| Summary: | An increasing number of social and economic historians is convinced that they need to step out of their ivory tower and should engage in on-going public debates related to their domains of expertise. Many of the twenty- and thirtysomething researchers are certainly willing to do so, although they currently lack the tools to let their voices be heard in civil society or by policy-makers and businessmen. In this essay, I propose four strategic changes that will strengthen the visibility of Dutch and Flemish social and economic historians as well as their impact on public and private policy-making, namely (1) a diversification of our too narrowly focussed communication strategy, (2) the introduction of ‘duo-jobs’ which allow combining academic work with a career outside academia, (3) an increased cooperation with the business world and (4) the creation of a Centre of Expertise that builds bridges between academic and non-academic partners.
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