Search the site:
Support us

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!

Please subscribe to On Think Tanks. The suggested contribution is GBP5.00 per month and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contribute Monthly

Alternatively, please send us a donation of any amount you think is appropriate

Donate

For alternative ways to support us, or if you would like to read about our strategy and find out more about On Think Tanks, please visit the support section of the website.

series

MEL for think tanks

This series includes six articles addressing different aspects of monitoring, evaluation and learning for think tanks including the challenges and possibilities of MEL, MEL of research quality, communications, and governance, and a case study of an MEL design process for think tanks. The series was edited by Dena Lomofsky.

  1. 1

    Monitoring, evaluation and learning for think tanks

    Challenges and possibilities of monitoring, evaluation and learning in think tanks Measuring the results of the work of think tanks poses many challenges; the results are often intangible –for instance, building strong relationships with policy makers, or playing a key role in a policy... Read full article
  2. 2

    The Research Quality Plus (RQ+) Assessment Framework

    The Research Quality Plus (RQ+) Assessment Framework is a recent contribution to the quest for improvements in the assessment of research quality. We designed the framework based on our extensive experience in research evaluation in different parts of the world, which convinced us that a... Read full article
  3. 3

    Monitoring your communications: try this

    Monitoring and evaluation – M&E, or MEL as it has come to be known, the ‘L’ standing for learning – has a bad reputation. It’s difficult. It’s boring. Pulling all the information together takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Plus, we only do it because there’s a board meeting coming up or... Read full article
  4. 4

    MEL of governance for think tanks

    Research and communication tend to receive more attention than governance and management when it comes to the study and support of think tanks. Yet, without sound governance and management, think tanks cannot deliver their missions.  As pointed out by Andrea Moncada and Enrique Mendizabal in... Read full article
  5. 5

    Monitoring, evaluation and learning in a South African think tank

    I recently had the opportunity to work on a project that involved the development of a monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) system for a project called Global Economic Governance Africa (GEG Africa), which at the time was being implemented by a highly regarded think tank, the South... Read full article
  6. 6

    Series on MEL for think tanks: conclusion

    This series included 5 articles about the MEL of think tanks. The series began with a discussion by Dena Lomofsky of the challenges and possibilities of monitoring, evaluation and learning in think tanks. We all recognise that the MEL of policy influence is particularly tricky because... Read full article