Six Indian policy research centres feature in the 2013 list of the world's top 150 go-to think tanks prepared by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, Pennsylvania. None of them are particularly highly ranked. The same six made it into the 2012 list as well.
Not all these top six think tanks are funded by the government, but they feed government policies to varying degrees. They act as powerful sources of data gathering and analysis so that they can present persuasive points of view to the government and policy influencers. Some of them, such as Development Alternatives, choose to be agents of both research and change.
India ranks fourth in the number of think tanks across the world. The US has 1,828 think tanks registered with the Pennsylvania institute. This is four times as many as China, which ranks second, with only 426 such organisations.
Only Europe- and US-based policy machines feature in the top 10, while the bottom 10 is populated by entrants largely from developing countries. But India doesn't fare much better on the Asia-specific list. It only scrapes in at the bottom of the list of think tanks in China, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Here is a list of India's top six, and what they do.
Centre for Civil Society
Rank: 50
It is focussed on three areas: education, livelihoods and policy reform. Based in Delhi, the public policy think tank has projects around the country. School Choice, a project that works to transform existing schools into reliable institutes of learning, is one of their flagship schemes. Among their more recent achievements was a campaign that resulted in the legalisation of street vendors in Rajasthan.
Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis
Rank: 102
As its name suggests, the IDSA studies defence policies around the world as they relate to Asia. It was founded by union defence minister Yashwantrao Chavan in 1965. The focus is squarely forward-looking and topics range from how to deal with Naxalism to the need for establishing an international code of conduct for space exploration. The IDSA has 34 regular associate and research fellows, many of whom are serving officers in the Indian armed forces.
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
Rank: 105
The ICRIER is one of India’s leading economic policy research centres. It is now affiliated with the World Trade Organisation and it regularly conducts seminars and jointly funds papers with it. It was established in 1981, well before the WTO was even conceptualised. The think tank focusses on liberalisation and trade policy, among other things. Many of its papers are specific to India and South Asia, although the ICRIER does study India’s economic relationship with other countries.
The Energy and Resources Institute
Rank: 107
In a world of rapidly diminishing finite resources, TERI studies less environmentally harmful energy solutions. It was started in 1974, in a move that was prescient of climate change and global warming. While the institute analyses the regular suspects of coal and hydro energy, it also documents cutting edge technology such as nano and micro biotechnology. In 2011, it launched a scheme to use solar power to bring electricity to villages, where women are trained to handle renting solar-powered lamps.
Observer Research Foundation
Rank: 114
Among the ORF’s stated visions is world peace, although it does not put it in exactly those words. Its concerns are as wide as its name suggests. It promotes strategic thinking on an enormous range of subjects, from creating a manual of strategies to prevent nuclear and biological threats, to the role terrorism in maintaining human rights.
Development Alternatives
Rank: 140
In contrast to the ORF, DA has a clear purpose: create eco-friendly sustainable livelihoods for rural people. It promotes decentralisation of the economy and on converting its research into action. To this end, it has five groups under its banner, of which two are non-profit and three are for-profit. These groups together manufacture and distribute solutions for rural entrepreneurship and empowerment.
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Not all these top six think tanks are funded by the government, but they feed government policies to varying degrees. They act as powerful sources of data gathering and analysis so that they can present persuasive points of view to the government and policy influencers. Some of them, such as Development Alternatives, choose to be agents of both research and change.
India ranks fourth in the number of think tanks across the world. The US has 1,828 think tanks registered with the Pennsylvania institute. This is four times as many as China, which ranks second, with only 426 such organisations.
Only Europe- and US-based policy machines feature in the top 10, while the bottom 10 is populated by entrants largely from developing countries. But India doesn't fare much better on the Asia-specific list. It only scrapes in at the bottom of the list of think tanks in China, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Here is a list of India's top six, and what they do.
Centre for Civil Society
Rank: 50
It is focussed on three areas: education, livelihoods and policy reform. Based in Delhi, the public policy think tank has projects around the country. School Choice, a project that works to transform existing schools into reliable institutes of learning, is one of their flagship schemes. Among their more recent achievements was a campaign that resulted in the legalisation of street vendors in Rajasthan.
Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis
Rank: 102
As its name suggests, the IDSA studies defence policies around the world as they relate to Asia. It was founded by union defence minister Yashwantrao Chavan in 1965. The focus is squarely forward-looking and topics range from how to deal with Naxalism to the need for establishing an international code of conduct for space exploration. The IDSA has 34 regular associate and research fellows, many of whom are serving officers in the Indian armed forces.
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
Rank: 105
The ICRIER is one of India’s leading economic policy research centres. It is now affiliated with the World Trade Organisation and it regularly conducts seminars and jointly funds papers with it. It was established in 1981, well before the WTO was even conceptualised. The think tank focusses on liberalisation and trade policy, among other things. Many of its papers are specific to India and South Asia, although the ICRIER does study India’s economic relationship with other countries.
The Energy and Resources Institute
Rank: 107
In a world of rapidly diminishing finite resources, TERI studies less environmentally harmful energy solutions. It was started in 1974, in a move that was prescient of climate change and global warming. While the institute analyses the regular suspects of coal and hydro energy, it also documents cutting edge technology such as nano and micro biotechnology. In 2011, it launched a scheme to use solar power to bring electricity to villages, where women are trained to handle renting solar-powered lamps.
Observer Research Foundation
Rank: 114
Among the ORF’s stated visions is world peace, although it does not put it in exactly those words. Its concerns are as wide as its name suggests. It promotes strategic thinking on an enormous range of subjects, from creating a manual of strategies to prevent nuclear and biological threats, to the role terrorism in maintaining human rights.
Development Alternatives
Rank: 140
In contrast to the ORF, DA has a clear purpose: create eco-friendly sustainable livelihoods for rural people. It promotes decentralisation of the economy and on converting its research into action. To this end, it has five groups under its banner, of which two are non-profit and three are for-profit. These groups together manufacture and distribute solutions for rural entrepreneurship and empowerment.
