The report on Global Think Tanks
In spite of the presence of 192 think tanks in India, only some figure among the various categories of think tanks surveyed in this report, and they too not among the top ones.
The top think tank of the year 2011 – the top think tank in the world – is Brookings Institution of the US.
The top fifty think tanks – worldwide (non-US) – include U K 14, Germany 8, Belgium 4, France 2, China 2, Canada 2, Norway 2, Poland 2, Sweden 1, Russia 1, Lebanon 1, Denmark 1, The Netherlands 1, Brazil 1, Australia 1, Azerbaijan 1, India 1, Egypt 1, Indonesia 1, Japan 1, Singapore 1, South Africa 1.
The solitary India think tank is listed number 34 and it is, none of the well known ones such as Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) or Observer Research Foundation (ORF) or Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies (IPCS) or Centre for Policy Research (CPR), but the Center for Civil Society which does not even focus on foreign policy or national security issues.
IDSA, ORF, IPCS and CPR owe an explanation to the people of India as to why, in spite of the transparent procedure adopted by the University of Pennsylvania team which did the research and prepared the report, they failed to qualify for entry into the list of the top 50 think tanks in the world.
CPR (Centre for Policy Research) does figure as number 4 among the top thirty think tanks in Asia, a think tank which specializes in Economics (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations -ICRIER) occupies the 15th place, The Energy Research Institute (TERI) takes the 17th place, the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) the 18th place and Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) the 24th place — in all 5 Indian think tanks figure among the 30 Asian think tanks. The first place is taken by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the second by Japan Institute of International Affairs and the third by Centre for Strategic and International Studies of Indonesia. The Chinese in all have 7 think tanks among the thirty Asian ones, the Japanese 4, Singapore 4, Australia 2, Korea 2, Malaysia 2, Indonesia 1, Taiwan 1, Uzbekistan 1, Bangladesh 1.
Surprisingly, neither IDSA nor any other Indian think tank figures in the list of top fifty security and international affairs think tanks, worldwide — US 18, UK 4, France 4, Germany 3, Belgium 3, China 2, Norway 2, the Netherlands 1, Sweden 1, Brazil 1. Korea 1, Indonesia 1, Australia 1, Poland 1, Singapore 1, Japan 1, Jordan 1, South Africa 1, Russia 1, Spain 1, Israel 1.
Of the top thirty international development think tanks, one is from India — Center for Development Alternatives, Ahmedabad, which ranks # 34.
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore is # 19 among the top thirty environment think tanks in the world.
Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi which specializes in economic and social development, surprisingly, figures under top thirty health policy think tanks and it holds, obviously an error, both ranks 25 and 29.
Not a single Indian think tank is counted among the top thirty domestic economic policy think tanks.
India Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) is placed # 25 among the top thirty international economic policy think tanks.
Centre for Policy Research (CPR) is part of a list of top thirty social policy think tanks, ranking # 27. A think tank each from Bangladesh, Peru, South Africa and Singapore rank above CPR.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), # 16, and the Telecom Center of Excellence (TCOE), # 30, figure among the top thirty science and technology think tanks. India has many other excellent scientific and technological think tanks. It is not clear why none of them made it to the list.
Development Alternatives, # 22, and Common Cause, # 28, are among the top thirty transparency and good governance think tanks.
Development Alternatives, again, ranks # 23 among the 30 think tanks with the most innovative policy ideas/proposals.
No Indian think tank figures as part of the 20 best new think tanks (established in the last 18 months).
Again, not a single Indian think tank is included among the 30 think tanks worldwide with outstanding policy-oriented public policy research programs.
Even more distressing for a software giant, no Indian organization figures among the 30 think tanks with the best use of the internet or social media to engage the public.
Development Alternatives of India is the only one and counts as # 30 among the 30 think tanks with the best use of the media (print or electronic) to communicate programs and research.
Again, Development Alternatives at # 21, is the only Indian organization to be counted among the 30 think tanks with the best external relations/public engagement programs.
To its credit, but otherwise not really much of an achievement for India’s think tanks, Development Alternatives ( the sole Indian think tank) ranks at # 44 to figure among the 50 think tanks worldwide with the greatest impact on public policy (global). Does that mean Indian policymakers pay no attention whatsoever to the work done by think tanks such as IDSA, ORF, ICRIER, CPR and IPCS?
Of the 30 best university affiliated think tanks (global), not one is from India.
Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) is # 20 among the 30 best government affiliated think tanks, Congressional Research Service of the US secures the first place. Four Chinese think tanks are on this list with ranks #s 12, 17, 18 and 21.
No Indian organization figures among the 30 best worldwide party affiliated think tanks. Indian political parties no doubt do not need think tanks to advise them on what they focus on, viz. fissiparous issues!
Finally, one Indian institution figures among the 15 top think tanks with annual operating budgets of less than $5 million USD — Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) at # 15. IRADe of New Delhi “conducts research and policy analysis and connects various stakeholders including government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), corporations, and academic and financial institutions. Its research covers many areas including energy & power systems, urban development, climate change & environment, poverty lleviation & gender, food security & agriculture, as well as the policies that affect these areas”.
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