India has 268 think tanks but only six in top 150

Six Indian think tanks figure among the top 150 global think tanks, according to the "2013 Global Go To Think Tanks Report" of Pennsylvania University's Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme (TTCSP). At 268, India had the fourth largest number of think tanks after the US 1828, China 426, and United Kingdom 287.

The seventh annual 2013 Global Think Tank Index, considered the most comprehensive ranking of the world's top think tanks was released here last week at a media event in Washington DC, hosted by the World Bank.

Regional events also took place in over 30 global cities to announce the report, which was translated into 13 languages including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish.

"In the world filled with tweets and sound bites that are often superficial and politically charged, it is critical to know where to turn for sound policy proposals that address the complex policy issues that policymakers and the public face," said James McGann, director of the programme.

"This Index is designed to help identify and recognize the leading centres of excellence in public policy research around the world."

The Brookings Institution ranked top of the Global Think Tank list for the sixth consecutive year. It was followed by Chatham House (United Kingdom), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (US), Centre for Strategic and International Studies (US) and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden).

India's Centre for Civil Society (CCS) ranked 50th on this list. It was followed by Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) (102); Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) (105), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (107); Observer Research Foundation (114) and Development Alternatives (140).

America's Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) was ranked top among Defence and National Security Think Tanks. It was followed by RAND Corporation (US) and International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (UK).

Three Indian think tanks figured in this category. These were: Institute of Defence Studies & Analyses (38), Centre for Land Warfare Studies (48) and Observer Research Foundation (52)

Brookings Institution (US), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (US) and Chatham House (CH) (United Kingdom) were rated top three Foreign Policy and International Affairs Think Tanks.

Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies was the lone Indian think tank in this category at 54th spot.

Three Indian think tanks figured among top non-US think tanks. These were: Centre for Civil Society (CCS) (51), Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) (54) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (81).