Call for 2013 Nominations
April 5, 2013
Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
635 Williams Hall
255 South 36th Street
Philadelphia, USA 19104-6305
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
As we prepare for the 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report we are seeking
your help in identifying qualified individuals to serve on the EXPERT PANELS for
the 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Indexing (aka ranking) process.
The Expert Panel Nominations survey can be accessed by using this link: —————————————————
All nominations will be treated as strictly confidential and must include the name, title,
affiliation and email address for each nominee.
Nominations are due on May 15, 2013
Copies of the 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Index can be downloaded at: http://
repository.upenn.edu/think_tanks/7/
Think tanks can update their institutional profile at http://www.gotothinktank.com/tank-
directory/update-tank-info/ By doing this you ensure that we have the most up-to-date
information on your organization.
Thanks in advance for your participation!
Please note: If you do not wish to receive further emails from us, please click the link
below, and you will be automatically removed from our mailing list: http://
www.surveymonkey.com/optout.aspx
All the best, Jim McGann
Copy of March 25, 2013 call for nominations letter
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
As we prepare for the 2013 Global Go To Think Tank rankings process, we are
seeking your help in identifying qualified individuals to serve on the Regional,
Functional, and Special Areas of Distinction EXPERT PANELS for the 2012 Global
Go To Think Tank Index.
RE: First Call Expert Panelist for the 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Index
Dear Friend and Colleague:
The Expert Panelist nominees should possess in-depth knowledge of national and
regional think tanks and/or be a functional areas expert in one or more of the areas
listed below and/or be able to evaluate a think tank’s performance in the specialty areas
listed below.
Expert Panelists are responsible for maintaining the quality and integrity of the
rankings process. No meetings with nominees are required and the reviews are
conducted via email. The members of the Expert Panels will be expected to help solicit
and review nominations in their area of expertise and assist with the final stage of the
ranking process. The Expert Panelist’s nominations and rankings are strictly
confidential.
Current Expert Panelists include journalists, policymakers, academics, public and
private donors, and policy-oriented civil society organization every region and most
countries in the world.
We particularly encourage nominations of experts from the following regions: Asia,
Eastern and Central Europe, Central and South Asia, Africa and Latin America. We are
also looking for experts in the following functional areas: Science and Technology,
Health, International Development, Education and Energy and Resource Policy and all
of the Specialty Categories listed below.
We also seeking your feedback on the Global Go To Index categories, selection criteria
which are provided below and any suggestions for overall procedural improvements.
You are encouraged to make nominations in all categories where you can recommend
qualified candidates. Nominations can be made below in the following categories:
GLOBAL GO TO THINK TANK INDEX REGIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL
CATEGORIES AND PANELS
1. Regional Expert Panels
a. United States
b. Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean
c. South America
d. Middle East and North Africa
e. Sub-Saharan Africa
f. Western Europe
g. Central and Eastern Europe
h. East Asia
i. South and Central Asia (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
2. Functional Research Area Expert Panels
a. International Development
b. Health Policy
c. Environmental Policy
d. Security and International Affairs
e. Domestic Economic Policy
f. International Economic Policy
g. Social Policy
h. Science and Technology Policy
i. Transparency and Good Governance
j. Energy and Resource Policy (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
k. Education Policy (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
3. Specialty Categories
a. Best Think Tank with a Budget under $5 Million USD
b. Best New Think Tanks (last 24 months)
c. Best Independent Think Tanks (financially, structurally, and legally independent of
government and political parties) (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
d. Think Tank with an Exemplary Policy-Oriented Public Policy Research Program
e. Best Use of the Internet and Social Media to Engage the Public
f. Best Use of the Media (Print or Electronic) to Communicate Programs and Research
g. Best External Relations/Public Engagement Program
h. Best Advocacy Campaign (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
i. Best Policy Study Produced by a Think Tank 2012-2013 (NEW CATEGORY IN
2012)
j. Most Significant Impact on Public Policy
k. Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals
l. Best University-Affiliated Think Tanks
m. Best Government-Affiliated Think Tanks
n. Best Political Party-Affiliated Think Tanks
o. Best For-Profit Think Tanks (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
p. Think Tank to Watch 2013 (NEW CATEGORY IN 2013)
q. Best Think Tank by Country (NEW CATEGORY IN 2013)
GLOBAL GO TO THINK TANK INDEX RANKING CRITERIA
The Peer Institutions and Expert Panel members who participant in the indexing
process are expected to use the following set of 18 criteria when nominating and
ranking the think tanks. We encourage your suggestions and comments for how we
might improve the criteria in advance of the 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Index
which will begin in the late summer of 2013.
- Direct relationship between organization’s work in a particular area and positive
changes in societal values, such as significant changes in quality of life within
respective country (amounts of goods and services available to citizens, state of
physical and mental health, quality of environment, quality of political rights, access
to institutions);
- Publication of the organization’s work by peer reviewed journals, books and other
authoritative publications;
- Ability to retain elite scholars & analysts;
- Access to elites in the area of policymaking, media and academia;
- Academic reputation (formal accreditation, citation of think tank, publications by
scholars in major academic books, journals, conferences and in other professional
publications);
- Media reputation (number of media appearances, interviews and citations);
- Reputation with policymakers (name recognition with particular issues, number of
briefings and official appointments, policy briefs, legislative testimony delivered);
- Level of organization’s financial resources (endowment, membership fees, annual
donations, government and private contracts, earned income);
- Organization’s ability to meet the demands of those that fund it or to meet the
goals of its respective grant-making institution;
- Organization’s overall output (policy proposals, publications, interviews,
conferences, staff nominated to official posts);
- Number of recommendations to policymakers, staff serving advisory roles to
policymakers, awards given to scholars;
- Usefulness of organization’s information in advocacy work, preparing legislation or
testimony, preparing academic papers or presentations, conducting research or
teaching;
- The organization’s ability to produce new knowledge or alternative ideas on policy;
- Ability to bridge the gap between the academic and policymaking communities;
- Ability to bridge the gap between policymakers and the public;
- Ability to include new voices in the policymaking process;
- Ability of organization to be inscribed within issue and policy networks;
- Success in challenging the traditional wisdom of policymakers and generating
innovative policy ideas and programs.
Please note: If you do not wish to receive further emails from us, please click the link
below, and you will be automatically removed from our mailing list: http://
www.surveymonkey.com/optout.aspx
I encourage you to submit any additional comments and suggestions you might have to
me at gotothinktank2013@gmail.com. To learn more about the Think Tanks and Civil
Societies Program visit our website at: www.gotothinktank.com
Thanks again for your continued interest and support.
All the best,
James G. McGann, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, International Relations Program
Director, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
University of Pennsylvania
635 Williams Hall
255 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6304
Email: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu
IR Web site: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/irp/
TTCSP Web site: http://gotothinktank.com
