Information on think tanks

Directories of International Think Tanks

• A comprehenisve description of the international think tank landscape can be found in James McGann[1]. McGann counts more than 6500 think tanks[2]. The web-based directory of think tanks can be accessed here thinktanks.fpri.org
  

McGann released a report in which he lists all those think tanks worldwide which he considers influential. Here the link to the latest ranking by McGann from 2009: World Rankings of Think-Tanks with Dr. James G. McGann (United Nations University)[3] [www.fpri.org/research/thinktanks/mcgann.globalgotothinktanks.pdf]

• A bibliografical project listing publications by a selection of international think tanks can be looked at Global Think Tank Watch (Global Security Reseach Institute der Universität Keio, Japan)
• Lists of international think tanks with links to their websites (if existing) are accessable at:
  • Worldpress
  • Wikipedia:List_of_think_tanks
• The Japanese National Institute for Research Advancement compiled NIRA's World Directory of Think Tanks. It was started earlier than the above mentioned but is not up-to-date anymore (last up-date: 2005)[4]
• The Observatoire Français de Think Tanks Observatoire Français de Think Tanks so far has documented only 27 institutes. But it provides a journal and extensive background information on the think tanks.

Directories of European and German Think Tanks

• Notre Europe provides a list of European think tanks [5], and according reviews [6]
• Daniel Florian's directory of German and European think tanks, which derives from his bachelor thesis includes 151 German [7] and 72 European think tanks [8]. He provides brief information about type (advocacy or academic), size, and issues addressed by the think tank among others:

Thinktank-Directory additionally you can find there a weblog with current background information: [9]

• The German Goethe-Institut keeps record of German academic and mostly public funded think tanks, which is thematically organized: Tanks: Deutschland denkt
• Scattered information on French free-market libera and their management can be researched here [www.wikiberal.org/ wikiliberal] und liberpedia.
• The German Journal on political consulting Zeitschrift für Politikberatung first appeared in 2008. Every now and then the journal publishes an article on think tanks, e.g. the self-portrayal of the Council on Public Policy but also analytical contributions.

Subject Classification

• Think tanks focussing on international relations/foreign policy: Ediplomat:Think Tanks
• economic issues oriented think tanks: Economics Departments, Institutes and Research Centers in the World

and a ranking of economic think tanks:

• Top 25% Think Tanks, as of April 2010
• Think tanks on environmental politics, e.g. the Ecologic Institute Ecologic; also see McGann's presentation on think tanks focussing on environmental issues: The Earthly Truth: Analyzing the Nature of Environmental Think Tanks
• Analyses about the Global Development Network on development policy: GDNet – discussing my findings on GDNet

Critique of PR and manipulative activities of Think Tanks and disclosure of their funding offer the following organizations

• Spinwatch, see also [10] and Sourcewatch observe and interpret the activities of conservative and free-market liberal think tanks as part of an PR industry that represents and disseminates ideas of privatization, cutback of the welfare state, and general deregulation.
• insmwatchblog observes activities of the German initiative on a new social market economy - Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM).
• Mediamattersaction focusses on and documents how conservative and free-market liberal think tanks are funded (mainly by U.S. foundations and corporations).
• Transparency unthinkable? - this article by the NGO Corporate Europe, although from 2005 still relevant, elaborates on the fact that there is still an information gap on how European think tanks are funded.

• On questions of lobbying and transparency see also the European Transparency Initiative [11] and its lobbyist register [12]. And last but not least: Lobbycontrol