Well, I think you could if you could 1) do really high quality research, and 2) find ideas that don’t require policymakers’ buy-in to be implemented, or convince policymakers to be less skeptical of political science than they are. So I guess my original comment is partially incorrect; I think perhaps you could do something useful as a scholar if you talk to policymakers in an issue area you’re interested in before starting your research, and ask them what gaps in their knowledge they can’t find good information to fill.
Well, I think you could if you could 1) do really high quality research, and 2) find ideas that don’t require policymakers’ buy-in to be implemented, or convince policymakers to be less skeptical of political science than they are. So I guess my original comment is partially incorrect; I think perhaps you could do something useful as a scholar if you talk to policymakers in an issue area you’re interested in before starting your research, and ask them what gaps in their knowledge they can’t find good information to fill.