Policy Research in a Complex Context (Report‪)‬

1. Introduction The relationship between research--or scientists--and policy--or policymakers--has always been, and probably always will be, the subject of a permanent paradox. On one side, policymakers continually call for empirical data, evidence, facts, and authoritative explanations. Through almost all the steps of the policymaking process, they seek to justify the decisions they make on scientific grounds.