{"id":2837963,"date":"2022-11-18T06:00:21","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T11:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/\/"},"modified":"2022-11-17T21:25:22","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T02:25:22","slug":"think-tank-landscape-scan-2022-ec-brussels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/think-tank-landscape-scan-2022-ec-brussels\/","title":{"rendered":"Think tank landscape scan 2022: EC\/Brussels"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><b>Top take-away:<\/b><\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u2018Brussels bubble\u2019 creates a unique environment; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many think tanks focus on engagement and events rather than deep research analysis<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change happens quickly in Brussels; think<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> tanks tend to be reactive to the day&#8217;s issue and go wherever the money is.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) , is viewed by many as the go-to think tank in Brussels for development policy issues.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1><b>Jump to:<\/b><\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=https://onthinktanks.org/"#overview-brussels\">Overview of the EC\/Brussels think tank landscape<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=https://onthinktanks.org/"#city-context\">City context<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=https://onthinktanks.org/"#think-tanks\">Think tanks characteristics<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=https://onthinktanks.org/"#funding-sources\">Funding sources<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=https://onthinktanks.org/"#demand-evidence\">Demand for evidence and influence on policy and public debate<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1><b><a id=\"overview-brussels\"><\/a>Overview of the EC\/Brussels think tank landscape<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data comes from the <\/span><a href=https://onthinktanks.org/"https:////onthinktanks.org//open-think-tank-directory///"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Open Think Tank Directory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"c-note__icon js-note\" data-note=\". A global collection of think tanks and related organisations. Check to see if your organisation is counted in the Directory. \"><span>+<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Total number of think tanks:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 45<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Average age of think tanks:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 23 years<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Business models:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Non-profit (68.80%), university institute\/centre (4.4%) &amp; for-profit (2.22%)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Top three funding sources:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Multilateral organisations &amp; private sector (48.88%), members &amp; national governments (42.22%) &amp; foreign governments (33.33%)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Date founded:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Most think tanks were founded between 2000 and 2019<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Staff size:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 30% of think tanks have 11\u201320 staff members\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Leader\u2019s gender:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Male (75% ), female (22.5%) &amp; both male and female (more than one person) (2.5%)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Average % of female staff:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 50%<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1><b><a id=\"city-context\"><\/a>City context<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brussels is situated in a unique context given the structure of the European Commission (EC), the services that fall under it and the role played by the EU president.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The think tank marketplace is considered newer, compared to Washington, DC and London, and is mainly targeted at the EU institutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A new president brings new priorities, and under Ursula von der Leyen these have included the European Green Deal, the EU digital strategy, jobs and growth, a stronger Europe in the world, the rule of law, and democracy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the largest donor in the world, the European Union has 79.5 billion euros committed to its international cooperation and development efforts under the Development and International Cooperation Instrument.<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Brussels market varies greatly from others, such as the UK and the Netherlands, given the Brussels bubble and the fact that it is viewed by many as quite elite. The focus tends to be on process rather than content, which makes for complicated procedures and a need to understand how the \u201cmachinery\u201d works.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b><a id=\"think-tanks\"><\/a>Think tank characteristics<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think tanks play an important role in the Brussels landscape, although there are relatively few of them compared to Washington, DC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The think tank business model is challenged by how change happens in Brussels, where think tanks often tend to be reactive to the issue of the day if that is where the money is. This is despite the fact that policy change is, of course, a long-term endeavour.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While many think tanks focus on public engagement and events, it was noted the need to work at the technical, political and diplomatic levels to achieve change,<\/span>\u00a0in addition to a focus on outreach efforts.<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In the EC environment it is essential to remain relevant and demonstrate competitiveness with others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are typically four types of think tank in Brussels: EU policy institutes headquartered in Brussels (funded by EU programmes, private institutions and foundations, and membership fees); branches of American think tanks; internal EU advisory organisations; and think tanks from EU member-states with offices in Brussels (with government funding from other countries). <span class=\"c-note__icon js-note\" data-note=\".&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;\u00a0&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;\u201cResearch and advice in foreign and security policy \u2013 An analysis of the German Think Tank Landscape\u201d, Stiftung Mercator. &lt;\/span&gt;&lt;a href=https://onthinktanks.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/"http:////www.stiftung-mercator.de//en//publications//research-and-advice-in-foreign-and-security-policy//"><span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;www.stiftung-mercator.de\/en\/publications\/research-and-advice-in-foreign-and-security-policy\/&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;\"><span>+<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As seen in the diagram below, the dominant business model for EC think tanks is to be registered as non-profit (77.5%); the Other category likely includes the internal EU advisory organisations and think tanks from EU member-states (15%); while only 5% of think tanks are affiliated with universities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2837967 \" src=https://onthinktanks.org/"https:////onthinktanks.org//wp-content//uploads//2022//09//OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-1.png/" alt=\"\" width=\"639\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-1.png 1437w, https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-1-1024x770.png 1024w, https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-1-768x577.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brussels is seen by some as a think tank \u201cdesert\u201d; it is strong on the institutional side, but less so on the academic or intellectual side. In this landscape the ECDPM is often viewed as the one institution that can be likened to think tanks such as the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the Centre for Global Development (CGD). The Brussels bubble creates a unique environment for the think tanks operating there. Respondents noted that the ECDPM is very strong &#8211; and good at what it does &#8211; while at the same time responding to the dynamics of this system, with the limitations that come with it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The term \u201crevolving door\u201d does not seem to resonate given the context. In terms of networks of influence, the entire Brussels bubble is viewed as one large network of influence. One example of a network of think tanks is the <\/span><a href=https://onthinktanks.org/"https:////ettg.eu//about///"><b>European Think Tank Group <\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(ETTG), which is led by the ECDPM. The ETTG is a network of six leading European think tanks. <span class=\"c-note__icon js-note\" data-note=\". This network includes: &lt;a href=https://onthinktanks.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/"https:////www.die-gdi.de//en//">The German Development Institute\/Deutsches Institut f\u00fcr Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)&lt;\/a&gt;, t&lt;a href=https://onthinktanks.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/"http:////ecdpm.org//">he European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)&lt;\/a&gt;, t&lt;a href=https://onthinktanks.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/"http:////www.realinstitutoelcano.org//wps//portal//rielcano_en">he Elcano Royal Institute\/Real Instituto Elcano&lt;\/a&gt;, t&lt;a href=https://onthinktanks.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/"http:////www.iai.it//en">he International Affairs Institute\/Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)&lt;\/a&gt;, t&lt;a href=https://onthinktanks.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/"http:////www.iddri.org//">he Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations\/Institut du D\u00e9veloppement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI)&lt;\/a&gt; and t&lt;a href=https://onthinktanks.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/"http:////www.odi.org//">he Overseas Development Institute (ODI)&lt;\/a&gt;.\"><span>+<\/span><\/span> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with 350 policy researchers working on EU international cooperation for global sustainable development. The nature of this network allows for linkages between think tanks in European capital cities and those in Brussels, and between the external and internal policies of the EU. Another example of a network operating in this landscape is Eurodad<\/span><b>, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the European Network on Debt and Development, a network of 60 civil society organisations from 29 European countries working for changes to global and European policies, institutions, rules and structures in order to reduce poverty and promote human rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EU has a gender action plan and, as such, quite a few events take place in relation to gender, women, peace and security. <span class=\"c-note__icon js-note\" data-note=\" As an example, the Women in International Security network, under director Dr Corinna H\u00f6rst, regularly hosts activities and gender-balanced policy debates.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;\"><span>+<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On pandemic preparedness, the ECDPM noted that it had recently developed a paper on this topic because there was no one else covering it, despite not viewing itself as a global health organisation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There does not appear to be a great deal of work on the R&amp;D side in relation to health and agriculture. Overall, Brussels think tanks tend to focus on foreign and security policy. Among those surveyed, it was noted that due to the diversity of highly complex issues in this area, good research is best done in alliances and partnerships with African think tanks and other actors. They believe this would help to add value and strengthen the Brussels scene.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b><a id=\"funding-sources\"><\/a>Funding sources<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no one funding model predominant in Brussels; rather, there is a richness and diversity in sources of funding. Many think tanks compete with one another for funding and have to fight to obtain a minimal level of financial support. As a result, many are tempted into becoming consultancies. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As one example of a think tank\u2019s funding sources, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bruegel (further detail below) currently uses a membership and project-based approach to funding; the membership fee is 50,000 euros, which is the highest in town. Uniquely, it also receives funding from European member states, who pay based on population size and GDP, and therefore has direct relationships with governments and ministries (whereas other think tanks typically focus on involving member states through embassies). It also receives funding from central banks and corporations, and claims to maintain independence by not working with other private sector groups. It caps European projects at 15\u201320% of the budget in order to ensure that it is not a \u2018think tank of the EU\u2019. The visual here illustrates the diversity of funding sources based on data from the Open Think Tank Directory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2837968\" src=https://onthinktanks.org/"https:////onthinktanks.org//wp-content//uploads//2022//09//OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-2.png/" alt=\"\" width=\"639\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-2.png 1437w, https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-2-1024x770.png 1024w, https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/OTT_Gates-Mapping_Brussels-2-768x577.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the ECDPM\u2019s case, 60% of its funding is flexible, while 40% is market funding (involving going to tender or working in consortia). It finds this to be a strong balance as the 60% of funding that is flexible allows it autonomy and independence. It claimed that this allowed it to take the initiative to anticipate policy debates while the other 40% can be used to explore other opportunities. In contrast, it noted that many think tanks are not well-balanced and are either overfunded, and not using the money effectively, or are under pressure to get funding and as such become loyal to short-term contracts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b><a id=\"demand-evidence\"><\/a>Demand for evidence and influence on policy and public debate<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brussels think tanks are generally viewed as relevant actors by politicians and policymakers, and as such there is an opportunity for close contact. Most think tanks tend to focus on publications and events aimed at influencing the European debate, and there is typically a positive attitude towards think tanks on the part of EU institutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All major think tanks typically host a large annual conference as a flagship event. Bruegel shared that it focuses on EC trends and publishes memos to the European Commissioners every seven years before final interviews with parliament as a means of trying to set the agenda rather than simply following the Commission\u2019s agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall there <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">were concerns that some think tanks rely too heavily on events; they could as such be viewed as having limited field experience and direct links with policymakers that lead to hollow policy recommendations. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building a critical mass in Europe requires significant levels of engagement as well as analytical depth in the research, and requires going beyond hosting events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That being said, some organisations, such as Friends of Europe, are well-known for their ability to engage individuals like EU officials, diplomats and media representatives at their events. While there was some apprehension that this group might have too strong of an advocacy focus, they can co-exist with those who have different business models and may pursue a stronger research agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Top take-away: The \u2018Brussels bubble\u2019 creates a unique environment; many think tanks focus on engagement and events rather than deep research analysis. Change happens quickly in Brussels; think tanks tend to be reactive to the day&#8217;s issue and go wherever the money is. The European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) , is viewed by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[3291,1049,200,3290,216],"class_list":["post-2837963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-brussels","tag-evidence-and-policy","tag-funding","tag-think-tank-landscape-2022","tag-think-tanks","article-types-research","people-alina-orrico","people-jessica-correa","people-julie-lafrance","people-shannon-sutton","series-think-tank-landscape-2022","theme-funding-and-support-think-tanks","theme-governance-and-management","theme-research","theme-understanding-think-tanks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2837963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837963\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2837963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2837963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}