Here are a few links that have been sent to me re: policy relevance since the reps thread, there are some both ways

http://www.adbi.org/discussion-paper/2005/09/09/1356.think.tanks/conclusions.the.challenges.of.policy.relevance/

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11624

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/02/18/more-on-the-disconnect-between-ir-academics-and-beltway-people/

http://www.prisonplanet.com/how-government-cash-created-the-climategate-scandal.html

http://personal.inet.fi/tiede/markku.sotarauta/opetus/markussen.pdf

http://www.iheid.ch/webdav/site/political_science/shared/political_science/3452/walt.pdf