May 22
Foreign funders need proof of their grantees' influence because they do not know enough about their political contexts. If think tank funders were less like risk-adverse tourist and more like local politically engaged citizens they would not demand impact evaluations and complicated indicators of influence. But to avoid this, funding needs to be local.
Calls for new think tanks in Africa are getting more common. But while some see an opportunity for supporting the formation of several think tanks others favour large national Brookings-style centres. One big one or a few small ones?
Donors are always keen to fund organisations working in 'networks' or 'partnerships' but are not willing to support the long and unpredictable processes that lead to their formation. The Chilean Government, not strange to innovation in the field of research, has launched a competition to do precisely that: support links between Chilean and foreign centres.
Think tanks are too passive when it comes to the design of initiatives intended to support them. Funders and contractors treat them as recipients of Aid and think tanks let this happen. Instead, they should take the initiative and improve their negotiation position by developing, in collaboration with others, their own support plans.
What is the future of think tank communications? IPPR, ODI, the Social Market Foundation and the Economist come together at an event in London to try to address this. The report of the event in itself is a perfect example of what can be done with very little effort -but careful planning.
Strategic plans are useful for think tanks. They offer a direction of travel, a clear sense of how the centre plans to contribute to their society, and therefore an excellent opportunity to assess that contribution. But these plans do not need to be terribly complicated and 100 pages long. Here is a rather simple template.
Force Field Analysis can be used to plan, monitor and evaluate the decisions made by think tanks involved in influencing interventions. It provides the user with intervention options, rich information about the context, and a good sense of progress. An excellent tool for ex-ante evaluations.
Should think tanks charge for content as an approach to increase and diversify their revenue sources? Maybe -or maybe not. But it might be worth exploring what models are out there and how they could be adapted for think tanks. One in particular, the live-gig model offers them a chance to raise income and reach key audiences.
Think tanks can be used to reach out to the middle classes and the general public, too. It is not just a matter of influencing high level policies and policymakers. This education function, however, could be achieved by supporting the development of a more diverse and dynamic research and policy community.
Some funders are pouring money into a few think tanks in developing countries. But little is being done to improve the environment in which they work (and will work). Central to this is the development of spaces in which ideas as presented and discussed, in public, by researchers, analysts, and experts.
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