THE Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and three other local think tanks were deemed among the best in the world and the region by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania.
In the 2014 Global Go To Think Tanks Report, PIDS remained the top social-policy think tank in Southeast Asia and 37th among the top 50 in the world. It was also ranked 69th among the top 80 international development think tanks–one notch higher than its ranking in 2013. Meanwhile, the institute is now part of the 55 top education-policy think tanks in the world at 33rd place.
"Despite having only a handful of researchers compared to other better-endowed research institutes in the region and in the Philippines, PIDS has consistently made significant contribution and influence on Philippine development policy through its active and close collaboration with government agencies, academic and research institutions, and international organizations,” PIDS President Gilberto Llanto said.
Other think tanks in Southeast Asia that made it to the list under these categories were Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI); Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA); Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), which is also in Singapore, and Malaysia’s Centre for Public Policy Studies; and Third World Network.
TDRI ranked 20th among the education-policy think tanks and 66th in the international development think tanks category; SIIA and Third World Network ranked 70th and 72nd, respectively, among the international development think tanks; while ISEAS ranked 41st among the social- policy think tanks.
Meanwhile, three other Filipino think tanks that were deemed among Southeast Asia and the Pacific’s best were the Institute for Strategic and International Studies, ranked 22nd in the region; Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, 28th; and Asian Institute of Management Policy Center, 58th.
The top 5 think tanks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific for 2014 were the Australian Institute for International Affairs; Indonesia’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies; New Zealand’s Centre for Strategic Studies; SIIA; and Australia’s Lowy Institute for International Policy.
The Go To Think Tanks Index is a comprehensive ranking of the world’s top think tanks and has been described as the premier database and measure of world think tanks.
It aims to increase the profile, performance and impact of think tanks, and to create a transnational and interdisciplinary network of centers of public-policy excellence.
Think tanks are public-policy research analysis and engagement organizations that generate policy-oriented research, analysis, and advice on domestic and international issues, thereby enabling policy-makers and the public to make informed decisions about public policy.
For its latest rankings, 6,618 think tanks from 182 countries were invited or nominated to participate in the process.
Established in 1989, the TTCSP aims to acknowledge the important contributions and emerging global trends of think tanks worldwide. Often referred to as the "think tanks’ think tank,” the program maintains a database and network of more than 6,600 think tanks in 182 countries.//
