2014-global-go-to-think-tank-index-22012015_1

destruction, pandemics, and terrorism. In recent years, a number of global think tanks (Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace and the International Crisis Group, for example) have
emerged in order to address global issues and serve a global audience of policymakers.
Additionally, there is an ever-increasing presence of newly founded think tanks in emerging
markets. 115 African think tanks are becoming more numerous, for example, though this is not to
say that they are free of challenges. Many do not have a platform to set their own agenda. They
are usually funded by foreign and international agencies and lack adequate funding to engage in
long-term research programs, which effectively impinges upon their capacity to provide longterm
policy prescriptions. Scholar Hussein Elkamel also underscores the difficulties experienced
by African think tanks with respect to capacity building and independence, as well as challenges
that result from being established within a fragile marketplace. 116 In light of these challenges,
many suggest that think tanks throughout Africa ought to aim to establish domestic funding, as
well as to invest in communication strategies in order to more efficiently articulate research
findings to policymakers. It is also important, many scholars contend, that such think tanks
collaborate and build alliances with other think tanks – in the global North and South – in order
to share best practices. Digital communication strategies are likely to facilitate and proliferate
this spirit of cooperation and partnership. 117
Numerous think tanks are trying to cultivate stronger ties to counterpart organizations within
their region and around the world. The emergence of regional economic alliances – largely the
result of global interdependence – has created a new network of regionally-oriented policy
institutions. But these organizations tend to be the same ones that find it difficult to compete with
the highly specialized organizations with a clear market niche and constituency.
XII. Leadership and Managing Tensions: An unprecedented number of think tank executives
are retiring or stepping down. Many of these leaders founded and/or led the think tanks for many
years, so the impact and transitions are likely to be problematic. Leadership in a non-profit think
tank is different from ownership of a for-profit organization. There are no actual shares or
stakeholders. When that happens they become known as quasi owners, or “spiritual owners.” The
degree of ownership is in relation to the amount contributed, which incurs the problem of how to
retain the talents and resources through a leadership transition. Often high-profile, well-respected
leaders “outperform their own organizations” in readership: Augustin Etchebarne, leader of an
Argentinian think tank, has 33,000 Twitter followers, while his think tank has only 8,000. 118 The
loss of such prolific leaders could reduce the audience that think tanks are able to reach. Key
institutions like RAND, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Urban Institute, and the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars have all seen leadership changes in recent
115 The Economist. "Emerging Markets: The Rise of Emerging-market Think-tanks."Economist.com. The
Economist Newspaper, 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
116 Hussein Elkamel, A presentation on Nov. 2010.
).
117 Enrique Mendizabal, How a digital strategy can enhance think tank management, research and
communication Onthinktanks.org. June 21, 2012
118 See Note 6
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