Abstract

In this introductory paper, we take stock on the growing literature on policy advice to open a debate on the different uses of knowledge about policy in contemporary times. The differentiation of the policy advice is described as a Pandora's box where the demand and the offer of advice melt in various combinations. We propose that the hybridization of roles between politics and expertise, on the one hand, and the quest for legitimacy of both policy makers and policy advisors, on the other, shape different types of relationships and modes of engagement between the advisor and the politician.