Think Tank Initiative gives US $ 21 m to 16 NGOs
The Think Tank Initiative (TTI), a partnership of major donors, has
awarded 21 million US Dollars in grants to 16 independent policy
research institutions in South Asia.
The long-term funding will help strengthen the think tanks role as
influential players in national policymaking in the region.
According to State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology
Minister Prithviraj Chavan, this kind of support is long overdue in
India.
While a lot of exciting things are happening with science and
technology in India, almost nothing is happening in social science
research and the creation of more high quality policy research
organizations, said the Minister. So I must compliment the Think Tank
Initiative for selecting these sixteen organizations and help to
increase their ability to deliver.
The participants reflected on innovations and challenges in the South
Asia policy research environment and engaged with an audience that
included members of the research, donor, media, and policymaker
community in Delhi and representatives of the 16 institutions that are
part of the South Asia Think Tank Initiative.
The Think Tank Initiative is a multi-donor program dedicated to
strengthening independent policy research institutions in the developing
world.
Managed by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC),
it is a partnership between IDRC, the William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for
International Development and the Netherlands Directorate General for
International Cooperation.
The Initiative supports 52 think tanks in 23 countries in South Asia,
Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa with a total investment of US$ 65
million.
The 16 think tanks from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka were acknowledged at a launch ceremony last week. IDRC's Regional
Director based in Delhi Stephen McGurk, British High Commissioner to
India Sir Richard Stagg and the Canadian High Commissioner-designate to
India Stewart Beck made welcoming remarks at the event.
The Initiative provides predictable core funding to the think tanks,
which no longer have to rely on short-term project grants and
consultancy contracts to operate.
This stable funding will help them to attract, retain and build local
talent as well as develop an independent research program.
They can also invest in outreach to ensure that research results are
used in policy debates. In the panel discussion following the
announcement, Arun Maira of the Planning Commission, noted this critical
function.
Merely having good quality research and outputs is not sufficient to
influence policy, he said during the panel discussion, there needs to be
a connection between those who do and those who think to make change
happen."
Zhang Linxiu also spoke of the importance of truly engaging with
policy makers, seeing them as allies and not obstacles. Her own
institution the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy has had a
significant impact at the policy level.
For the last two years, the Centre and its small faculty of 15 have
had more policy recommendations directly endorsed by senior Chinese
leadership than any other institution in the Chinese Academy of
Sciences. We always collaborate with policymakers, even when we
criticize them, said Linxiu, we are always looking for a better avenue
where we can walk together.
Nandan Nilekani mentioned several challenges for policy research
institutions, including the difficulty of attracting top talent in a
competitive environment. He also emphasized the need for think tanks to
have a strategic vision and to maintain their independence from both
government and the private sector, while encouraging the free flow of
ideas.
He called the initiative a seminal moment, adding that the challenges
the region will face in the next 40 years will require a huge amount of
strategic thinking and policy formulation. Never before has the role of
think tanks been so vital in this process.
To close the panel, moderator Rukmini Banerji urged the audience not
to neglect the importance of improving the quality of education at lower
levels. Otherwise, people will not be equipped to use the research
produced by the think tanks.
"There is no point in having answers if you don't have questions, she
said.
"We have to have a culture in which you ask questions and are
encouraged to look for answers so that young people become thinkers."
The 16 institutions that were announced on Saturday are:
Bangladesh
Institute of Governance Studies (IGS) Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)
Nepal
Institute for Social and Environmental Transition-Nepal (ISET-N)
India
Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS)
Public Affairs Centre (PAC)
Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)
Institute of Rural Management (IRMA)
Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS)
National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)
Centre for Policy Research (CPR)
Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA)
Institute of Economic Growth (IEG)
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)
Pakistan
Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC)
Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI)
Sri Lanka
Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS)
Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA)
New Delhi, India
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