Jun 17
In this thoughtful post for the Supporting Think Tank Series, Ajoy Datta recalls and reflects on his experience in Vietnam. This think piece shows how even small misunderstandings can have critical consequences on the outcome of an intervention.
In this post, a Policy Analyst working in the Select Committee Office in the UK Parliament argues that to be effective research needs to be done within, and not outside, politics. The art of being political while remaining party neutral is one that has to be mastered by public policy research bodies.
In this third think piece on supporting think tanks, Stephen Yeo critically outlines a not so recent history of initiatives, funds and projects. He identifies a number of compounding challenges: funding, human resources, lack of competition, and leadership. One of the overall results is a limited incentive for transformative change.
In this post on supporting think tanks, Hans Gutbrod argues that supporting think tanks may mean encouraging new functions. Think tanks can make a contribution by generating the data that researchers and policymakers so desperately need.
The Think Tank Fund is changing the way it supports think tanks. Its new strategy will encourage a more mature relationship with its grantees, make it easier to monitor progress, and provide the necessary incentives for think tanks to take their own development seriously. Goran Buldioski, its director, outlines the new model.
How to support think tanks in developing countries? This the question that 5 experts and practitioners have addressed to inform AusAid's evaluation of a couple of pilots intended to inform their new Knowledge Sector Initiative in Indonesia. Join the panel!
Looking at Brookings to argue that we can learn from think tank budgets, and that think tanks should be transparent about their funding.
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.
Developing countries are investing in science and technology - while seemingly neglecting the social sciences.
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?
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