On public engagement and "bridging the gap"
In the last couple of years, the phrase "bridging the gap" has become part of the everyday lexicon of academics in our field (I don't know if this applies to, say, anthropology). This term is part and parcel of a larger conversation regarding how "useful" and "relevant" scholarship in IR and poli sci (a) is, and (b) should be. Without getting mired into the depths of that conversation, I would like to make four points in this blog post. 1. The biggest thing anyone can do to "bridge the gap" is not change incentives of scholars but of journals and publishers There is more than enough policy-relevant scholarship (however one chooses to define that phrase) out there. It just can't be read because normal human beings don't want to jump through 29373 hoops and a $50 credit card charge to read stuff. I personally close my browser window if so much as a log-in screen pops up (goodbye, Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs, we had a good r