The Impact Initiative has closed. This website has now been archived and will no longer be updated.
The Impact Initiative has closed. This website has now been archived and will no longer be updated.

Blog: Academics in ivory towers? It’s time to change the record

Photo: Kate Holt/Africa Practice/DFAT/Flickr licensed under CC BY 2.0
May 2017
25/05/2017

James Georgalakis asks whether it is time to replace the narrative of 'academics in ivory towers' with one that reflects the challenges, and realities, facing modern scholars. In his blog, published by Times Higher Education on 24 May 2017, he proposes that, “Instead, we should look to the global movement of scientists and academics marching on the streets to advocate for science in public policy. That it is a truer representation of modern academia. And we need to support them by institutionalising learning around how to maximise research impact.”

James Georgalakis is co-editor of The Social Realities of Knowledge for Development, an edited collection of articles that explore how academics, practitioners and donors work together to ensure evidence informs policies and practices that have a transformative impact on people's lives. 

The Impact Initiative blog posts are either from individual researchers or from major research programmes. Some of the blog posts are original source and are written by researchers and experts connected to the two research programmes jointly funded by ESRC and FCDO: the Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research and the Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems Research Programme. Other blog posts are imported from related websites and programmes. 

The views expressed in these blogs reflect the opinions of each individual and may not represent the Institute of Development Studies, the University of Cambridge, ESRC or FCDO.

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