Why Think Tanks Matter to Policy Makers and the Public in the US: Research with Rigor, Relevance and Reach

This year’s Go To Think Tank Index Launch marks the ninth annual event organized by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania to acknowledge the important contributions of think tanks worldwide. The theme of this year's launch of the Go To Index is: Why Think Tanks Matter to Policy Makers and the Public. Hundreds of think tanks and other civil society actors in approximately 50 countries and 70 cities will produce a series of coordinated events that are intended to highlight the important role think tanks play in governments and civil societies around the world.

Our initial effort to produce a global ranking of the world's leading think tanks in 2006 was in response to a series of requests from donors, government officials, journalists, and scholars who wanted the TTCSP to identify the leading think tanks in the world. Since its inception, our objective for the Global Go To Think Tank Index report has been to gain a better understanding of the role think tanks play in governments and civil societies. Using this knowledge, we hope to help enhance the quality, capacity and performance of think tanks around the world.

We are pleased to report that 4,677 journalists, policy makers, think tanks and public and private donors from 143 countries participated in this year’s ranking process. Last year’s edition of the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report was downloaded over 175,000 times from March 1, 2015- December 31, 2016 and there are now 47,000 individuals that follow the annual ranking process.