Think tanks are crucial for advocating reforms in all types of societies and governance models. In Pakistan, the complete potential of these societal agents is yet to be reaped, given the lack of concrete ways to stimulate change by raising awareness of key issues, initiating discussion, and showing policymakers a way forward. They serve as a place for political leaders, bureaucrats, and military officials to get together and exchange views on policy issues. The think tank community faces certain issues which need to be addressed:
- Over-Securitisation — Though acknowledging defence concerns is vital, any issue related to national security or national interest is typically excessively securitised, leading to disproportionate responses, policies, or measures that, at times, have negative consequences.
- A Dearth of Archival Research — An absence of thorough exploration of primary source materials can have several significant consequences, including limited understanding of context, incomplete or inaccurate narratives, research gaps, and impaired policy analysis. It can lead to vague, biased, and less accurate accounts of historical events and social developments.
- No Shared Platform to Debate — There is no common platform where researchers and analysts from different think tanks and research organisations gather to discuss studies already undertaken and discover new topics that need to be explored. Without debate or discussion, new ideas cannot be formulated, thus leading to stagnation of ideas.
- Lack of Access — Researchers face a lack of access to accurate and up-to-date data, official documents and policies and, most importantly, to officials who carry out state policy.
- Funding constraints — One of the primary challenges for think tanks is securing sustainable funding. These institutes often rely on external financing for their operations and research activities. Reliance on external sources, including government funding, corporate sponsorships, and foreign donors, can potentially lead to concerns about independence and biases in research outcomes. However, a limited budget can hinder their ability to conduct in-depth studies, hire experienced investigators, and maintain a consistent output of high-quality policy analysis.
- Disconnect with Policymakers — Policy implementation requires effective communication, engagement with policymakers, and an understanding of the policymaking process. In Pakistan’s context, policymakers are not that receptive to the policy recommendations put forth by academicians and researchers. This disconnect leads to policymakers adopting flawed policies that prioritise political considerations over optimal outcomes.
- Event-focused output — There is a tendency to focus more on events than research. The themes of these events are repetitive, as are the speakers at these gatherings. It leads to limited or no new debate and, consequently, little to no learning for the attendees.
- Need for Ideas’ Innovation — A need for innovation can be observed, especially on the security side of scholarship, where specialists are fixated on particular topics. At the same time, they ignore other, newer issues.
- A General Lack of Understanding — There is a general lack of knowledge among the general public on the role of think tanks, how they help policymakers formulate policy, and how they can play an essential role in identifying gaps that need to be filled in the pursuance of national interest.
- Technological Integration – The use of data analytics and predictive modelling to facilitate think tank research quality and accuracy is scarce in the country. The prognostic capabilities of research entities are limited given the limited integration of technology.
- Quantifying Impact – There are gaps in the mechanisms for measuring the real-life impact of think tank research on policy outcomes, making it difficult to establish the significance and applicability of the work.
The Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research has in the past organised events tailored to critically analyse national interest issues and then collect innovative ideas on said issues from young researchers, policy practitioners, and academicians. Building on this experience, the Centre is organising an in-house roundtable discussion to explore the shortcomings of the think tank ecosystem. The discussion intends to detect the concerns of the think tank community in Pakistan and propose long-term solutions to address them.
This roundtable aims to:
- Identify current issues in the think tank community from their unique perspective compared to their seniors.
- Anticipate and detect potential problems that may arise in the future.
- Suggest a way forward.
All the attendees will sit together for a semi-formal discussion on the shortcomings of the think tank ecosystem in Pakistan. Once the issues have been identified, the discussants will also think of viable solutions to make Pakistan’s research and policy think tank community truly effective.
Abbas Moosvi
Research Fellow – Pakistan Institute of Development Economics
Nasir Hassan
Program Coordinator – Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution
Ali Zia Jaffery
Deputy Director – Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research
Wajeeha Najam
Research Officer – Pakistan Institute of International Affairs
Etfa Mirza
Policy Analyst – Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies
Aizah Azam
Sub-Editor – Institute of Regional Studies
Taimur Fahad Khan
Research Associate – Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad
Zaki Khalid
Chief Executive Officer – Pantellica
Aiza Azam
Lecturer – Air University
Ameera Adil
Senior Manager Sustainability – National University of Sciences and Technology
Muneeb Salman
Assistant Research Associate – Islamabad Policy Research Institute
Arsim Tariq
Research Fellow – Roads Initiative
Ahmed Saleem
Research Assistant – United Nations Development Programme
The think tank network and the broader research community in Pakistan grapple with significant challenges ranging from but not limited to over-securitisation, inadequate resources and lack of access to a lack of methodological rigour. With this in mind, the Centre of Strategic and Contemporary Research organised a roundtable to discuss the roadblocks confronted and how they can be addressed. The Centre invited researchers from numerous think tanks, development organisations, and universities in Islamabad to discuss these issues.
A substantial manifestation of the over-securitisation of research in the country is the restrictions on access to primary data. Researchers across the board face this limitation. The majority of the primary data collected by most entities is red-taped. Stakeholders either delay or unequivocally deny the information requested by researchers. Moreover, research institutions also do not completely showcase their collected data for public consumption. If it is released, it is either largely issued in the form of annual reports or it is kept behind a paywall. Easier and timely access to relevant information will allow the resulting studies to be more factual and accurate.
The dominance of the mainstream neorealist paradigm has informed much of Pakistan’s policy research. Topics are more country- or area-oriented rather than being focused on a specific subject matter. A minimal and almost invisible space exists for alternative knowledge. Excessive securitisation of public discourse and information also creates a climate of uneasiness, eventually leading to self-censorship by researchers. They stop asking critical questions, which stifles their creativity and suppresses much-needed new ideas. Pakistan could learn from the international approach to think tanks where research is highly valued. This is reflected in the practice of having visiting fellows from around the world, including those with differing perspectives.
Besides, in Pakistan, a paradoxical interplay takes place between institutional and personal research impetuses. Such a dynamic leads to research parameters becoming constrained due to individual or organisational interests, with the latter being, at times, grant motivations. Therefore, funding constraints constitute a significant limitation for think tanks.
International financial institutions and multilateral donor agencies heavily populate the sector. However, there are specific state restrictions regarding independent outreach to donor organisations, intensifying the securitisation of research. Generally, irrespective of government or independent think tanks, ensuring detachment from the budgetary source of research projects can be an uphill task. A way around this issue would be to encourage funding by foreign donors but make the overall process as transparent as possible. In the same way, the state can consider allocating a budget for local organisations to submit unsolicited proposals related to specific sectors and the problems they have identified.
For most of the sponsored studies, rather than undertaking a critical analysis, a rosy picture is painted, which may compromise accurate evaluation. With conclusions predetermined, factual accuracy and the small nuances of research are mostly ignored. Such studies are mostly relegated to public relations exercises rather than explicit research endeavours. It sometimes consigns think tanks to content writing agencies and puts proper academic research on the back burner. Regarding editorial policies at the think tanks, most guidelines are developed with narrow thematic focuses, leading researchers to skirt around certain topics.
Essentially, the research landscape needs to improve its methodological standards, which hamper the overall quality, reliability and usefulness of the studies undertaken. Proposing quick fixes geared towards speedy solutions is a common trend. It causes the sidelining of systematic approaches, which may take time and effort but will lead to long-term policy formation. Conversely, external reviews of publications usually take many months, which causes hindrances in the research process and diminishes the significance of the investigation. Thus, a renewed focus should be given to methodological up-gradation and rigour. Think tanks must leverage their influence and offer practical, step-by-step, research-backed solutions to guide the policymakers towards meaningful outcomes.
Think tanks can benefit from systematic feedback mechanisms to assess if relevant bodies and policymakers consider the recommendations they put forth as a result of the policy-related studies undertaken. With feedback from the relevant stakeholders, scholars carrying out policy studies in these institutes will know if and how their work, which takes serious time and effort, has impacted the legislators and how it would lead to steps beneficial for the state.
Furthermore, many scholars working in the think tank industry are internally motivated to pursue research. However, if reward and restitution are deficient, an increasing passivity can be observed among them. In addition, research institutions need to undertake meaningful capacity-building of their researchers. Though frequent, relevant agreements are reached among organisations, they are mostly shelved and rarely utilised to their capacity. Hence, researchers should be encouraged to learn skills that complement their subject area and investigation ability.
Given the traditional hierarchical structures of most think tanks, there is sometimes a general disregard for the ideas presented by young minds. While seasoned professionals undoubtedly bring expertise to the table in advisory positions, emerging scholars have a responsibility to explore new investigative avenues. With their fresh perspectives and innovative approaches, these researchers can uncover ground-breaking insights and make significant contributions to their fields. Thus, it is crucial to recognise and support the vital role that emerging scholars play in advancing knowledge and driving progress in think tanks.
Lastly,
- It is necessary that think tanks keep realigning themselves with their core aims and objectives and refrain from getting swayed by external pressures or the desire to maintain their relevance.
- Open access to research publications should be ensured.
- Gender inclusion and sensitivity should be warranted.
- An umbrella organisation for think tanks where a consortium of researchers work together to solve policy questions and community issues, with people from academia working as partners, ought to be established.
