A Critical Analysis of the Cultural and Linguistic Distinctions between Policymakers and Researchers: A Case Study of Policy Development in Florida

Abstract

This article posits the mutual inability of policymakers and researchers to communicate in compatible language and compatible imagery. The lack of direct influence of research, and of academics in general, in the policy arena is reconfirmed. Conceptual treatment of several rationales for divergence between two separate cultures the academic and the political is offered, with particular reference to the notion of the "ecology of games" that argues for understanding each side in terms of its own rules and for accepting the discontinuities between the two worlds. Gaps are illuminated with case material from policy-making in Florida, and semantic differentials are developed to further illustrate incompatibilities in language and culture. A critique of efforts to "improve communication" is presented, and a set of tactical adaptations are suggested.