Scholarly Research and Policy Relevance

The Cases of Quantitative International Relations and International Law

Thomas W. Robinson

Expert InsightsPublished 1971

An argument for bridging the information gap between policymakers and academicians. The researcher faces many problems in bringing his material before the policymaker--e.g., policymakers' lack of time and ignorance of quantitative methods. It is proposed that every published article include both abstract and summary; that a special journal column be devoted to a policy-relevant digest of international relations research; that a journal devote itself to this task, including a computer-based composite index annotating all relevant academic material. In research itself, there should be less model building and more model testing and consolidation, as well as more sophisticated quantitative analysis in international relations. The field of international law has been ignored by both government and military. Foreign policy and international relations should be related to international law. 14 pp. (SM)

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Robinson, Thomas W., Scholarly Research and Policy Relevance: The Cases of Quantitative International Relations and International Law. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1971. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4622.html.
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