"How can academia and government work together better? When academic researcher Adam Koots took up a four-year secondment in the Department for Work and Pensions, some of his academic colleagues joked that he had gone over to the dark side. In his new article for Hayward Quarterly, he argues that this reaction exposes a deeper divide between academia and Whitehall. Although both often share the same goals, they work separately rather than together. The problem, Koots argues, isn't a shortage of evidence, it's judgment. His solution is simple. Embed more independent researchers inside government, working alongside officials on real policy and delivery challenges. By building trust, judgment, and institutional memory from within, government can make better decisions while relying less on external consultants. Read the full article from our eighth edition at haywardquarterly.com"