Relations between think tanks and universities

We like to think of scientific research as naturally objective. At first sight, however, a hypothesis defined by researchers shows their initial bias. In some cases, organizations fund research and expect certain results. A growing number of think tanks bring together scientists, academics and other professionals to investigate different ideas.

These groups play an important role in world politics. In Canada alone, there are around a hundred such groups. The University of Alberta has listed the majority on this page. This is a small number compared to the more than 2,000 in the USA.

Nevertheless, they have a major impact on Canadian politics. Their work, if it proves to be of high quality, can help formulate important legislation and budgetary decisions. Indeed, studies can be a good way of informing the public at large of a situation that researchers have noticed. This means involving citizens and politicians alike.

Moreover, the formation of a "committee of experts" is often, at root, a way of decompartmentalizing academic work. Since the latter is generally perceived as disconnected from "real life", these think tanks are seeking to establish more research in the field. Whether at home or abroad, fieldwork often requires contact with diverse populations. So much so, in fact, that some even offer tips on how to set up good research involving people.

Ethical issues

While some think tanks do genuinely useful work, many were born out of a militant perspective. Groups have sprung up on both the left and the right to exert their influence on the media. In fact, experts involved in laboratories are often called upon to testify in the mass media, as their very clear orientation becomes highly publicized and reaches the general public.

This leads to aberrations and major ethical questions. These militant think tanks are not very transparent in their funding. This makes it difficult to know who is pulling the strings in some cases. Some would like to see these groups clearly display their financial links. This Saskatchewan researcher, for example, would like to know who pays for oil research at her university.

Others are faced with ethical issues. In the United States, nothing prohibits expert committees from receiving money from foreign countries. Saudi Arabia, for example, is a major funder of various groups and even universities. Yet the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in December 2018 posed a huge moral question for these people: could they still accept princely money? Some refused it and returned it, but what about the others? A call was made in this sense to no longer approve this type of donation from the Saudi regime in the name of respect for democratic rights that have been trampled on.

Moreover, this ethical question is increasingly being asked within think tanks themselves. For example, the CATO Institute in Washington decided in spring 2019 to close a program designed to cast doubt on climate change. This is not to say that CATO, co-founded by libertarian Charles Koch among others, has become an environmentalist. Nonetheless, attitudes may have changed, as right-wing American politicians now claim that global warming exists but is not man-made.

So think tanks aren't inherently bad things. They can get researchers out of the faculties and into the field. However, the subject remains delicate, as many expert groups remain ideological and militant vehicles for influencing the political sphere.

Illustration: lisboncouncil Ginni Rometty and Ann Mettler via photopin (license)

References

Benner, Thorsten. "It's Time for Think Tanks and Universities to Take the Democracy Pledge" GPPi. Last updated January 16, 2019. https://www.gppi.net/2019/01/16/its-time-for-think-tanks-and-universities-to-take-the-democracy-pledge.

Cardwell, Mark. "Think Tanks Are Key Players In Canada's Public Policy Milieu." University Affairs. Last updated: April 10, 2019. https://www.affairesuniversitaires.ca/articles-de-fond/article/les-think-tanks-sont-des-joueurs-cles-dans-le-milieu-des-politiques-publiques-au-canada/.

Datta, Ajoy. "Thirteen Tips to Conduct a Successful Evidence Context Study." On Think Tanks. Last updated December 6, 2018. https://onthinktanks.org/articles/conducting-a-successful-evidence-context-study/.

"Positioning Think Tanks for Policy Influence." IDRC - International Development Research Centre. Last updated September 9, 2019. https://www.idrc.ca/en/research-in-action/positioning-think-tanks-policy-influence.

"Research Guides: Think Tanks: Identifying Think Tanks." Guides at Baruch College. Last updated July 16, 2019. https://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/c.php?g=188276&p=1244450.

"Think Tanks." University of Alberta Libraries. Last updated August 28, 2019. https://guides.library.ualberta.ca/think-tanks.

"Researcher Wants To Know Who Funds University Of Regina's Oil Research." Radio-Canada.ca. Last updated: January 26, 2019. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1149063/ethique-petrole-recherche-independance-universitaire.

Waldman, Scott. "U.S. Think Tank Shuts Down Prominent Center That Challenged Climate Science." AAAS. Last updated May 29, 2019. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/05/us-think-tank-shuts-down-prominent-center-challenged-climate-science.