{"id":2852042,"date":"2025-09-16T06:03:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T11:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/?p=2852042"},"modified":"2025-09-16T13:08:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:08:16","slug":"latin-america-collaboration-and-creativity-to-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/latin-america-collaboration-and-creativity-to-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Latin America: Collaboration and creativity to impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

As in previous years, the State of the Sector survey, conducted by OTT, provides valuable insights into the trends, opportunities, and challenges facing the think tank sector. This year\u2019s edition shows that think tanks in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are facing challenging times, as the broader political and institutional context is limiting their ability to create significant impact in policymaking. Yet, the results also expose the sector\u2019s strengths and suggest new ways to move forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A challenging context<\/h3>\n

According to the survey, the environment for think tanks in LAC is especially demanding\u2014even when compared to the other four global regions included in the study. In fact, LAC stands out as the region with the most difficult general and regulatory conditions: 53% of LAC respondents report that operating in their country is \u201chard\u201d or \u201cvery hard.\u201d Asia follows closely (48%), while Africa (23%) is seen as the most favourable context for think tanks. Moreover, only 43% of respondents in LAC agree or strongly agree that evidence-based research is highly valued in their countries\u2014placing the region second to last, just ahead of Asia (42%). This likely limits the influence that think tanks in LAC can exert on public policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The political context is no longer encouraging. LAC emerges as the most politically polarised region, with just 18% of respondents saying it is \u201ceasy\u201d or \u201cvery easy\u201d to engage with individuals from different political affiliations. In addition, 69% of LAC think tanks report that political polarization has negatively affected their institutions in the past year\u2014second only to North America. This is striking, especially considering the intense polarisation in the U.S. and the threats posed by the executive orders from its new administration to think tanks and universities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, LAC think tanks are the least optimistic of all regions, with 57% expecting that the political situation will negatively impact their work over the next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where can we build from?<\/h3>\n

Is there anything think tanks in LAC can build on to overcome this complex context? Two findings from the survey suggest possible ways to move forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, think tanks in LAC report a substantial degree of independence, with 67% stating that they can define, conduct, and publish research without external influence. In a context of political polarisation and democratic erosion, this is a precious asset that must be carefully protected. Independence allows think tanks to base their proposals on the best available evidence, free from political or economic pressure. This credibility is essential both for domestic policymakers and international funders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, although the overall value placed on evidence may be low, think tanks in the region report strong receptiveness from the media (63%), the second highest after Oceania. This is a powerful tool for shaping the general opinion. Paired with their independence, effective media engagement can become a transformative force that allows think tanks to shape the public debate and advocate for policy reforms, even in the face of institutional resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Impacting through collaboration<\/h3>\n

A concrete example from Chile may illustrate how political and economic independence, combined with strong media engagement, can drive policy change.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2014 and 2015, Chile faced a series of high-profile scandals involving illegal campaign financing and influence peddling, which triggered a major political crisis. In response, former President Michelle Bachelet appointed an Advisory Commission of renowned experts with the mission of proposing reforms to strengthen Chile\u2019s institutions against corruption. Chaired by Espacio P\u00fablico\u2019s director Eduardo Engel, the Commission produced a consensus-based report with 236 recommendations across 21 thematic areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the challenge remained in transforming these recommendations into effective laws and policies. Political leaders across the spectrum resisted the reforms, motivated by a desire to maintain their own spheres of influence.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this context, Espacio P\u00fablico and Ciudadan\u00eda Inteligente (an NGO focused on democratic strengthening) launched the Anticorruption Observatory to push for the implementation of the Commission\u2019s proposals. A public website was created to track and assess the degree and quality of the proposals\u2019 implementation, using input from a panel of experts.<\/span><\/p>\n

But expert knowledge and independence were not enough, as close collaboration with the media was essential. The press played a key role in holding the Congress accountable, using the Observatory\u2019s data and analysis as a valuable external reference. This joint effort between civil society, the media, and think tanks helped overcome political resistance and resulted in the adoption of measures that, while contrary to the short-term interests of some actors, contributed to building a more transparent political system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creativity is key<\/h3>\n

While this case may not be replicable in every institutional context, it highlights the virtuous cycles that can be created when independent think tanks collaborate closely with the media and civil society to drive positive policy changes. Despite the significant challenges LAC think tanks face, the current context may also present new opportunities to experiment with creative and collaborative approaches. By leveraging their strengths\u2014particularly in independent and media engagement\u2014think tanks in the region can continue to pursue meaningful impact, even in these turbulent times.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This blog is part of the\u00a0State of the Sector 2025 regional analysis series<\/a>, contributed by our partners to share perspectives from their own contexts.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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As in previous years, the State of the Sector survey, conducted by OTT, provides valuable insights into the trends, opportunities, and challenges facing the think tank sector. This year\u2019s edition shows that think tanks in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are facing challenging times, as the broader political and institutional context is limiting their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[353,194,335,181,3600],"class_list":["post-2852042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-collaboration","tag-latin-america","tag-policy-influence","tag-politics-and-context","tag-state-of-the-sector-report","article-types-case-study","people-benjamin-garcia","series-state-of-the-sector-2025","theme-communications","theme-understanding-think-tanks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2852042","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\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2852042"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2852042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2852469,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2852042\/revisions\/2852469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2852042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2852042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}