Politics - the things you can’t find on Google

What motivates politicians in their interaction with researchers and what are they looking for when they ask for professional advice? What should academics know about politicians in order to work together more effectively? How can professors and policymakers be more attentive to each other’s capabilities and needs? 

An interactive panel with experts and top political advisors from France, Italy, Israel, United Kingdom and Yemen, discussing how practical aspects of the political world affect the relation between academia and policymaking. We will discuss how practical aspects of the political world - “the things you can’t find on Google' - affect the relation between academia and policymaking. 

Speakers:

• Rafat Al-Akhali, Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Yemen and Blavatnik School alumnus
• Dr. Giovanni Cogliandro, Senior Advisor to Under-secretary of State for Health, Italy
• Shay (Shako) David, Chief Political Advisor to Whip of Opposition, Knesset, Israel
• Calum Miller, former Principle Private Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister, UK and Chief Operating Officer of Blavatnik School of Government.

Convenor: Yishai Mishor, Departmental Lecturer in Law and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government. 

The event is upen to the public. Please note that unfortunately we have very restricted disabled access to our building due to a broken lift. Please contact us if you have any special requirements in this regard.

Speakers biogs

Rafat Al-­Akhali, Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Yemen - Mr. Al-­Akhali is an alumnus of the MPP programme at the Blavatnik School of Government. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree from Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) in Montréal. Prior to his nomination to the Cabinet he had spent a few years as Senior Consultant at RiceWaterhouseCoopers in Canada. He is the Co-­‐ Founder and Chairman of Resonate! Yemen, a non-­‐profit foundation that specializes in the field of engaging youth in public policy in Yemen, and has represented Yemen as a speaker in many events around the world, most recently at the IMF Youth Dialogue in Washington, DC.

Dr. Giovanni Cogliandro, Senior Advisor to Under-secretary of State for Health, Italy - Dr. Cogliandro was in charge of organization and articulation of legislative initiatives at the Ministry of Health and Officer of Parliamentary Relations (2013-­‐2014). He is an Adjunct member of the Philosophy Department at University of Rome Tor Vergata and Invited Professor of Contemporary Philosophy at Pontifical University Antonianum of Rome. He published books and articles on the rule of law, political philosophy, Philosophy of law, ethics, and Health Policies.

Shay (Shako) David, Chief Political Advisor to Whip of Opposition, Knesset, Israel - Mr. David was Governance and Public Policy Advisor to Head of Opposition (2010-­‐2011) and Director of Personal Staff to MP Ami Ayalon, candidate for Head of Labour and Prime Minister (2005-­‐2007). He was Head of Local Government Reform Project at the Lauder School of Government, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya (2010-­‐2014) and Project Manager at the Institute of Local Government, Tel Aviv University (2014-­‐2015).

Calum Miller, Chief Operating Officer, Blavatnik School of Government - Mr Miller is Former Principal Private Secretary (chief official advisor) to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, United Kingdom (2010-‐2012) and joined the Blavatnik School of Government following 13 years as a UK civil servant, latterly serving as a Director in the Cabinet Office. He was the Principal Private Secretary to the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service 2009-­‐10 and, following the UK’s general election in 2010, took up the same post for the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister. His earlier career focused on international economic issues at the Treasury, Foreign Office and Department for International Development, including the UK’s Permanent Representation to the European Union.