{"id":6297,"date":"2018-08-07T01:00:26","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T06:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/\/"},"modified":"2018-08-06T14:18:02","modified_gmt":"2018-08-06T19:18:02","slug":"indian-think-tanks-the-challenges-they-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/indian-think-tanks-the-challenges-they-face\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian think tanks: the challenges they face"},"content":{"rendered":"

Due to the nature of their work and the fact that their main client is the government, Indian think tanks face several challenges to continue their work and to ensure they continue to engage with policymakers.https:////onthinktanks.org//articles//more-research-and-less-activism-for-think-tanks-in-india// \">+<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the article Why think tanks struggle in India<\/em> (2013),http:////www.firstpost.com//india//why-think-tanks-struggle-in-india-800929.html \">+<\/span><\/span> Goyal and Srinivasan demarcate some areas considered as challenges for think tanks in India. These include insufficient funding, lack of skilled staff, and limited support from the government.<\/p>\n

While there is a general understanding of the challenges think tanks face, there is not a lot of literature available on these. This analysis is based on the scant literature available, discussions with relevant sources and my own analysis.https:////onthinktanks.org//articles//are-south-asian-think-tanks-ready-for-some-fundamental-changes// \">+<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Funding support<\/h2>\n

Several think tanks in India are facing a funding crisis. Funding is often allocated to a particular aspect and does not cover operational costs such as human resources, communications and visibility activities. Think tanks also find it difficult to develop their own research agendas, as funding is almost always tied to particular research projects. Fortunately, several donors have begun to work as partners to think tanks, allowing them to use core grants freely and effectively. This has not only helped several think tanks focus on specific research topics- it has allowed them to take big steps in identifying challenging and topical issues which respond to the needs of the country.<\/p>\n

Funder-led research agenda<\/h2>\n

Many think tanks face the challenge of complying with the needs of a funder or donor agency when designing their research agenda. This means that, often, research projects are prioritised either based on the funding received for a particular project, or on available funds (which is often rare). A lot depends on the requirements of a donor agency rather than what a think tank wants to research.<\/p>\n

Need for appropriate staffing<\/h2>\n

Lack of funding directly affects human resources. Think tanks with limited funding have to settle with hiring staff who may not have the required background or who are not qualified to conduct rigorous research.<\/p>\n

In some cases, think tanks are commissioned by the government to conduct studies. For example, the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) works on projects that are of great importance to both the national and state governments. Public Affairs Centre (PAC), a think tank based in Bengaluru, works closely with the state government. As a result, staff hiring is planned to accommodate project needs and leaves no budget for training and staff development. This results in interrupted staff development plans, capacity building activities and strategies to retain staff for longer terms.<\/p>\n

When it comes to staff retention, think tanks face other challenges as well. The emergence of research labs and Research and Development (R&D) set-ups in corporate and niche private organisations offer researchers better and more stable employment opportunities. This results in high rotation of staff, influencing the quality of the research produced.<\/p>\n

Lack of high-quality research<\/h2>\n

Given the nature of the work of many think tanks in India, they often interact with various departments in the government and access to data is important for some of the research they conduct. Many of these organisations depend on government departments for their data, which can be a cumbersome process. Several government departments are wary of sharing data and this hampers the quality of their research. This has now reduced considerably due to the Rights of Information Act (RTA), which allows a citizen to request information from a government department, but access to the data is still a cumbersome process.<\/p>\n

The lack of appropriately trained and experienced staff also hampers the quality of research. To address this, some think tanks have capacity building workshops focussed on some of the basic skills to enhance the research quality.https:////onthinktanks.org//articles//a-south-asian-perspective-on-the-challenges-of-hiring-and-retaining-talent-for-think-tanks// \">+<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stakeholder dynamics<\/h2>\n

Most think tanks are actively working with different stakeholders who can influence what research the organisation conducts. In some cases, an amalgamation of academia, think tanks and government join to work on a common project. However, the uniqueness of the working models of each of these actors sometimes lead to long and overly complicated processes.<\/p>\n

Funding challenges and difficulties<\/h2>\n

There has been significant reluctance from the Indian government and industry to support think tanks. In an editorial in 2010, Anshu Bharadwaj, the executive director at CSTEP, mentioned the following reasons for the lack of government support:<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeking government support is hard for most TTs, for several reasons. First, there is a lack of confidence in the abilities of TTs to make high-quality and relevant contributions. Second, there is often mistrust about their ideology and agenda. Finally, even if the government is convinced to engage with a TT, complicated rules and procedures come in the way of providing the desired level of financial support.\u201dhttp:////www.business-standard.com//article//opinion//anshu-bharadwaj-in-support-of-indian-think-tanks-110122600029_1.html \">+<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hence, the Indian think tank ecosystem has been nurtured significantly by foreign funders. In India, think tanks are required to complete legal formalities to receive foreign funding. Unfortunately, this is not happening across all organisations and, as a result, they miss out on potential funding from foreign agencies. From a legal perspective, Indian think tanks and foreign funding agencies operating in India need to abide by two important legislations:<\/p>\n