Developing Think Tanks Abroad

Think tanks serve an essential role in our democracy by encouraging research and cultivating information for the public, policymakers, and different parts of society. Think tanks represent one of the best sorts of influence-peddling in politics by harnessing expertise in the private sector and academia to change society and bring to light issues that the government has neglected or is unaware of.  Think tanks encourage debate, the exchange of ideas, and offer solutions to a country's most urgent problems. Think tanks are not without their downside as they are subject to ideological influence through their leadership, employment or funding, however even with this taken into account they still provide an essential role in allowing civil society and public engagement with government to thrive.

With think tanks having such an important role, particularly in democracies, then why do so few countries have them? The United States accounts for around half of the world's think tanks, with Western Europe (particularly the U.K., France, and Germany) accounting for more than a quarter of the remaining think tanks. China and India also make a good showing on the list of think tanks, however much of the rest of the world have few or no think tanks. This is concerning, particularly for states in South America, Asia, and Africa which have many of the world's most fragile democracies. The U.S. and Western Europe should take greater pains to facilitate the development of think tanks abroad when looking at development and strengthening democracies. Engaging in the development of think tanks is not without risk, as many countries would view foreign influence in the development of national think tanks as pernicious. However, by a careful and transparent implementation process, we can make efforts to reduce the negative reaction this might cause in other countries.