Often we hear that policymakers and academics emerge from similar roots, but pursue divergent approaches. This dichotomy is often expressed in terms of: short-term vs. long-term temporal concerns, simplified vs.nuanced understanding of policy problems, and self-important bureaucracies vs. self-righteous academia. In this episode, we probe into some of the fundamental misconceptions about the role experts play in devising policy for the government, and explore the similar colonial epistemologies and methodologies that underpin both fields. In doing so, we attempt to break apart the created tension between 'uncompromised' forms of knowledge in academia, and the 'manipulated' and 'short-sighted' endeavor of policymaking. 

In order to understand the interface between these two lifeworlds, PhD candidate Dipyaman Chakrabarti speak to Professor Toby Dodge, a Professor of Middle East Studies and International Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE).