Contrarian academic input can benefit insular policymaking

During a workshop at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House, Thorsten Benner argued that foreign policymaking in Washington DC can be remarkably insular. It would therefore profit from contrarian input by academics who are policy-minded but do not necessarily aspire to government jobs. Of particular value are perspectives informed by field-research abroad. The workshop, which examined the relationship between international affairs institutes and policy communities, was convened by Bill Burke-White, inaugural director of World House, opening in May 2016.