HISTORY AND POLICY-MAKING

This article examines three main areas in which historical analysis ma kes a fundamental contribution to policy-making. Firstly, as specialis ts of the past, historians contribute to the definition and protection of a nation's collective memory, and, by the same token, question and reinterpret it where historical fact or analysis constitutes the sour ce of specific contemporary problems. Secondly, by contributing their detailed knowledge of historical context, historians may deepen unders tanding of current issues by placing them in their broader temporal co ntext, thereby providing a basis for comparison with past situations w hich may enlarge the range of policy options considered, as well as an assessment of the real outcomes of past policy choices, and predictiv e indications based on past experience of possible future issues of co ncern. Finally, in tracing the processes of decisionmaking and the rol e of individuals and institutions within the policy process itself, hi storians raise awareness of the causes and consequences of current pol icy choices, and in doing so contribute to a more rational approach to policy-making. The discussion ends with a series of recommendations f or improving co-operation between historical researchers and the polic y-making community.