{"id":1461,"date":"2013-07-03T13:41:08","date_gmt":"2013-07-03T18:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/\/"},"modified":"2016-01-21T13:42:56","modified_gmt":"2016-01-21T18:42:56","slug":"how-does-the-context-affect-think-tanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/how-does-the-context-affect-think-tanks\/","title":{"rendered":"How does the context affect think tanks?"},"content":{"rendered":"
The\u00a0Think Tank Initiative<\/a>\u00a0has been (and is) very interested in finding out\u00a0what is the relationship between think tanks\u2019 context and their performance and effectiveness<\/a>. This is a question that has come up twice in the last year: as part of its mid-term evaluation and now in the form of a new project dedicated to this. And it is a question that is asked quite a lot in different fora.<\/p>\n I have been asked to provide some ideas on how to go about addressing this and, in the spirit of this blog, I will do so publicly. Also, because writing helps me to make sense of some of my ideas. And, taking some advice on previous blog posts that have been a bit too long, I’ll split my opinions in three posts:<\/p>\n I should also note that if you would like to add your own views about this question: what is the relationship between think tanks and their context? then feel free to do so. I am sure that the TTI’s research project, as well as this blog, will benefit from your insights and experience.<\/p>\n There are several \u2018temptations<\/strong>\u2019 that one has to avoid when delving into this subject.<\/p>\n First, one must try to avoid the very easy assumption that democracy leads to more and stronger think tanks. I would accept that democracy contributes to a more sustainable think tank community (with fewer risks and dangers for think tanks and think tankers) but not that it is the cause of think tanks\u2019 existence. If it were, then there would be no think tanks in\u00a0China<\/a>,\u00a0Vietnam<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Chile<\/a>. And let’s be honest, how many countries can really call themselves a \u2018democracy\u2019?<\/p>\n So democracy can be a driver but its absence isn\u2019t a reason to assume an absence of think tanks.<\/p>\n A second temptation to avoid is to argue that economic liberalisation is critical factor. It can help, just like democracy, but it is not necessary. In fact, in both cases, the existence of think tanks can lead to both political and economic liberalisation.<\/p>\n I would argue, then, that any efforts to try to link good governance indicators to the number or some measure of think tanks\u2019 health are, well, a slight waste of time. But donors (and international development consultants and researchers), specially the ones that have to work across the world like clear-cut rules and frameworks.<\/p>\n No clear-cut relation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In general, what we should be avoiding is the temptation to search for and claim clear-cut relations that will apply to all think tanks everywhere. This is impossible for at least two reasons:<\/p>\n It is easy to look for\u00a0grand regional or national traditions of think tanks and rational explanations for why a think tank is like it is.<\/a>\u00a0But in my experience, functions and forms of think tanks all over the world are more the consequence of a myriad of interconnected and historical factors and decisions that cannot be explained by simple rules. But if the rules are too complicated, well, what would be the point? Maybe it would be better to focus on finding out what ‘may affect’ think tanks and help the think tanks themselves to understand how those factors work and affect them.<\/p>\n A fourth temptation to avoid has to do with the manner in which the impact of the context is assessed. In the current TTI project, the consultants will be looking for contextual explanations to think tanks\u2019 performance and effectiveness. But these two words, performance and effectiveness, ought to be treated with care.\u00a0 Three reasons for this:<\/p>\n\n
Democracy is not always a cause<\/h2>\n
Economic liberalisation is not always a cause<\/h2>\n
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Be careful when choosing the dependent variables<\/h2>\n
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