This is a light version of a think tank awards. Or a version while we develop a model to celebrate the efforts and successes of think tanks and evidence-informed policy practitioners globally.
Every December, I reflect on the highlights of the previous year. I, of course, love the School for Thinktankers and the OTT Conference, which is when I get to meet with the OTT global community in person. It keeps me going for another year.
And I am very proud of the work out team has done on the evidence of evidence use in education and parliaments, the State of the Sector Report and OTT’s Research Support Service.
But I am also lucky to engage with and learn about think tankers and evidence-informed policy practitioners in their own spaces.
This is my list of twenty (20) to watch and learn from. In no particular order. And anyone left out should not read anything into it.
On evidence informed policy more broadly
Spain’s new Oficina Nacional de Asesoramiento Científico (1): The launch of the ONAC was presided by the President of the Spanish Government. It was clearly framed within a science-for-policy paradigm in which policymakers (and politics) are in the driving seat – thus, it is strongly grounded on evidence about the sector. The process of hiring advisors has been very public and open. The Spanish experience offers an opportunity to learn, in real-time, how to design and run a new scientific advisory system.
Policy Unstuck (2): Cast from Clay’s Policy Unstuck series is a pleasure to read. One of those things I wish we had done. An interview series with the people who matter in policy – politicians, policy advisers, public affairs leaders. It is a treasure trove of experience and advice. (Runner up: I put together this page with all the interviews we have done of think tank leaders. I know, I know, it is not fair to choose one of my own.)
Embedding evidence in government: OTT has been involved in long-term efforts to better understand mechanisms to embed evidence use in government, mainly via the model of policy labs (or EdLabs, in education) – most recently in partnership with the Jacobs Foundation.
I’ve been studying Peru’s MineduLab, often hailed as a success story, for years, and our team further explored the literature on evidence use in education and other policy lab cases. This year’s Semana de la Evidencia (another runner-up) featured several events hosted by Evidencia Midis(3) (the division in charge of generating and using evidence in Peru’s Ministry of Development, MIDIS). Unlike MineduLab, Evidencia Midis has survived the rapid de-professionalisation of Peru’s civil service. Instead, it has continued to grow, host annual research competitions for young researchers (which OTT supports), bring research and expertise to the heart of the ministry, and more. (I should note that this does not mean that the Ministry is somehow an island of excellence among the sinking Peruvian government; but Evidencia Midis is). Its secret, among others, is in its story of origin: The organic law that created MIDIS, its DNA, includes a role for evidence and Evidencia Midis. Hence, Evidencia Midis is not an add-on (as most other policy labs are) but an intrinsic part of the organisation.
A focus on how government works rather than just what governments should do (4): It is rare to come across think tanks that do not have an opinion about the latest policy issue and are instead more interested in how the world works or how policy is developed. The Institute for Government in the UK is one. The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection in South Africa is another. I only found out about them recently – so I still have a lot more to learn about them. But I was immediately struck by some of their publications: Why Innovations Live or Die; Youth in South Africa; The Politics of Coalitions in South Africa; Traditional Leaders in a Democracy; and, my absolute favourite: Beyond Tenderpreneurship: Rethinking black business and economic empowerment. Historically, the think tanks that have had the biggest impact are those that learn how to make sense of and explain the world around them. And this demands tackling complex issues in depth. The Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States is another example. CEGIS focuses on how government works, too; and, crucially, at the state level. And the relatively new Chandler Institute of Governance based in Singapore has emerged as a think tank to watch in 2024 especially after a engagement drive in Africa. This kind of work does not attract the attention of many funders (I should know; after all, we study how evidence is generated, communicated and used), but it is crucial. Without it, the best ideas will get nowhere.
Anecdotally, I get the sense that this focus is increasingly popular among new and some older think tanks. These are often led by former policymakers (like Lord Sainsbury, the founder and funder of the Institute for Government, and Sotiraq Hroni, founder and executive director of IDM Albania, below) or philanthropists (like Lord Sainsbury again or the Chandler Foundation) who believe in the need to work with and support government capacity. Concern for the state of politics (greater polarisation, state capture, backsliding on democratic progress, etc.) is turning researchers’ attention towards understanding why and how – rather than what we ought to do. A welcomed development.
On spaces to be in
Tirana 2024 Think Tank Forum (5) and IDM Albania (6): The Tirana Think Tank Forum brought together thinktankers from across the Western Balkans. It offered a nuance reflection on the state of the think tank sector and the challenges that the Western Balkan think tank community faces. It is also a testament of the close and strong relationships that exist between think tanks in the region. Every region needs a space for think tanks to come together. IDM Albania, one of the forum’s hosts, gets its own place in my list. IDM embodies many of the challenges and opportunities that think tanks across the region face. Throughout their 25 years they have learned to play a careful game to remain independent and influential in an increasingly difficult political environment. And this experience is invaluable in hosting a successful forum.
CIPPEC’s annual dinner (7): Every year I get an invite but I can never make it. (I hope they keep inviting me.) But I have watched this event develop from a small dinner to a full-on gala. A celebration of policy ideas that sets the agenda for one of Argentina’s leading think tanks and -possibly- for the broader Argentinean policy research community. The dinner is crucially a fundraising event, but in how it is designed, it offers CIPPEC the chance to take the lead in developing their own agenda. For funders interested in supporting locally developed agendas, I genuinely suggest taking a look.
Book Fairs (8): I have a personal view that book fairs are an excellent space to promote evidence use. We have written about this opportunity with respect to the FIL Guadalajara and FIL Lima. The FIL Guadalajara is the largest in Spanish and includes a whole section focused on political thinking and discussion. Across Latin America, publishers and universities plan their book publications to coincide with the next book fair. Book launches are combined with panels and debates; authors of the most popular books are invited to discuss their ideas on radio, TV and online; and the general public gets to engage of a variety of issues that they would normally not have much a chance to. Book fairs can also make for a great opportunity to convene researchers and policymakers from within a county or region. The fair itself is a good excuse to travel and spend time surrounded by the latest ideas.
The Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative newsletter (9): The TAI Weekly newsletter is a fantastic overview for anyone interested in finding out more about what funders in the broad space of governance and institutional development are interested in. The TAI team does a great job at finding, filtering and amplifying useful content from and for their members. The result is a public good that helps bring the field together – funders, grantees and any interested party. (Runner up: Have you seen OTT’s Research Support Service? We have recently launched a LinkedIn newsletter drawing from the team’s monitoring of thousands of sources on development economics and finance.)
The OTT Conference 2024 (10): Or better yet, the keynotes at the OTT Conference. Liliana Alvarado from Ethos, Tricia Yeoh from IDEAS Malaysia, Elizabeth Siridopoulus from SAIIA, and Ismael Palacín from Fundació Bofill offered a series of masterclasses. Their keynotes set the stage of insightful, nuanced and candid discussions about the ways in which think tanks can connect with and are affected by their surrounding communities. I know I am biased but I know the effort it takes to put together these conferences. A lot goes into defining the issues, co-creating sessions and curating the list of participants.
I was also very pleased that without planning it we were able to make a big difference in the experience of 3 mothers who joined the conference with their children. It was an inclusive event, for sure. (Runner up: there are many other spaces for think tanks and evidence-informed policymaking practitioners to come together. Checkout our calendar of events. Nkafu Policy Institute’s Central African Think Tank Forum , the #SemanadelaEvidencia organised by On Think Tanks and Hub de Evidencias de Latinoamérica y del Caribe – Hub LAC and the new MENA think tank network, promoted by the Middle East Council on Global Affairs and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, launched in 2024 are worth a look, too).
On think tank models
ODI rebranding (11): It is early days (and think tanks can’t be expected to stay still) but ODI Global’s journey from a niche international development UK think tank back in the early 2000s to a global policy and advisory powerhouse is taking shape. As a former employee, I have watched as it tried to figure out its role in a rapidly changing world: no more DFID, the rise of strong Southern-led policy think tanks and networks, new global decision-making spaces, etc. After several changes in direction and some hard decisions, a new ODI has emerged in 2024.
The combination of functions (research and consulting) and locations (London, Brussels and D.C.) offers them an advantage going forward and plenty of learning opportunities for other think tanks.
CEBRI and its new headquarters (12): CEBRI was one of the three co-hosts of the T20 Brasil (all of which are runners-up on my list). CEBRI’s new headquarters in Rio made me re-think my vision of think tanks without bricks and mortar. In a world where polarisation (or aggressiveness in politics and policy) seems to on the rise there is value in the physical space as a means to make connections and bring people together. (Runner up: Fundació Bofill’s social hub is of course another great example of this.)
Fundació Bofill’s social hub (and so much more) (13): Fundación Bofill, a local think tank in Barcelona, hosted the 2024 OTT Conference and will host the OTT School for Thinktankers. It also hosts civil society organisations in its Hub Social, a co-working, networking and catalytic space in the heart of Barcelona. If there ever was a think tank connected to its community, this is it. The journey for Fundació Bofill has only just started. The space is growing, organisations are queuing up to join, and there are plenty of opportunities for further collaboration between them, with the host think tank and other stakeholders. This model is perfect for think tanks and universities with the space and an interest to establish connections with others and with their communities. It puts Anne-Marie Slaugher’s Change Hub model into practice.
Internationalisation (14): Many think tanks are reflecting on their geographic and political focus and have concluded that they need to internationalise. For many reasons, their counties are too small for their ambition, there is a limited availability of resources at the local level, they have closed and closed civic spaces, there is a need for international action, personal preferences, etc. We have developed a short workshop to help think tanks decide why they want to internationalise and how they wish to go about it (there are many ways to do it – so get in touch if you’d like to talk).
After delivering the workshop for ACED we embarked on a longer process to help them develop a new internationalisation strategy. This was in 2023. However, since then, it has all been down to ACED’s leadership and team. Throughout 2024 they have delivered new projects and sub-regional and regional conferences (including the 300+ person Transforming Evidence Network conference in Cape Town supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts) that have positioned them as a regional player.
After the Open Society Foundations’ retreat from direct long-term support to local sister foundations and historically supported civil society organisations in Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, the South Caucasus and Central Asia, many have scrambled to figure out what to do next. CAPS Unlock was OSF’s local foundation in Almaty. After careful consideration it transformed itself into a think tank (think tank do tank) with a regional focus. In a few months, it has established partnerships with European and US-based organisations, hosted multiple regional events and projects and positioned itself as a regional player. (Runner up: In Cameroon, the Nkafu Policy Institute is not only playing a similar role but is also investing in developing the capacity of the local and Central African think tank community. More to come!).
On impact
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 (15): At OTT we have documented the role of tank tanks around elections. They play crucial roles in framing the debate and ensuring that political parties and candidates are well-informed. They can even inform the plans of newly elected governments. But they often fall short of the next crucial step: how to implement those plans? The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 offers recommendations as well as a roadmap to deliver them and the means to do it. You may not agree with their policy proposals, but this is certainly an opportunity to learn – adapt, and replicate. Democrats and liberals are taking notice, as Politico reported. I hope this does not turn into an arms race for increasingly polarised government blueprints, but I certainly hope it inspires others to pay more attention to how to bring about change.
All philanthropy is political (16): This article by Laurence Tubiana is not the only thing I have read about this issue in 2024 (we also have produced research and a series on political philanthropy through government advice and have been working with foundations supporting governments by embedding education policy labs, EdLabs) but it is maybe the best written – or the most straight to the point. All philanthropy is political. I don’t necessarily agree 100% with Tubiana’s call to embrace this and intervene – always (this is implied). Philanthropy must recognise it is political so it can make a judgement about when it should intervene and how, and when it should shy away, and how. Both, of course, are political acts. And it must recognise it is political to hold itself to account as a political actor; which it doesn’t currently do.
On the future
More equitable partnerships (17): It was a pleasure to be part of the T20 and witness the (apparently) seamless collaboration between the Brazil (2024) and South African hosts (2025). The T20 has been led by Southern think tanks for 4 years in a row (Indonesia, India, Brazil and South Africa). There isn’t a T20 page (we are building one) but I think this is a space that can illustrate how organisations can collaborate with each other without the Southern or Northern label and in generally equal terms. CEBRI, IPEA and FUNAG were fantastic T20 co-hosts.
I am looking forward to the T20 in South Africa and collaborating with its co-hosts.
The next generation (18): The Building for the Future initiative at OTT is working with student-led think tanks in Europe (but we want to extend it to other regions). The initiative aims to support their development and encourage more open and inclusive policy reflection. It has also opened the door to the fascinating and promising world of student-led think tanks. In 2024 we supported 3 think tanks: The Security Distillery, The Wilberforce Society and the York Student Think Tank. Their leaders have hosted international events (often travelling to meet with think tanks in other regions) and attended the OTT School for Thinktankers and the OTT Conference. In 2025, we will be supporting Warwick Think Tank (UK), STEAR Think Tank (Brussels and Singapore), Grow Think Tank (France) and EPIS Think Tank (Germany). This is where the future of think tanks is taking shape!
Think tank fighters (19): The resilience of think tankers in conflict zones, fragile states and under significant stress – whether this is in Ukraine, Palestine, Myanmar, Venezuela or elsewhere – never ceases to amaze me. OTT has had the honour to work with thinktankers in PNG, East Timor, Tunisia (shortly after the Arab Spring), Venezuela, El Salvador, Myanmar, Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Georgia, across the Western Balkans and many other countries where bit by bit think tanks are finding it harder to operate.
The 2024 OTT State of the Sector Report found that think tanks in polarised and politically aggressive contexts are finding it much harder to operate.
But this finding falls short of the dramatic personal realities of think tankers living and working in complex circumstances. There are thinktankers in exile or on the move, away from their loved ones, under surveillance from the State; hacked by their governments and corporations; verbally and physically abused by mobs who have been radicalised; and, what is sometimes worse, misunderstood and ostracised by their own families for defending something so basic as the truth.
The future of think tanks and evidence-informed policy depends, to a great extent, on their survival.
And finally
Legacy: I met Diakalia Sanogo (20) when I worked on the evaluation of the SISERA network in 2003. (I also met the fantastic Peter Da Costa in that project.) It was my first proper job in the world of think tanks and evidence-informed policy. Diakalia would always mention the evaluation whenever we met.
Diakalia passed away in 2024, shortly after retiring from IDRC, where he played a crucial role in the development of Africa’s think tank and evidence-informed policy communities.
I was lucky to engage with him continuously throughout the years of the Think Tank Initiative, and he was always supportive of our work: always willing to talk to us, listen to our opinions and recommendations, and challenge us with refreshing wisdom. He was a hugely valuable source of insights, lessons and guidance.
The last time we talked, he said he was planning to found new think tanks in his home country and in the region. I was looking forward to working with him in this new post-IDRC phase.
We draw inspiration from his life and work to pursue our shared mission for better-informed decisions on matters of public interest.