In Defence of Political Theory: Impact and Opportunities

Abstract

This article will present the impact that political theory has made and the opportunities for future contributions. It will consider the contributions made by leading political theorists to policy debates, the lessons learned from their successes, and how political theorists might further pursue existing and new opportunities to develop impact. The discussion will close with consideration of several potential threats that theorists should become more aware of in order to best avoid them. The growing importance of impact in British higher education policy represents important challenges that may help promote the field of political theory. Political theorists should welcome these developments.A common misperception is that the so-called 'impact agenda' in British higher education is a major problem for colleagues working in the sub-field of political theory.The concern is that political theory is by its nature abstract and often thought to be substantially impractical. Political theorists more readily apply themselves to the consideration of ideas, but not always their relation to practice.The problem is that it has become more common to require evidence of research impact in funding applications and research assessments of departments. Political theorists are disadvantaged by this development and the impact agenda may threaten its future.This view rests on a deep misunderstanding about the relation between ideas and practices. Political theorists should welcome the impact agenda not least because the sub-field should benefit from the impact that political theory may -and often doespossess. I offer a defence of political theory and its impact in this contribution. I will argue that the primary obstacle for political theorists is overcoming scepticism about the kind of impact theorists may offer. The issue is not about whether political theorists create impact, but rather the kinds of impact we should expect from political theorists.

How can policy theory have an impact on policymaking? The role of theory-led academic–practitioner discussions

“…The impact agenda also provides some impetus for academics to consider alternative, broader ways in which they can express the value of their insights to audiences such as government (Brooks, 2013). Indeed, the aim of this article is to identify the ways in which policy theories can be used to guide general behaviour rather than produce individual examples of impact in particular case studies.…”

What is the Impact of Political Theory?

“…I do not argue that all political theory research ‘should’ have impact or that theorists ought to ‘imitate’ those that do. My actual argument is more modest: impact is something that ‘political theory may – and often does – possess’ (Brooks, , p. 209). Not all research in this area may have impact nor should it be required to have it to be valuable.…”

The impact agenda and the study of British politics

“…The definitive publisher-authenticated version (doi:10.1057/s41293-018-0083-y) is available online at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41293-018-0083-y 6 benefits in the greater emphasis on impact (Smith and Stewart, 2017, p. 113). Within political studies, Thom Brooks (2013) has argued that the impact agenda should be welcomed by political theorists as one which could enhance the status of their sub-discipline. He argues that theorists can be confident that they have impact through 'our thinking about politics, our thinking about public policy more broadly, and through public engagement' (2013, p.210), and the biggest challenge is overcoming scepticism within the field about this capacity, not delivering the impact itself.…”