Book Description

"This remarkable volume shows the diversity of social and public contributions made by political scientists across Europe. The range of advisory roles is impressive and encouraging for colleagues concerned about the difference they can make in the world. It deserves to be used by academics and practitioners who seek to praise and defend the importance of political science research." - Claire A. Dunlop, University of Exeter, UK "This book provides unique insights into how political scientists engage in policy advice and how their advisory roles vary across Europe. This variation reflects variations and trends in European policy advisory systems-a must-read for every political scientist and anyone interested in better understanding policy advisory systems." -Thurid Hustedt, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin "Political scientists usually observe policymaking, but this book demonstrates that they also become involved in that process. Using qualitative and quantitative data the authors provide an interesting and timely account of the role of political scientists in advising governments and shaping policy. This is a very welcome addition to the literature on policy advice." - B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, USA This open access book centres on the advisory roles of political scientists in Europe. Based on a cross-national survey, the book offers a comparative analysis of the viewpoints and activities of university-based political scientists on external engagement. Political scientists in Europe appear more extrovert as academics than sometimes thought. In their professional functioning they engage in delivering knowledge and advice to all kinds of stakeholders in the policy process. This volume contains twelve in-depth country studies where different trends are visible, from political regime change to pressure for impact of academic work. The findings from this comparative analysis may inform our orientation on interaction between academics and their social and political environment, and what this means for education and training in university programs in political science. Marleen Brans is Professor at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, Belgium. Arco Timmermans is Professor of Public Affairs at Leiden University, the Netherlands.