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On Think Tanks was founded in mid 2010. It has evolved from a blog into a global platform dedicated to study and support policy research and policy research centres, or think tanks. The members of the On Think Tanks Team and its Advisory Board are spread out across 6 continents!

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series

The future of think tanks in Africa

This series is based on a series of interviews and discussions with thinktankers in Nairobi in 2015 as well as contributions from various authors in the continent. While not obviously representative of Africa as a whole, it draws from one of the most active think tank communities (in Kenya) to connect to other developments in the region. The series addresses, above all, new forms of think tank formation and the use of new research, communication, and management tools. If you would like to add your views to this series, please get in touch.
  1. 1

    The future of think tanks in Africa: Trends to look out for

    This is the first of a series of posts on think tanks in Africa -and Kenya in particular. It looks at some trends that may help to understand the future that think tanks face: is the space for debate opening or shrinking? is authority being challenged? are there new players to look out for? Read full article
  2. 2

    3 more lessons from working with African think tanks

    Richard Darlington argues that 4G will usher the future of think tank communications in Africa. It will accelerate the data revolution in Africa and help think tanks tell, and sell, their own stories. Read full article
  3. 3

    Gilles Yabi from West Africa Citizen Think Tank

    Gilles Yabi, founder of West Africa Citizen Think Talk, talks about his personal and professional motivations for setting up this new think tank. The interview also discusses the main problems that countries from Francophone Africa face in formulating effective public policy, and the role think tanks can play in this process. Read full article
  4. 4

    Cheikh Oumar Ba, Executive Director of the Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale (IPAR)

    Dr. Cheikh Oumar Ba discusses the current trends, main challenges and prospects of Senegalese policy research. He talks about the role of new thinktankers and funding (and the role of funders) in shaping the future of think tanks. Read full article
  5. 5

    Djibéry Doucoure and Mohamed Fadel Ball, from Mauritanie Perspectives

    With less than four million inhabitants, widespread illiteracy and a long history of authoritarian rule by military strongmen, Francophone Mauritania seems an unlikely breeding ground for think tanks. But when the country held its first think tank summit earlier this year, seven different organisations were present. One of them was Mauritanie Perspectives. Till Bruckner spoke with their chief administrator and project manager for this new entry on African think tanks. Read full article
  6. 6

    How to break through the glass ceiling: supporting a new generation of think tanks and thinktankers

    In this post, part of a series based on interviews and visits in Kenya, I share two possible ways for international funders to support the emergence of new thinktankers and think tanks in developing countries. Read full article
  7. 7

    Creating an enabling environment for philanthropy through tax incentives

    For all the talk about how the context affects think tanks we know little about philanthropy in developing countries and its role in supporting think tanks. A recent study of tax incentives for philanthropists in Kenya offers an opportunity to reflect on the matter. Read full article
  8. 8

    Strategies to increase women in higher education leadership in public universities in Uganda

    The effort to address women's continuous under-representation in leadership positions in universities and research is a matter of principles, but also a way to address large losses for higher education institutions, as women's abilities are being under-used. This blog post summarises the findings of a study presenting strategies to increase women's participation in positions of leadership in public universities in Uganda. Read full article

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