Appraising the Epistemic Performance of Social Systems: The Case of Think Tank Evaluations

Episteme ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
François Claveau ◽  
Andréanne Veillette
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Epistemic Evaluation

Abstract This article elaborates a conceptual framework to systematize the epistemic evaluation of social systems. This framework can be used to structure an evaluation or to characterize and assess existing ones. The article then uses the framework to assess four representative evaluations of think tanks. This meta-evaluation exemplifies how the framework can play its structuring role. It also leads us to general conclusions about the existing evaluations of think tanks. Most importantly, by focusing on the organizational level, existing evaluations miss factors that are situated at the network and ecosystemic levels and that significantly determine how well think tanks serve society in producing and disseminating knowledge relevant to public policy. This conclusion suggests the need for epistemic evaluations of think tank ecosystems.

Thinks tanks and their role in policy making in ireland

2021 ◽  
pp. 157-170
Author(s):  
Chris McInerney
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
International Experience ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Broad Variety

This chapter reviews the role of think tanks in policy making. Like most modern democracies, Ireland relies on a range of sources to influence the choices and designs of public policy. Apart from political and administrative influences, a broad variety of civil society, academic and private sector actors seek to access, influence, advise, inform and sometimes embarrass those in power. The chapter focuses on ‘think tanks’, defining them, reviewing international experience, examining different types and considering the complex issue of assessing think tank influence. It maps out Ireland’s limited think tank landscape and examines recent developments. Think tanks’ influence on Irish policymaking is assessed across a number of indicators.

Any better ideas? Think tanks and policy analysis in Canada

2018 ◽  
pp. 275-296
Author(s):  
Donald E. Abelson
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Appointed Officials

This chapter explores the role of think tanks in Canada, and their efforts to contribute to the formulation and implementation of public policy. As the Canadian think tank population continues to grow, more questions about how and under what conditions they are able to shape public opinion and the policy preferences and choices of elected and appointed officials are being asked. This chapter highlights the diverse and eclectic nature of Canadian think tanks, and the various ways they have been able to offer their insights and analysis of domestic and foreign policy issues. In doing so, consideration is given to the methodological hurdles scholars must overcome to evaluate more accurately the extent to which think tanks are able to influence both the content and outcome of major policy initiatives.

Case study 2

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewan Ferlie ◽  
Sue Dopson ◽  
Chris Bennett ◽  
Michael D. Fischer ◽  
Jean Ledger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Significant Potential ◽  
Key Stakeholders

This chapter analyses the role of think tanks in generating a distinctive mode of policy knowledge, pragmatically orientated to inform and shape issues of importance to civil society. Drawing on political science literature, we argue that think tanks exploit niche areas of expertise and influence to actively mobilize policy analyses and recommendations across diverse stakeholders. Through our exploratory mapping of think tanks, geographically concentrated within London, we characterize their influence as significantly boosting knowledge intensity across the regional ecosystem. In particular, we study the empirical case of one London-based think tank which powerfully mobilized policy knowledge through its formal and informal networks to build influential expert consensus amongst key stakeholders. We conclude that such organizations act as key knowledge producers and mobilizers, with significant potential to influence policy discourses and implementation.

Think Tanks and Foreign Policy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Bhatnagar
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Policy Frames ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
The Media ◽  
Intellectual Elites

The role of think tanks as policy actors has developed over time and created significant global scholarship. Widely understood as non-state policy actors, think tanks established either with or without the support of government have evolved in various political contexts with varied characteristics. They are avenues for the discussion of new policy ideas as well as used for the consolidation of existing understandings of global and national political issues. As ideational actors think tanks interact with policy frameworks at different levels, either in the framing stage or at the stage of consensus building towards certain policies. Intellectual elites at think tanks allow for the introduction of think tank ideas into the policy frames as well as the creation of public opinion towards foreign policy decisions. Think tank deliberations involve an interaction with policymakers, academic experts, business and social actors, as well as the media to disseminate ideas. Institutionally, think tanks in a wide variety of political contexts play a critical role in the making of foreign policy and bring closer attention to processes of state–society interactions in different political environments.

scholarly journals Authority signaling: How relational interactions between journalists and politicians create primary definers in UK broadcast news

Journalism ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 896-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Chadwick ◽  
Declan McDowell-Naylor ◽  
Amy P Smith ◽  
Ellen Watts
Keyword(s):  
Think Tanks ◽  
Election Campaign ◽  
Broadcast News ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Relational Approach ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Journalism Studies ◽  
Sociology Of News ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Relational Interactions

How journalists construct the authority of their sources is an essential part of how news comes to have power in politics and how political actors legitimize their roles to publics. Focusing on economic policy reporting and a dataset of 133 hours of mainstream broadcast news from the 5-week 2015 UK general election campaign, we theorize and empirically illustrate how the construction of expert source authority works. To build our theory, we integrate four strands of thought: an important, though in recent years neglected, tradition in the sociology of news concerned with ‘primary definers’; the underdeveloped literature on expert think tanks and media; recent work in journalism studies advocating a relational approach to authority; and elements from the discursive psychology approach to the construction of facticity in interactive settings. Our central contribution is a new perspective on source authority: the identification of behaviors that are key to how the interactions between journalists and elite political actors actively construct the elevated authoritative status of expert sources. We call these behaviors authority signaling. We show how authority signaling works to legitimize the power of the United Kingdom’s most important policy think tank and discuss the implications of this process.

Supply chain information governance: toward a conceptual framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 506-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joonhwan In ◽  
Randy Bradley ◽  
Bogdan C. Bichescu ◽  
Chad W. Autry
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Information Flow ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Information Flows ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Governance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a scalable conceptual framework for governance of supply chain (SC) information flows by re-contextualizing the organizational concept of information governance as an SC concept. Design/methodology/approach This study leverages the strategy-structure-process-performance (SSPP) theory base to explain how effective SC information governance relates to improved internal SC performance. Via an in-depth literature review followed by conceptual theory building, the key features of organizational-level information governance are cast into a theoretical framework. Findings This study presents the theoretical framework that explains how SC information governance should contribute to improved internal SC performance. The proposed framework provides a theoretical basis for future research on SC information governance and would become a useful first step to extend the concept of SC information governance at the SC level. Practical implications SC managers should be aware that information governance mechanisms, rather than the management of basic, information flow-directed processes, to yield the best performance outcomes. Because of the numerous touch points information has in complex SCs, managing the quality of SC information through broader, higher-level governance standards is more important than maximizing connectivity and information flows, and information governance structures/policies across organizations should be designed accordingly. Originality/value This study theoretically links SC information governance and internal SC performance via information quality. It also advances the understanding of SC information flow by challenging the implicit but flawed assumption that uniformity of information quality within the supply chain to create the best outcomes.

scholarly journals RESEARCH ON THE PROMOTION OF CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THINK TANKS IN LOCAL NEWLY BUILT UNDERGRADUATE UNIVERSITIES—TAKING THE BRAND STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT THINK TANK OF SHANDONG WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY AS AN EXAMPLE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHI-GUO HUANG ◽  
PEI-BIAO LIU
Keyword(s):  
Social Service ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Brand Strategy ◽  
Women's College ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Healthy Development ◽  
Existing Problems

The think tank of universities is an important carrier for scientific research, social service and talent training. At present, the construction of the think tank in local newly-built undergraduate universities is increasingly intensified, but its related functions have not been fully developed and played yet. Taking the brand strategy and development think tank of Shandong Women’s College as an example, this paper investigates and analyzes the current situation, existing problems and causes of its construction and development, and then proposes corresponding countermeasures, the purpose is to provide guidance for the sustainable and healthy development and growth of the think tank. At the same time, it can provide reference for the construction and development of the think tank in similar newly-built undergraduate universities.

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