Being Useful Policy Relevance and International Relations Theory

In the post-cold war world those engaged in making foreign policy seem adrift searching for new ideas. Despite the growing production — and in some cases the sophistication — of scholarly literature on questions in international relations, policymakers seem to ignore much of this scholarly work in their search for new policy ideas. The contributors to this volume examine the promise and possibilities of making contemporary international relations theory more relevant to the conduct of foreign policy and international affairs. The essays in this volume assess the gap between theory and practice — its origins and its justifications — and examine ways in which the gap could be bridged, to the benefit of both policy and theory. The contributors are Steven J. Brams, Emily O. Goldman, Bruce Jentleson, Eric V. Larson, Robert J. Lieber, Donna J. Nincic, the late Kenneth Organski, Donald Rothschild, Arthur Stein, and Ernest J. Wilson III, in addition to the editors. This book will be of interest to scholars and analysts in the areas of international relations and foreign policy and policy makers who wish to know how scholarship could inform their own work. Miroslav Nincic is Professor of Political Science, University of California, Davis and is the author of numerous books and articles on international relations.