In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Samar Verma speak with Min Zar Ni, a PhD student at the University of Southern Denmark and former Deputy Director of Research at Myanmar’s Centre for Economic and Social Development, about how Myanmar’s political upheaval has reshaped the country’s think tank and policy research landscape.
The discussion explores how think tanks have shifted from direct policy influence and stakeholder engagement toward documenting realities and providing analysis with limited outreach, alongside challenges such as safety risks, polarisation, constrained dialogue, weakened long-term donor support, and the loss of talent as researchers leave the country.
About the guest:
Min Zar Ni Lin is a doctoral student in the Global Sustainable Production section at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Until early 2024, he served as the Myanmar Team Leader for the Efficient and Sustainable Apparel Myanmar (ESAM) project of SDU. This hands-on initiative aimed to support garment factories and their workers in Myanmar by enhancing productivity and improving occupational health and safety (OHS) conditions in the workplace. Prior to this, he worked as the Deputy Director of Research at the Centre for Economic and Social Development (CESD) in Myanmar.
About the podcast:
OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research.
This episode is part of On Think Tanks’ broader collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar-II (K4DM-II) initiative, which aims to strengthen Myanmar’s policy research ecosystem and support think tank leaders operating in complex and high-risk environments. As part of this project, IDRC supports Myanmar think tank professionals’ participation in the School for Thinktankers, On Think Tanks’ flagship leadership and capacity development programme. Their engagement contributes to a longer-term effort to preserve leadership capacity and institutional knowledge, and to ensure that Myanmar’s think tank community is prepared to contribute to future policy and development opportunities as conditions evolve.
About On Think Tanks:
On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all.