On Think Tanks 2017 Annual Review: Credibility
The 2017 OTT Annual Review is a compilation of articles written by over 20 authors, both from within the OTT team and from external collaborators. More than a view into our year, it is a...
Featured Articles
Media for think tanks: four ways to make it work
Communicating your research to the public is important – and we know that the media can help you do that. But your research is not going to captivate the media right away. Journalists...
Policy engagement online tool for IFAD country programme
The International Agricultural Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) – an international financial institution – is increasingly attempting to...
Searching for sustainable funding models: lessons from OTT’s support to Latin American think tanks
Funding is a key concern for think tanks. It affects organisational sustainability, the way people work and the type of research that can be conducted. In the long-term,...
Think tanks and elections: strategies to raise the quality of democracies
Elections are critical milestones for democracies. They can mobilise entire nations. For think tanks, elections are also important, and often, busy periods....
Managing a global, multidisciplinary team: challenges and opportunities
OTT Consulting Ltd was set up in early 2017. It acts as OTT’s consultancy arm, allowing our international team of experts to deliver advice and support to our...
Communications as a sign of respect for knowledge
I was struck by Soapbox's work with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to modernise their communications. As I watched the new brand design take shape in a series of short animations...
Featured Interviews
Salai Ngun Lian Sang, Executive Director at the Centre for Development and Ethnic Studies
Salai Ngun Lian Sang is the Executive Director of the Centre for Development and Ethnic Studies (CDES). CDES is an independent think tank and study centre founded in 2012...
Dr. Shamika Ravi, Director of Research at Brookings India
Dr. Shamika Ravi is the director of research at Brookings India and a senior fellow of governance studies program, at Brookings India and Brookings Institution Washington...
Dushni Weerakoon, Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies
Dushni Weerakoon is the executive director of the Institute of Policy Studies in Sri Lanka. Dr. Annapoorna Ravichander, editor at large for South Asia at On Think Tanks,...
Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive of the Centre for Policy Research
Yamini Aiyar is the president and chief executive of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) in India. Dr. Annapoorna Ravichander, editor at large for South Asia at On Think...
Dr. Khalida Ghaus, managing director of the Social Policy and Development Centre
Dr. Khalida Ghaus is the managing director of the Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC). Dr. Annapoorna Ravichander, On Think Tanks’ editor at large for South Asia...
Rethinking the business model: the case of Espacio Público
When asked, think tanks all over the world identify funding as one of their biggest concerns. In some parts of the developing world, think tanks have been witness to the...
Featured Resources
Managing consultants on think tank research projects
Raymond Struyk, author of Improving Think Tank Management, writes about how organisations can best manage individual consultants engaged to carry out major tasks largely independently,...
Communications monitoring, evaluating and learning toolkit
This toolkit provides a framework to think about communications monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), and provides example questions, indicators and tools to do...
Structuring off-site staff trainings
Raymond Struyk, author of Improving Think Tank Management, writes about staff training needs to address staff turnover, particularly at the junior researcher level and among lower level support staff and, in some...
Donors’ best financial practice in granting to think tanks
Raymond Struyk, author of Improving Think Tank Management, writes about think tanks' indirect costs and how sponsors are often reluctant to pay for them as part of their grant funding....
Ensuring you are hiring qualified research staff: Guarding against CV padding
Raymond Struyk, author of Improving Think Tank Management, and Tatiana Polidi, Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Economics in Moscow, write about good practices in credential...
Good think tank practices for archiving research projects
Raymond Struyk, author of Improving Think Tank Management, writes on the topic of archiving key products and background materials for research projects. Based on discussions with those with...
Featured Initiatives
Featured Announcements
New Transparify Report: Canadian Think Tanks Lagging Behind
Which Canadian think tanks are transparent about who funds them? Which lag behind their peers in Canada? And how do Canada’s think tanks compare to those in other countries when it comes...
Convocatoria para la Serie de Documentos de Trabajo de On Think Tanks
On Think Tanks, la Universidad de Bath y la Universidad del Pacífico se han asociado para producir una serie de Documentos de Trabajo (Working Papers) centrados en el estudio de think tanks...
Call for Expressions of Interest for capacity development of Myanmar’s think tanks
IDRC's new programme to support think tanks in Myanmar is open for applications. Eligibility This call is open to independent policy research institutions (“think tanks”), based...
Election time: how can think tanks help?
In 2014 On Think Tanks embarked in a study of Latin American experiences of think tanks seeking to contribute to the electoral processes in their countries. This effort was consolidated in the publication Think Tanks...
Call for papers for the On Think Tanks Working Paper Series
On Think Tanks, University of Bath and Universidad del Pacífico have partnered to produce a series of Working Papers focused on the study of think tanks to give new researchers a chance to...
Think 20 Summit: Young Global Changers Scholarship Programme
The Think 20 Summit GLOBAL SOLUTIONS is committed to involve the views and ideas of the next generation into global problem-solving. To do so, we encourage the most promising talents to...