Strengthen evidence-based policy making
Payment and independence: does a client relationship with government inhibit ‘think-tank’ criticism?
How independent are think tanks?
Authors:
O. I b e a n u
Publisher:
South African Institute of International Affairs, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), 2008
This paper analyses the relationship between privately and publicly funded policy research institutions ('think-tanks') and government, and the extent to which that relationship may change commensurate with the extent of government funding. It investigates the extent of the real or notional independence of think-tanks, drawing on the Nigerian experience.
The paper argues that a transactional approach is necessary to understand the relationship between think-tanks and government, and identifies various intervening variables necessary for understanding the nature and level of think-tank independence. The author suggests that:
- Think tanks with a track record of independence, access to external or corporate funding and a professional approach, and those producing high-quality output, or work that fills a special niche, are unlikely to curtail their criticism in spite of their position as clients of government.
- Those which focus on material of a political and ideological nature are more vulnerable than others
- The more political the content, the more likely it is that government will interfere in their work and that they will moderate their criticism.
- The more technical the focus of a think-tank’s work, the less likely it is that government will interfere and that the institution will moderate its criticism.
These variables require close analysis in order to understand the nature of the relationship between the institution’s independence and its sources of funds.
The paper concludes that generalised, stylised views of the relationship, which suggest a clear and direct link between government support and the objectivity of think tank output, are not necessarily wrong but they are inadequate.
