ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the historical and contemporary context of policy relevance in International Relations (IR). It also outlines three types of interaction: engagement, activism, and scholarship as practice. Funding for activist research in IR faces a precarious funding environment with cuts in the budgets of foundations for work with and for civil society in the wake of the financial crisis. The chapter shows how these types play out in our own work on climate change (Newell) and the arms trade (Stavrianakis). Newell's experience illustrates the challenges and dilemmas of proximity to activists. His relationship with Carbon Market Watch has helped to promote his research among activists, and it has also provided an important vehicle for getting access to key UN bodies. There are several key practice-based issues that Stavrianakis has found repeated over the years. These include the importance of paradigm compatibility, or speaking the same language as those with whom scholars are engaging.
