Exploring Think Tanks – Enrique Mendizabal

Limited by the interest of its board and the short-term project funding available to it, CTPD was in a similar position. Another interesting think tank in Zambia is the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR). It merits a mention for being, at least at first sight, a rather unique centre in that it presents itself as a research organisation that combines research-based evidence with appeals to action based on “social teachings” drawn directly from Biblical scripture. As part of the Church in Zambia and Malawi, JCTR was able to draw from its own resources, both in kind and in cash, to reach an already interested audience that is naturally prone to pay attention and award it the legiti- macy that other think tanks have to earn through research, outreach to civil society, and new affiliations.

This, ironically for an organisation that exists within the Church, gave it a sense of autonomy to pursue the argu- ments it wished to that neither ZIPAR nor CTPD enjoyed. The Chilean case awarded the Catholic Church a critical role right at the start of the emergence of modern think tanks in the early 1970s.

In Peru as well, proponents of the liberation theology movement with links to the Catholic Church in Peru set up DESCO. The Universidad del Pacífico, which hosts CIUP, is a Jesuit University. Rather than this being an argument in favour of more religious think tanks, I think it illustrates the importance that narratives and ideology play in galvanising the efforts required in the formation, development, and funding of think tanks.

In this case, the JCTR was rather effective in using its patron to achieve its objectives — an example that illustrates the potential benefits that patronage offers to think tanks. One of the JCTR’s main initiatives was the Basic Needs Basket. This is a project that involved monthly measurements of the cost of basic needs such as food, transport, and housing in Lusaka, 12 other towns, and 5 rural areas.

World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE Library of Congress Control Number: 2025041966 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. World Scientific Series on Think Tanks — Vol. 1 EXPLORING THINK TANKS Diverse Origins, Evolving Futures Copyright © 2026 by World Scientific Publishing Co.

Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. ISBN 978-981-98-1770-2 (hardcover) ISBN 978-981-98-1771-9 (ebook for institutions) ISBN 978-981-98-1772-6 (ebook for individuals) For any available supplementary material, please visit https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/14432#t=suppl Desk Editors: Aanand Jayaraman/Venkatesh Sandhya Typeset by Stallion Press Email: [email protected] Printed in Singapore v About the Author Enrique Mendizabal is the founder of On Think Tanks (OTT) and has over 20 years of experience in the field of evidence-informed policy, working with and supporting think tanks.

Before founding OTT in 2011, he worked for the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), where he headed the Research and Policy in Development program. At ODI, he co-founded the Outcome Mapping Learning Community and began to explore think tanks and their impact. Enrique has co-founded various ­initiatives aimed at supporting better-informed policymaking, including the Peruvian Alliance for the Use of Evidence, the Latin American Evidence Week, and the Premio PODER al Think Tank Peruano del Año. This page intentionally left blank vii Contents About the Author v Section 1 Setting the Scene 1 Chapter 1 Introduction: Think Tanks as a Subject of Study 3 Chapter 2 Think What?

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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