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Canadian Political Science Association2025 Annual Conference Programme
The Politics of Belonging: Conflict,
Community, Curriculum
Hosted at George Brown College, Toronto, CANADA
June 3 to June 5, 20252025 Annual Conference Programme
The Politics of Belonging: Conflict,
Community, Curriculum
Hosted at George Brown College
June 3 to June 5, 2025
Practitioners
Q13 - Roundtable: Knowing is Not Enough; We Must Apply – Challenges and Opportunities in Translating Academic Research Into Policy Impact
Date: Jun 4 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location: SJA-387C
Jamie M. Thomas (Forum of Federations)André Lecours (University of Ottawa)
Josephine Uwineza (NSERC)
Taki Sarantakis (President, Canada School of Public Service)
Tari Ajadi (McGill University)
Abstract: The discipline of political science is producing more published academic research than ever before, with the number of political science journals tripling since 2020. Knowledge production in the field has exploded, and is becoming increasingly global, as scholars in emerging research countries have formed new regional knowledge networks and publications complementing the long-established political science research centres in North America and Western Europe. But despite there being more academic research available than ever before, there remains a gap between research and practice. Academic research does not always translate into policy impact, raising epistemological questions about the nature of academic knowledge and its claims to be an instrument for seeking to understand and shape policy. This roundtable will explore the gap between academic research and policy practice, considering the opportunities and challenges for scholars and practitioners in their respective fields. It will examine how knowledge might better be translated for policy impact, and how a closer relationship between academic research and policy development might be achieved.