ORF, IDSA among top 10 think tanks in Asia: Report

Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) have been ranked within top 10 think tanks among key Asian countries, at 5th an 7th positions, respectively, in the latest Global Go To Think Tank Index Report.

Prepared annually by the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania, the countries ranked in this category included China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, besides India. The first rank in this category was retained by the Korea Development Institute.

The other Indian think tanks in category included the Centre for Civil Society (15th), the Delhi Policy Group (17th), Centre for Policy Research (18th), the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Icrier, 21st) and Gateway House (26th).

Also finding a place in the rankings were the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS, 36th), Development Alternatives (29th), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI, 34th), the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS, 38th) and Vivekananda International Foundation (42nd).

The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University

of Pennsylvania conducts research on the role policy institutes play in governments and civil

societies around the world. The latest ranking marks the 10th anniversary of the report.

"As part of the nominations, all 6,846 think tanks catalogued in the Global Think Tank Database were contacted and encouraged to participate in addition to over 4,750 journalists, policymakers, public and private donors, and functional and regional area specialists," the institute said.

The ranking came under a host of categories such as foreign policy and international affairs, education, best management, use of internet, innovation, collaborations, energy, environment, economic policy, health and social policy.

While ORF was the most featured Indian think tank across categories, appearing at 26 places in the rankings, IDSA and Gateway House had nine appearances each, while TERI figured in eight places.

--IANS

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