Membuat think-tank, bukan septic tank

NIRA's World Directory of Think Tanks: Introduction: "Think tanks are one of the main policy actors in democratic societies. Think tanks could be regarded as the intellectual and knowledge-based 'soft infrastructure' of the policy community, assuring a pluralistic, open and accountable process of policy analysis, research, decision-making and evaluation."

Lagi mengumpulkan bahan untuk tulisan tentang "think-tank", ini artikel dari Jepang, terkait dengan salah satu index yang kelihatan paling lengkap di dunia mengenai keberadaan think-tank. Bagaimana mengembangkan lembaga sejenis di Indonesia dengan kinerja yang baik serta reputasi internasional yang memadai.

Nah mencari jalan pengembangan lembaga seperti ini merupakan kegiatanku pada beberapa hari mendatang.

"Think tanks have definitely become one of the fundamental factors in policy process in democratic societies. As shown in the table, policy institutes were constantly established in Asia and Western Europe in the latter half of the century. By contrast, in Eastern Europe, the number of think tanks increased from 1980s, and particularly in the 1990s. Many well-known US institutes, such as the Brookings Institution (1916) and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1914), date their origin to the beginning of last century, but the US policy community as a whole, as the number of establishment increased, considerably expanded after the 1970s. In the 1960s, the term "think tank" was used for contract research organizations, such as the Rand Corporation, but the meaning was expanded to take in public policy research institutes by the 1970s. The year 1970 could be regarded as the turning point for think tanks on both sides of the Pacific Ocean."
http://www.nira.go.jp/ice/nwdtt/idx1/intro.html

"The characteristics of think tanks are diverse and they differ extensively in their organizational status, stated missions, funding source, number of staff (Figure 2), research style, output and operation. Although many institutes in the world have learned from traditional US institutes, they have developed their own styles and frameworks suitable to dealing with the policy process and government system within their own countries." link

"Analyzing network types, Raymond J. Struyk, a senior fellow of the Urban Institute, has identified eight management tasks for think tank networks to ensure successful operation. They are: 1) inspiration, organization, initial funding; 2) balancing consultation with their objectives; 3) ensuring funding; 4) maintain "structured informality"; 5) membership determination; 6) agenda determination; 7) motivating participation in network activities; and 8) promoting coherence. It is hard work to successfully manage think tank networks, given that managers have to balance several competing interests, and it is therefore anticipation that networks will generate both advantages and disadvantages. Their endeavors will certainly make some networks cutting edge leaders, which will provide guidelines for policy network operation.

With the increasing understanding of the key issues for think tanks- transparency, diversification and pluralism - the concept of networks will become more influential. These networks will not only be global, but also potentially regional, domestic and local. Networks are loose structures of cooperation, debate and information exchange, but are relatively independent of the policymaking powers. They do not severely restrict their participants or members. Freedom in networks will ensure transparency and diversity, and knowledge and opinions are essential to promoting policy debates. Network alliances will help to increase the degree of pluralism.

Informal networks will be able to support the accumulation of policy knowledge in the formal policy arena. As mentioned above, many global public policy networks have emerged over the last decade, and they aim to fill in gaps in the formal policy process. The formal process requires the involvement many actors including international organizations, lengthy discussions, numerous participants and tremendous efforts to achieve decision-making. This is because a variety of actors with completely different backgrounds participate, and absolute leadership is not acceptable in the international community.

Face-to-face discussion is sometimes more effective and constructive, supported by everyday discussion or communication by e-mail. 'Network' does not only indicate virtual or Internet-based groups. Certainly, recent advancements in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) will provide more chances for people and researchers to exchange ideas without lengthy flights or costly travel expenses. However, these ICT networks are tools to establish people's policy networks. Knowledge will not be generated by ICT networks, but by networks of people. " link

List lain think tank.

Internet: Think Tanks & Research Institutes
http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/political/links/think.htm

Google Search untuk think-tank

Wuih, repot nih kayanya, baca gak ada habisnya deh.