On 12 June 2026, UNU-CRIS Associate Research Fellows Thomas Tieku and Emmanuel Balogun will contribute to a Roundtable Discussion: How to Bridge the Gap between Policymakers and Academics in Africa and the Global South.
Sponsored by ISA's Research and Policy Section (RAPS) and Global Africa Section (GAS)
Debates on “bridging the gap” in international relations have often focused on the ways in which academics try to influence policymakers in the USA and to a lesser extent in Europe, Canada, and Australia. There has been a tendency to overlook the nature of collaborations between academics and practitioners in other global spaces. This virtual roundtable brings together leading thinkers, who have engaged with and in policy spaces across several different Africa countries and across different issues areas, including peace and security, Sino–Africa relations, and development cooperation. The roundtable is based on the recently published forum in International Studies Perspectives titled: “Bridging the Gap between Academics and Policymakers in Africa” Join us to kick-start a conversation on the status of academic and policy engagement across the African continent and beyond.
PANELISTS:
Jok Madut Jok, Loyola Marymount University, California
Haley Swedlund, Nijmegen School of Management at Radboud University
Thomas Tieku, King's University College
'Dapo Oyewole, Secretary General, Conference of Speakers & Presidents of African Legislatures//Snr. Special Assistant on International Cooperation to the President of Nigeria
Folashade Soule-Kohndou, University of Oxford
MODERATOR:
Emmanuel Balogun, Skidmore College
Journal Article:
https://doi.org/10.1093/isp/ekag003
Register Here:
https://isanet-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_048jMX17RjaZdh4ZW8V5JA#/registration
