OBJECTIVEThe objective of the book is to provide theories, experiences, reflections and future directions for social scientists who want to engage in policyoriented research. Students and early career researchers are the primary targets for this book to reflect on how to carry out policy-relevant research and seek to understand the research-policy nexus from the scholars' viewpoint. The 'policy learning' perspective will be discussed focusing on actors promoting 'policy-relevant knowledge' and how this knowledge can contribute to policymaking. Specifically, the focus is on how scholars are (or can be) 'agents of learning' for cities and regions. In this perspective, the book also aims to provide some insights for policymakers and practitioners interested in research-based approaches to policymaking (see especially Chapter 1 of this book).Theoretically, this book draws on multi-disciplinary approaches to public policy, such as from policy studies, planning, political science, geography, urban studies, regional economics and public administration. Learning here also involves overcoming inter-disciplinary boundaries and thus achieving a more holistic picture of the nature and functioning of policymaking processes (see mainly Chapters 2 and 3). Keeping on the backcloth a reference to the multi-level nature of policymaking, we primarily focus on the scale of cities and regions focusing on the spatial dimensions of policymaking (see also Chapter 4 on this). While multi-level governance and collaborative policy practices are already extensively discussed in the literature, the book aims to explore the way policy actors can learn to enhance the way they 'do things' together, i.e. how cities and regions learn how to make policies through policy-oriented research. In this respect, case studies are presented by scholars directly engaged in the processes they discuss (see mainly Part II of this book). Empirically, the book draws on a range of case studies of policy analysis from across Europe (plus one from Mexico), mainly in the context of city and region. Furthermore, a specific section is devoted to the use of information,