The International Renaissance Foundation's (IRF) Civil Society and Good Governance Program, Open Society Think Tank Fund (TTF), and the Ukrainian National Initiatives to Enhance Reforms (UNITER/Pact) have decided to commission an external assessment of policy relevant research in Ukraine
Since its independence, Ukraine has built one of the most vibrant policy communities in the former Soviet Union. However, little in-depth research on the domestic policy scene has been done up to date. As three donors supporting think tanks, the International Renaissance Foundation’s (IRF) Civil Society and Good Governance Program, Open Society Think Tank Fund (TTF), and the Ukrainian National Initiatives to Enhance Reforms (UNITER/Pact) have decided to commission an external assessment of policy relevant research in Ukraine.
The assessment sets out four goals:
1. To provide a description of how the demand for policy advice has evolved since independence
2. To sketch a “portrait” of several key providers of policy relevant research in Ukraine
3. To analyze donor activities in the field and suggest approaches for future engagement
4. To offer recommendations to the key providers of policy research in Ukraine
The commissioning organizations recruited three international experts – Nikolay Petrov, Carnegie Moscow Center, Eric Livny, International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University, and Olga Onuch, Oxford University – who conducted fieldwork in Ukraine in September-October 2012. To complement the fieldwork findings, a survey of current and potential users of policy research was also administered.
The assessment will be released in mid-January 2012. To amplify its impact and generate a much needed discussion on the state of policy research and the role of think tanks in the decision-making process in Ukraine, UNITER/Pact, IRF, and TTF will organize a conference of relevant stakeholders.
Although an official invitation will be sent next year, we are requesting you to save January 28-29, 2013 as the conference dates. In the coming weeks we will be releasing more information about the assessment and its findings. So please stay tuned!
Contacts:
UNITER
Yaropolk Tymkiv
ytymkiv@pactworld.org
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The goal of the Civil Society and Good Governance Program is to promote development of a system to protect the rights of public and municipal service consumers and to support NGO policy capacity building.
