Reflecting on AJPA, 2015–2021: Revisiting the relationship between policy academics and public servants—Distances from learning

Abstract

AbstractThis short essay reflects on the evolution of the journal and the environment it operated in over the last 7 years and volumes. It is anchored to the introductory article in the first issue of the journal under the new editorial team, ‘Learning from a Distance’ (2015) authored by Brian Head, which addressed a perennial question in public administration – the nature of the relationship between policy academics and public servants and considers whether and how that relationship has changed and why. It assesses the impact of Head's prescient advice to focus on building opportunities for learning between policy academics and public servants, paying particular attention to the role of intermediaries, and explores the range of ways in which policy academics and public servants are now engaged in learning, albeit from different distances. It considers the changes to the global and local contexts since 2015 and identifies the challenges ahead for the policy academic/public servant relationship in Australia.