‘Think tanks need to be relevant in crises’

LAHORE: Think tanks need to produce topical, timely, and user-friendly analysis in the right form and right hands, and at the right time to remain relevant in an increasingly noisy and challenging operational environment, a statement said on Thursday.

This consensus came to fore in a virtual dialogue organised by the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Institute under the CAREC Think Tank Network (CTTN) to encourage regional perspectives and raise the critical role of think-tanks in bridging the gap between knowledge and policy.

CAREC is an inter-governmental forum representing 11 countries - Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The think tanks represented at the dialogue included Center for China and Globalization, PRC Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Japan, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan, Economic Research Institute, Mongolia, Centre for Economic and Social Development, Azerbaijan, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, and the CAREC Institute, PRC. According to participants, the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered many crises, including large-scale social, economic, health, and livelihood challenges.

Dr Nella Hendriyetty, Senior Capacity Building and Training Economist at ADBI, Japan, highlighted the role of think tanks like influencing and shaping policy agendas in countries and globally.

Hendriyetty informed the moot they also provide and construct ideas and evidence-based assessment for the ideas and policies and highlighting this role of think-tanks during the pandemic.

Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri who heads SDPI, Pakistan's premier policy research think-tank, since 2007, said Covid provided new online platforms, which enabled them to virtually engage experts and decision-makers alike.