As a last blog on the ‘theory vs policy’ conference I thought it might be appropriate to write about the function of ‘blogging’ for improving the research and policy interface. This topic was given some serious dedication through a roundtable with…

Human development is definitely one of the topics to be discussed on an ISA conference. The panel on ‘Human Development – Influence on the Theory and Practice of International Development’ was not about painting an either positive or pessimistic p…

After reflecting on the themes introduced in day one of the conference, on day two we begin to dig a bit deeper into the challenges of the policy-academic divide.One of the most pressing challenges being discussed here in New Orleans is how to tra…

As is probably a common trend with large conferences that address similarly large questions, both policy and research are problematised a lot. Hence it becomes almost an inappropriate environment for optimistic stories. Although such stories would…

Speaking honestly at the halfway point here, I would say that this conference has been in many ways frustrating to attend. Given the conference theme, ‘Theory Versus Policy? Connecting Scholars and Practitioners’, I have been surprised at how few…

It is clear from a survey of the panels taking place today that there are many unresolved questions about the changing roles of academics. One of the key themes emerging here in New Orleans centres on ‘responsibility’. Do academics have to be resp…

The panels that I attended so far confirm that the debate on theory vs policy is definitely on academics’ minds, perhaps much more so than many of us use to think. People from different sub-fields of international studies are all trying to address…

Arriving a few days prior to the conference provides us with an opportunity to get a sense of what New Orleans is all about. In contrast to the media attention that New Orleans got a few years ago, very similar to news coming from Haiti now, the c…