It’s no accident that Barack Obama plucked his transition chief from a think tank. The world’s idea factories are charged with brainstorming solutions to everything from global warming to Wall Street’s implosion to the war on terror. In the first index of its kind, FP ranks the world’s best think tanks.
In Washington, it’s not for
nothing that think tanks are called “governments in waiting.”
Presidents seek them out because they are critical to the global ideas
industry. Far more than simply churning out endless papers, think tank
wonks generate and fine-tune solutions to some of the most complex and
vexing issues of the day. Leaders around the world need them to provide
independent analysis, help set policy agendas, and bridge the gap
between knowledge and action.
But not all think tanks are created equal. There are some 5,500
think tanks worldwide, in nearly 170 countries. Some organizations
specialize in security; others in the environment. Some are intensely
partisan; others fiercely independent. Some have budgets in the tens of
millions of dollars; others are one-person operations. Some are already
changing the world with their big ideas; others merely aspire to.
Until now, there has been no guide to this rapidly growing global
industry. The Think Tank Index is the first comprehensive ranking of
the world’s top think tanks, based on a worldwide survey of hundreds of
scholars and experts. Think of it as an insider’s guide to the
competitive marketplace for ideas that matter.
The Think Tank Field Guide
As think tanks have grown in number and influence, a handful of
distinct breeds have emerged. Here’s a guide to telling the wonks from
the water carriers.
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The Policymakers
These organizations enjoy a competitive advantage over their rivals
when it comes to government contracts and research. They have the
know-how and PR skills that ministers, bean counters, and bureaucrats
seek.
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- Rand Corporation, United States
- Urban Institute, United States
- Overseas Development Institute, Britain
- Fundação Getulio Vargas, Brazil
- Institute for Research on Public Policy, Canada
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The Partisans
These ideology-driven organizations generate the leading ideas on
the right and left, develop new political talent, and offer a home to
out-of-power party leaders.
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- Heritage Foundation, United States
- Center for American Progress, United States
- Adam Smith Institute, Britain
- Civitas, Britain
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The Phantoms
Designed to look like NGOs, these organizations are in fact arms of
the government. They’ve emerged as a favorite strategy for
authoritarians to mask their diktats as flourishing civil society.
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- China Development Institute, China
- Institute for Democracy and Cooperation, Russia
- Center for Political Studies, Uzbekistan
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The Scholars
The stars of the think tank world, these powerhouses of policy are
regularly relied upon to set agendas and craft new initiatives.
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- Brookings Institution, United States
- Council on Foreign Relations, United States
- Chatham House, Britain
- Danish Institute of International Studies, Denmark
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The Activists
These do-gooders don’t simply advocate for important causes.
They’ve become top-notch policy and research hubs in their own right.
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- Human Rights Watch, United States
- Centre for Conflict Resolution, South Africa
- Amnesty International, Britain
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