The IPA network coordinating committee – headed by Tamara Metze (Wageningen) – just held its first PhD summer school in Amsterdam. This was such a rewarding and fun experience, with very talented PhD students eager to learn more about interpretive methodologies and theories to understand and intervene in conflicts about sustainable futures. The summerschool focused on methodological innovations that take an integrated approach to the social, cultural, ethical and actionable dimensions of knowledge production, both by academics, as well as by practitioners from industry, government, and non-governmental organizations. It was an honour to teach these international students, together with Esther Turnhout (Wageningen), on our discomfort with, but also hopes for a new kind of evidence-based policy!
Assistant Professor (Department of Political Science, University of Vienna)