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Vol. 11 No. 1

Political and Academic Linkages in Public Sector Policymaking

Submitted
February 22, 2011
Published
2011-02-22

Abstract

Decision making in the public sector encompasses many
topics of interest to the academic researcher—environmental
issues, health and human services, budget planning, and so on.
Expertise in data collection and analysis is critical to the
policy-making process and can be provided by academic
researchers. But the “real world” policymaker and the “ivory
tower” academician often have difficulty working together.
Both parties have been reluctant to venture into each other’s
unique worlds. Conflicts in values, goals, and methods often
unnecessarily inhibit the forging of strong work relationships.
As a result, both parties may miss opportunities to establish
relationships that can be mutually beneficial in providing subject
material for academic research and stronger public policy.
This article discusses the reasons for this problem and suggests
ways in which successful partnerships can be designed.