Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
| Abbreviation | TTCSP |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Helping to bridge the gap between knowledge and policy." |
| Formation | 1989 |
Director | James G. McGann |
Parent organization | The Lauder Institute, The University of Pennsylvania |
| Website |
repository |
The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) is a non-profit program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. TTCSP was established at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in 1989.[1] The program is currently under the direction of James McGann, Ph.D., a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, President of McGann Associates, and associate director of the International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania.[2] The program researches, catalogues, and maintains a comprehensive database of approximately 6,300 think tanks from 206 countries and territories.[3]
Program history
The TTCSP was established at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in 1989. It began with its focus on think tanks in the US. In the 1990s the Program became increasingly global as a result of the political and economic transformation that took place in Central and Eastern Europe.[4] Think tanks and other civil society organizations in the West were enlisted to provide aid and to transfer knowledge and provide technical assistance to fledgling democracies and market economies. The work of TTCSP gained the attention of the World Bank. R. Kent Weaver[5] of the Brookings Institution and James McGann of the Foreign Policy Research Institute were asked to help conceptualize what became the Global Development Network, a World Bank sponsored conference in Barcelona, Spain.[6] This was the first global conference on think tanks and resulted in the publication Think Tanks and Civil Societies: Catalysts for Ideas and Action in 2000.[7] In 2008, the TTCSP moved to the International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Program objectives
The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program describes itself as having five main objectives:[8]
- To develop strategies to improve the performance and efficacy of think tanks in creating, sharing and using policy-proposals and to engage policymakers and members of civil society in the process of forming policy.
- To create a virtual global think tank that will allow collaboration, sharing information, and the transferring policies and policy proposals between institutions.
- To promote constructive debate and analysis on policy issues through a global community that builds on existing local and regional networks.
- To find, research, and share strategies and technologies that facilitate collaborative work and information sharing among public policy research organizations and other institutions around the world.
- To promote interdisciplinary dialogue among think tanks, policymakers, and members of civil society to explore how the sustainability of think tanks can play a crucial part in civil societies.
References
- ↑ Foreign Policy Research Institute, "Think Tanks and Foreign Policy Program", 2001-2010, "Source 1", 6 July 2010
- ↑ Foreign Policy Research Institute, "James McGann", 2001-2010, "Source 2", 6 July 2010
- ↑ International Relations @ UPenn, "2009 Global Rankings of Think Tanks", 2010, "Source 7", 6 July 2010
- ↑ Foreign Policy Research Institute, "Selected List of Publications", 2001-2010, "Source 5", 6 July 2010
- ↑ Brookings Institution, "R. Kent Weaver", 2010, "Source 3", 6 July 2010
- ↑ Global Development Network, "Global Development Network (GDN): Background and History", 2010, "Source 4", 6 July 2010
- ↑ Foreign Policy Research Institute, "Selected List of Publications", 2001-2010, "Source 5", 6 July 2010
- ↑ Foreign Policy Research Institute, "Program Objectives", 2001-2010, "Source 6", 6 July 2010
External links
- Think Tanks and Civil Societies Website
- - provides information on the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), including scholar bios and works published.
- - provides information on the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, including history and background, program goals, research priorities, and publications.
- - a biography of James McGann, Director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program.
- - a biography of R. Kent Weaver, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution
- - provides information on the Global Development Network, including its mission, history, research priorities, and publications.
- - provides comprehensive information on the International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania
- James G. McGann (Director) (January 28, 2013). "The Global Go To Think Tank Report, 2011" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- James G. McGann (Director) (February 4, 2015). "2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report". Retrieved February 14, 2015.