marți, 14 aprilie 2009

Academics and Policy

It is funny for me to make the parallel between what Mr. Nye is saying about the scholars/politics situation in USA and the same subject in Romania.

We had a group of people chosen by the Presidency as advisers. All of them of strong academic background. As Romanians have a problem with scholars (ivory tower, had to have connections with the Communist Party and the oppressive secret services before 1989, dreaming away from reality) most of them stepped back and some got involved directly in policy making as party members losing in this way their unbiased opinion. We had them and we scared them away. You do not have them but they do not come. Funny! And we both need them desperately.

Why we need them? For the technicalities. For they are more susceptible to stick to the truth of their field than to the winds of popular or political opinions. For most of the decisions both USA and Romania made lately are based more on "popular truths" than on scientifically proven theories. For it is better to act based on reason than on symbols and emotions.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

5 comentarii:

  1. am si eu o intrebare timida... de ce postul asta e scris in engleza si toate celelalte in limba de bastina?

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  2. Daca te uiti sub blog o sa vezi ca e comentariu la un articol de la Huffington Post. Si cum americanii nu prea inteleg limba noastra, m'am gindit ca ar fi mai eficient in engleza :)

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  3. dar nu stiu daca nu e "politics" (politica) in loc de "policy" (politici)?

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  4. "got involved directly in policy as party members losing"
    Sigur e vorba de "politics" si nu de "policy"
    Policy se foloseste pentru politici, de genul social policy - politici sociale, defence policy - politici de aparare, samd.

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  5. Ups, lipsea un cuvint de acolo. Era "policy making". Merci de atentionare.

    (putea fi la fel de bine di "politics", dupa cum ai sugerat)

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