Poll Result: "Are today's housing researchers too uncritical of the policies they research?"

RESULT:

Yes: 48% (12 votes)
No: 52% (13 votes)

Last months poll obviously hit a bone of contention and I don't think we can say there is a clear concensus other than we agree to disagree - how academic! There were some interesting comments left on the blog in relation to the question which can be viewed here. The answer seems to revolve around the position we are looking from. As pure academics, maybe we are too uncritical or the policies which we analyse and evaluate. But is this a case of not biting the hand that feeds us? Alternatively are we critical in ways that we ourselves don't recognise and policy makers who are at the coalface have little time to understand? Or does it depend on the arena we are in - critical for our colleagues but happy to be friendly to our funders? The debate is only likely to continue in a research area whic is applied by its very nature and has always juggled academic rigour with the needs of those "doing" housing policy.

Please use the comment pages on the blog to continue the debate!

Rob Rowlands
Editor