In this conversation on Navigating Noise, Adrian Pabst explored a fundamental tension in contemporary politics: the disconnect between high-level policymaking and local realities. Drawing from his experience at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, Pabst argued that we need to move beyond the false choice between pure idealism and fatalistic realism. Instead, he suggested we focus on understanding and aligning interests that aren't currently working together - capital and labor, young and old, different regions within countries.