Policymaking
Think tanks aim to influence policy by providing expertise grounded in evidence and analysis and introducing new ideas into the policy process. They also work to raise awareness of their work. Think tanks collect, synthesize, and create information products for political and bureaucratic audiences, as well as the media, interest groups, businesses, international civil society, and the general public[1].
How think tanks influence policies
Think tanks pursue policy influence in a number of ways:
- Informing Policy Think tanks offer easily digestible outputs aimed at policymakers who want evidence to make policy. They act as brokers of policy knowledge, centers of research, and incubators of new ideas. They convert multidisciplinary theory and empirics into insights and recommendations packaged to inform and meet decision-makers’ needs[2] [3].
- Facilitating Discussion Think tanks can play a central role as reform leaders in young democracies and emerging markets by raising awareness of key economic issues, initiating discussion, and showing policymakers a way forward. They encourage public debate and facilitate exchanges of ideas[4].
- Providing alternative solutions Think tanks contribute to the policymaking process using their evidence-based research experiences and providing actionable recommendations4. Recommendations become useful if they are presented so that a government can understand and take action immediately. They provide alternative policy solutions, supported by evidence[5] [6].
- Agenda-setting Think tanks are understood as "policy entrepreneurs" who are likely to have influence during problem framing, the search for policy solutions, and the promotion of specific solutions to policymakers and the public[7].
- Monitoring and evaluation Think tanks monitor and evaluate the effects of policies and government programs[8].
Think tanks Challenges with Policymaking
Think tanks face challenges such as a shrinking space for independent research, difficult funding environments, and an "epistemic crisis" involving a loss of faith in experts and information overload. However, this crisis also presents an opportunity for think tanks to act as curators and filters, helping policymakers decide which information and policy expertise to use[9].
References
- ↑ How Think Tanks Measure Their Effectiveness and Impact, Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://gppi.net/assets/Bressan_Hoxtell_2023_Whose-Bright-Idea-Was-That.pdf
- ↑ The role of think tanks. (n.d.). Center for International Private Enterprise. Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://www.cipe.org/reports/how-to-guide-for-economic-think-tanks/the-role-of-think-tanks/
- ↑ Pautz, H. (2020). Think tanks and policymaking. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1420
- ↑ The role of think tanks. (n.d.). Center for International Private Enterprise. Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://www.cipe.org/reports/how-to-guide-for-economic-think-tanks/the-role-of-think-tanks/
- ↑ The role of think tanks. (n.d.). Center for International Private Enterprise. Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://www.cipe.org/reports/how-to-guide-for-economic-think-tanks/the-role-of-think-tanks/
- ↑ What makes a policy work and how can think tanks support this? (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://onthinktanks.org/articles/what-makes-a-policy-work-and-how-can-think-tanks-support-this/
- ↑ Pautz, H. (2020). Think tanks and policymaking. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1420
- ↑ The role of think tanks. (n.d.). Center for International Private Enterprise. Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://www.cipe.org/reports/how-to-guide-for-economic-think-tanks/the-role-of-think-tanks/
- ↑ Pautz, H. (2020). Think tanks and policymaking. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1420