The Potential for Political Scientists to Remain Relevant: A Comment on Flinders

Abstract

AbstractBrans and Timmermans respond to Flinders' concerns about the potential irrelevance of political science due to the pressures of impact regimes. Based on a 2018 survey of 12,400 European political scientists, they show that 80% of political scientists actively engage in policy advising. They identify four advisory roles: Pure Academic, Expert, Opinionating Scholar, and Public Intellectual, with most political scientists fitting the Opinionating Scholar type. Contrary to Flinders' fears of depoliticization, most political scientists make normative statements and engage on intrinsically political topics. Rather than being confined to a dyadic relationship with policymakers, their engagements are diverse, targeting civil society actors, government agencies, and think tanks. They are moreover driven by professional duty rather than extrinsic incentives. Based on the study's results the contribution refutes the notion that increased policy engagement leads to irrelevance: political scientists have the potential to maintain criticality and influence in policy advisory systems across Europe.