and provide suggestions as to how to maximize the role of new media in increasing the relevance of international relations (IR) scholarship. First, we asked 563 current and former U.S. policymakers serving in national security, trade, and 2

The Cult of the Relevant: International Relations Scholars and Policy Engagement Beyond the Ivory Tower

“…As expected (H1), the most frequent modalities were those that provide opportunities for credit-claiming while requiring smaller investments of time: media appearances or interviews (68.7%) and op-ed/blog-writing (63.0%). Whether blog-writing in general constitutes engagement, however, is questioned by Avey et al (2021), who find that while Foreign Policy -affiliated blogs, War on the Rocks , and The Monkey Cage are consulted by policy makers at reasonably high rates, other blogs like Duck of Minerva and Political Violence at a Glance are not. There may still be professional reasons for scholars to write for these outlets, but policy engagement—at least as recognized by policy makers themselves—does not appear to be foremost among them.…”