Do politicians need scientists? Linking research and policies in the Western Balkans

On the third day of the international scientific conference „Social, Political and Economic Changes in the Western Balkans,“ a roundtable called „Do Politicians Need Scientists? Linking Research and Policies in the Western Balkans“ was held.

Roundtable participants were: Mr. Sybi Hida, Albanian Member of Parliament, Mr. Gvozden Flego, Croatian Member of Parliament, Ms. Evelyne Glaettli, Swiss National Science Foundation, Ms. Esmeralda Shehaj, Faculty of Economics, University of Tirana, Mr. Nermin Oruc, Center for Economic Development and Research CEDAR, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Nebojsa Lazarevic, European Policy Centre, Serbia, and Ms. Jelena Zarkovic-Rakic, Foundation for the Advancement of Economics, Serbia.

One of the main conclusions of the panel discussion was that scientific research is not applied enough in formulating public policies due to weak cooperation among researchers and politicians. In order to increase demand and awareness of decision-makers and the public in general on the importance of scientific results, it is necessary to establish better cooperation within the triangle of researchers-medias-decision makers and encourage more active participation of all stakeholders.