scholarly journals Por dentro dos “reservatórios de idéias”: uma agenda de pesquisa para os think tanks brasileiros | Inside "think tanks": a research agenda for Brazilian think tanks

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Carneiro Dias Rigolin ◽  
Maria Cristina P. Innocentini Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Sociology Of Knowledge ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
The Relationship

Resumo Este trabalho explora a relação entre conhecimento e decisão política ou entre expertise e desenho de políticas públicas, apresentando uma proposta teórico-metodológica para a caracterização de think tanks no Brasil, instituições que operam na fronteira entre o mundo acadêmico e a esfera governamental. Trata-se de um lócus privilegiado de fazer política, em que a disputa pelo poder se dá no campo das idéias. Investigar estas instituições permite analisar como o conhecimento especializado influencia a decisão política e identificar os processos através dos quais os experts adquirem status frente à sociedade. A proposta apoia-se na articulação de conceitos oriundos de dois campos de conhecimento: a Sociologia do Conhecimento e a Teoria Política, que fornecem os referenciais adequados para a investigação de fenômenos relativos à ascendência do conhecimento especializado na formulação, implementação e avaliação de políticas públicas.Palavras-chave think tanks, expertise, planejamento, políticas públicas.Abstract This paper explores the relationship between knowledge and political decision or between expertise and the design of public policies. It presents a theoretical and methodological framework for the characterization of Brazilian think tanks. These are institutions that work at the front line of academic circles and governmental spheres. Think tanks are a privileged locus of policy making, where power disputes are framed in terms of idea issues. The study of the nature of these institutions allows us to better understand how certified knowledge influences political decision and how experts build prestige and status in contemporary society. This proposal is based in concepts that come from two disciplinary fields: Sociology of Knowledge and Political Theory. Together, they provide the analytical framework to investigate the ascendance of expertise in the building, implementation and evaluation of public policies.Keywords think tank, expertise, planning, public policies.

Two Theories of Effective Government

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Lindvall
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Precise Definition ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter introduces the problem of “reform capacity” (the ability of political decision-makers to adopt and implement policy changes that benefit society as a whole, by adjusting public policies to changing economic, social, and political circumstances). The chapter also reviews the long-standing discussion in political science about the relationship between political institutions and effective government. Furthermore, the chapter explains why the possibility of compensation matters greatly for the politics of reform; provides a precise definition of the concept of reform capacity; describes the book's general approach to this problem; and discusses the ethics of compensating losers from reform; and presents the book's methodological approach.

scholarly journals The attitude of consumers towards “Made in Italy” products. An empirical analysis among Italian customers

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Cappelli ◽  
Fabrizio D’ascenzo ◽  
Roberto Ruggieri ◽  
Francesca Rossetti ◽  
Alessandra Scalingi
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Premium Price ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Theoretical Standpoint ◽  
Made In

Abstract The paper is part of a broader research project studying consumer’s attitude towards “Made in Italy” products through empirical investigation. The research questions addressed are: 1) Does recognition in terms of the qualitative characterization of “Made in Italy” products exist? And if so, 2) are people willing to pay, in quantitative terms, a premium price for such products? From a theoretical standpoint, the research seeks to fill a gap in the literature, since studies combining the “made in” characteristic with measured “willingness to pay” are neither conventional nor numerous. The specific purpose of this contribution is to analyze the relationship between the purchase of “Made in Italy” products, recognition of the quality and willingness to pay a premium price on the part of Italian consumers, reporting the results of an empirical research. The survey involved a total of 315 Italian consumers while three commodity sectors were analysed: food, fashion and mechanical automation. The results confirm that there is a propensity to purchase “Made in Italy” products which does not seem to be a matter of irrational consumer behaviour. “Made in Italy” is confirmed as a conceptual category consolidated in the minds of consumers, since there is clear recognition of these products in terms of qualitative characterization. These and other results of the research (which need to be confirmed and extended with further empirical investigations) should prove relevant both to the literature and as indications for public policies and the strategies of companies operating in the sectors examined. For the literature this research can be useful because there is no complete overview of quantitative data on the premium price. It can also serve for public policies because quantification of the premium price can influence the choices and strategies of companies. This study shows a significant willingness to pay a premium price for the three sectors analyzed, although the premium price is not homogeneous: while the measures range mostly between 10 and 30%, higher values appear for products in the food sector.

scholarly journals Think Tanks and Policymaking

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartwig Pautz
Keyword(s):  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Relationship

The study of think tanks brings together a range of academic disciplines and allows for multifaceted analyses, encompassing the concepts of ideas, institutions, influence, interests, and power. The literature on think tanks addresses a ubiquitous policy actor as think tanks have been around for a long time, especially in advanced liberal democracies. However, they have also become established actors in authoritarian regimes and in the developing world. Nowhere is their influence on policymaking or the public debate easy to pinpoint. The definition of a think tank has been contested ever since the study of think tanks took off in the 1980s and 1990s. Some scholars have devised typologies around organizational form and output, with a focus on whether think tanks are openly partisan or rather emphasize their political and ideological neutrality; others propose that the think tank is not so much a clearly discernible organizational entity but rather should be seen as a set of activities that can be conducted by a broad range of organizations; others again see think tanks as hybrid boundary organizations operating at the interstices of different societal fields. What most scholars will agree on is that policy expertise is think tanks’ main output, that they seek to influence policymakers and the wider public, and that they try to do so via informal and formal channels and by making use of their well-connected position in often transnational policy networks encompassing political parties, interest groups, corporations, international organizations, civil society organizations, and civil service bureaucracies. Think tanks’ main output, policy expertise either in the form of concrete proposals or “blue-skies thinking,” is underpinned by claims that it is “evidence-based.” The widely used positivist notion of “evidence-based policymaking” has been of benefit to think tanks as organizations that claim to “speak truth to power” by producing easily digestible outputs aimed at policymakers who profess to want evidence to make policy “that works.” Think tanks are active at different “moments” in the policymaking process. John Kingdon’s agenda-setting theory of the multiple streams framework helps us understand think tanks as “policy entrepreneurs” who are most likely to have influence during the moments of problem framing, the search for policy solutions, and the promotion of specific solutions to policymakers and the public. Think tank studies should take into account the relationship between the media and think tanks, and how this relationship impacts on whether think tanks succeed in agenda-setting and, thereby, influence policymaking. The relationship is symbiotic: journalists use think tanks to inform their work or welcome their contribution in the form of an opinion piece, while think tanks use the media to air their ideas. This relationship is not without problems, as some think tanks are in privileged positions with regards to media access while others barely ever cross the media threshold. Think tanks are, in the 21st century, challenged by an “epistemic crisis.” This crisis consists of a loss of faith in experts and of information pollution and information overload. This development is both a risk and an opportunity for think tanks. Concerning the latter, policymakers increasingly need curators, arbiters, or filters to help them decide which information, data, and policy expertise to use in their decision-making processes.

scholarly journals Democracy and International Investment Law

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-382
Author(s):  
LORENZO COTULA
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
International Investment ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
International Investment Law ◽  
Citizen Action ◽  
Investment Treaty ◽  
Common Thread ◽  
Investment Law ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe expanding reach of international investment law and the negotiation of major economic treaties between democratic polities have prompted new debates about the relationship between democracy and the international investment regime. This article develops an analytical framework for understanding that relationship. It first unpacks the concept of democracy, exploring the ‘rules-based’ and ‘action-based’ conceptions that emerge from political theory and their relevance to international investment law. It then examines three themes that frame the relationship between democracy and international investment law: the interface between the investment regime and national democratic space; the place of democratic processes in investment treaty making; and public participation in the settlement of investment disputes. The interplay between rules- and action-based dimensions provides a common thread across the three themes. The article concludes that there is a gap between formal rules and citizen action in promoting democratic oversight, and significant scope to develop more effective mechanisms to install democratic governance in the creation and implementation of international investment law.

scholarly journals CLIC FOTOGRÁFICO TURÍSTICO E CAMINHOS DA MEMÓRIA: PROJETOS CULTURAIS EM CAXIAS DOS SUL/RS, BRASIL

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Luiz Antonio Gloger Maroneze ◽  
Jamile Cezar de Moraes ◽  
Mary Sandra Guerra Ashton
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Local Culture ◽  
Conceptual Basis ◽  
Heritage Education ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

O objetivo desse artigo é analisar os projetos culturais Clic Fotográfico Turístico e Caminhos da Memória e suas contribuições para a discussão da cidadania em Caxias do Sul, RS. Quanto à metodologia, foram utilizadas a pesquisa bibliográfica e a documental para a constituição da base conceitual e a caracterização dos dois projetos respectivamente. Além da observação participante ao projeto Caminhos da Memória, aplicação de questionários e realização de entrevistas. Como resultados, verificou-se que as duas atividades propõem reflexões a respeito do patrimônio cultural caxiense, bem como da relação entre os residentes e a cidade por meio de uma visão voltada à cidadania. Tanto o conceito turista cidadão como a metodologia da educação patrimonial estão inseridas nas políticas públicas municipais, a fim de motivar a sociedade a participar ativamente na valorização da cultura, da identidade local e da memória para o desenvolvimento de Caxias do Sul.Palavras-chave: Turismo. Projetos culturais. Caxias do Sul/RS.ABSTRACTThis article aims at analyzing the cultural projects Clic Fotográfico Turístico and Caminhos da Memória and their contributions to the discussion on citizenship in Caxias do Sul/RS. With regard to the methodology, bibliographic and documentary researches have been carried out to build up the conceptual basis and the characterization of both projects, respectively. Besides participant observations in the project Caminhos da Memória, further investigation took place through questionnaires and interviews. As a result, the projects offer reflections on the cultural heritage from Caxias do Sul/RS, as well as on the relationship between residents and the city, through a citizenship perspective. Likewise, the citizen tourist concept and the heritage education methodology are inserted in the local public policies in order to motivate the society to actively participate in the enhancement of the local culture, identity and memory, for the development of Caxias do Sul.Keywords: Tourism. Cultural projects. Caxias do Sul/RS.

scholarly journals His Master’s Voice? Conceptualizing the Relationship Between Business and the World Economic Forum

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-62
Author(s):  
Christina Garsten ◽  
Adrienne Sörbom
Keyword(s):  
Think Tanks ◽  
World Economic Forum ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Global Policy ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Dynamic Web ◽  
World Economic ◽  
Private Research ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Do So

Commonly, the relationship between corporations and non-for profit organizations, such as foundations, think tanks and private research institutes, is analyzed in terms suggesting that when acting as funders corporations set the frames for the non-for profit organization who, in turn, not only mimics but also serves as to broadcast the views of its funder. Drawing on the case of the Swizz based foundation/think tank World Economic Forum and its corporate funders we scrutinize this relationship. We show that as an organization interested in global policy making it is of vital importance for the Forum to construct its own agency, not merely giving voice to its funder’s views, and that it will do so drawing on the resources that the funders provide. Moreover, we submit that as organizations all partaking actors will endeavor to construct their own agency, oftentimes by drawing on the resources of others. In so doing, actors may have both overlapping and divergent interests. Evoking the Lévi-Strauss concept of the bricoleur, we analyze how the various and multifaceted priorities of corporations will not only be filtered by the Form, but it will also make use of the resources at hand for organizing forth own policy messages. The result is a complex and dynamic web of actors and voices.

Government Advisors or Public Advocates? Roles of Think Tanks in China from the Perspective of Regional Variations

2011 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 668-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xufeng Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Specific Activities ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Individual

AbstractThink tanks in China simultaneously play advisory, academic and advocacy roles in the policy process. In this article, I recommend an analytical framework that evaluates think tanks by studying their specific activities in addition to their nature. Empirical data involving 301 think tanks in 25 provinces were collected through the China Think Tank Survey 2004. The 1998 regional Integrated Knowledge Development Index database was also used for the analysis. Based on these two independent sets of survey data, the article concludes that connections with the government and knowledge capacity in regions where think tanks are located are the two differing forces that drive China's think tanks to operate as either advisors or advocates. Moreover, these two determinants differentially influence the individual roles of the two types of think tanks.

scholarly journals Think Tank Soldiers in the Battle for Tax Reform

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Irvin ◽  
Jes Sokolowski
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Tax Policy ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Advocacy Organizations ◽  
Jobs Act ◽  
Political Decision Making ◽  
Tax Cuts

AbstractContemporary scholars argue that high wealth donors in the U.S. influence political decision making through generous funding of nonprofit organizations like think tanks. In response to that potential influence, some endorse curbs on implicit subsidies that favor higher-income donors more than lower-income donors. To highlight the debate, this study selects a particular topic – tax policy – that generates highly partisan viewpoints and political agendas. The article first models predicted partisan operational differences, based on donors’ ideological differences. The study then explores the financial, staffing, and board resources of think tanks and associated advocacy organizations. The data were collected in the year immediately prior to the passage of the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, providing a snapshot view of contrasting operations of left-, centrist, and right-leaning tax policy think tanks. Given the notably more generous resources utilized by right-leaning tax policy organizations, it is possible that donor wealth differences enabled right-leaning nonprofits to contribute their influence to get the historic tax reform package passed. However, the successful passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could have resulted as well from the more targeted messaging and narrative framing employed by right-leaning think tanks and advocacy organizations.

Quantifying growth responses of trees to drought - a critique of the Lloret-indicators and recommendations for future studies

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Annick Schwarz ◽  
Georgios Skiadaresis ◽  
Martin Kohler ◽  
Jörg Kunz ◽  
Florian Schnabel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
The Relationship

Quantifying the resilience of forest ecosystems in response to droughts is fundamentally important to assess their capacity to function under intensifying climate change with more extreme droughts. The concept proposed by Lloret et al. (2011) to quantify resilience components of tree growth through indices of resistance, recovery, and resilience has become highly popular in dendro-ecological analyses because it allows a simple, yet highly efficient assessment of short-term responses of trees to drought. Until today these Lloret-indices have been used in 82 studies on growth response to drought of 66 trees species in different climatic regions. Despite their widespread use, some important drawbacks and limitations related to the application of these indices may lead to spurious results or misinterpretation of observed patterns. One major reason for this problem is the inconsistency regarding the selection and characterization of drought events as well as the calculation of the indices. Therefore, this review aims at identifying and discussing shortcomings and pitfalls of Lloret’s indices and to develop recommendations for a more robust and standardized procedure. In addition, we propose a new analytical framework that integrates the different Lloret-indices by comparing observed relationships between resistance and recovery of tree species or treatments to a hypothetical ‘line of full resilience’, which describes the relationship between resistance and recovery that leads to full resilience of radial growth at any given value of resistance. The fit of observed relationships between resistance and recovery with the hypothetical ‘line of full resilience’ can be used for comparative drought-tolerance assessments such as rankings of different tree species or treatments. The suggested approach could be used to harmonize quantifications of tree growth resilience to drought and it may thus facilitate systematic reviews and development of the urgently needed evidence base to identify suitable tree species and management options under climatic change.

scholarly journals Think Tanks and Political Influence. How Influencer Networks and the Specialization of Power Are Represented on Twitter

Tripodos ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 111-131
Author(s):  
Evgeni Tchubykalo ◽  
Juan Luis Manfredi-Sánchez ◽  
Juan Antonio Sánchez-Giménez
Keyword(s):  
Political Communication ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Common Interest ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Relationship Processes ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Global Influence

Think tanks are institutions that posi­tion themselves ideologically close to the powers that be, connecting them with science and defending the interests of lobbyists, while still striking a balance in the common interest of society. In the new context of political communication, think tanks take advantage of emerging trends in communication strategies by embracing the dissemination capaci­ty of social media. On the assumption that these social networking sites expe­dite the task of think tanks, we will illus­trate how thinks tanks leverage their influence and impact all over the world for agenda-setting and discourse fra­ming purposes. This empirical research, which relies on data collected on Twit­ter, analyses the global influence map by searching for practice patterns that could help us to gain further insights into the relationship processes of these agents in international relations and the political context. Els ‘think tanks’ i la influència política. Com es representen les xarxes d’influenciadors i l’especialització del poder a TwitterEls think tanks són institucions que ideo­lògicament es posicionen prop del po­der, connectant-lo amb el món científic i sempre buscant l’equilibri entre els inte­ressos dels lobbyist i l’interès general de la societat. En el context de la nova co­municació política, els think tanks apro­fiten les tendències més actuals en matè­ria de comunicació i adopten estratègies de difusió en els mitjans de comunicació social. Tenint en compte que una bona estratègia a les xarxes socials facilita la seva tasca, volem exemplificar com els thinks tanks utilitzen la seva capacitat d’influència i impacte en tot el món per redissenyar les agendes polítiques con­textualitzant els seus discursos. Aquesta investigació empírica, que es basa en dades recopilades a Twitter, analitza el mapa d’influència global mitjançant la recerca de patrons de comportament que podrien ajudar-nos a obtenir més infor­mació sobre les relacions entre aquests actors de les relacions internacionals i el context polític en el qual desenvolupen la seva activitat. Key words: Twitter, political influence, think tank, power, social network analysisParaules clau: Twitter, influència políti­ca, think tank, poder, anàlisi de xarxes socials, lobby.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document