“The EU Should…!”; “India Needs…!”: Parapublic Underpinnings to Realise Global IR in Policy Analysis of EU–India Relations

The EU–India relationship is a playground for policy analysts—numerous policy recommendations are addressed to both India and the EU. Policy analysis influences the European and Indian political practitioners and also the public with their constructions of possible future relations. Because the scientists’ impact carries such weight, it is necessary to engage with the fundamental research principles that underlie the production of policy analysis. The assumption of this contribution is that an examination of supposedly abstract theoretical debates using the disciplines of International Relations (IR) and policy research helps to critically reflect on the role of policy analysts. On the basis of the critical hints identified in the theoretical discussions, a possible way forward will be proposed to advance research on the relationship between the two largest democracies in the world. By adapting the so-called Global IR paradigm, a practical proposal will be developed to put the scientific cooperation of the EU–India relations in general and the cooperation in policy-oriented research in particular on a broader basis: The idea of parapublic underpinnings (Krotz 2007) can help to substantially improve relations between India and the EU to establish the basis for research on an equal footing.