Populism is replaced by analytics, as slogans-and-declarations by facts-and-researches, and promises-and-projects are neglected by thoughtfully made decisions. For a modern state, such a scenario is mostly required. To realize it, think tanks, which are rapidly gaining momentum and have significant influence on the of public policy "agenda", could help.
Populism is replaced by analytics, as slogans-and-declarations by facts-and-researches, and promises-and-projects are neglected by thoughtfully made decisions. For a modern state, such a scenario is mostly required. To realize it, think tanks, which are rapidly gaining momentum and have significant influence on the of public policy “agenda”, could help.
The role of think tanks in implementing reforms and institutional mechanisms for cooperation between government and independent analysts, professional training and analytical studies’ financing, international experience and perspectives of Ukrainian analytic market were the key issues at the IV conference for think tanks “Building the analytical community to reform and change” held in Kyiv.
Some thoughts of the conference’s participants are in the video blog.
Modern knowledge can’t be broadcasted from the ivory tower
Today, expert community is far from the real needs of life. And this is the main challenge for analysts in Ukraine and around the world.
Such a belief was declared by Deputy Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation Taras Kachka during the IV Annual Conference of think tanks that took place on November 16, in Kyiv.
The role of tanks in modern society, analytic market conditions, and the intellectual product’s key financiers are in Taras Kachka’s video comment.
The government still finds out about the think tanks’ work from media
It is evidenced by the results of the expert surveys “Independent think tanks and government authorities: way to cooperate”, held by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation.
Foundation’s Director Irina Bekeshkina informed about that during the presentation of the study at the IV Annual Conference of think tanks that took place on November 16, in Kyiv.
“Both the authorities and think tanks are ready to work and consider it an essential element in their development, but can’t set up a system of communication,” a sociologist named one of the interaction problems between “government and experts”.
What else was found out within the survey is in Irina Bekeshkina’s video comment.
The government plans to spend only 1.2 billion UAH on analytics in 2017
This calculation was made by the Head of the Financial and Economic Analysis Office in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Viktor Mazyarchuk.
The expert stressed that this sum is distributed among 22 ministries and is highly inadequate, since it deals with the formation of the modern state policy. Therefore, scientific, applied and other researches should have more significant budget support.
How to finance the development of analytical thought in Ukraine and what should analytical centers do to receive funds are in Victor Mazyarchuk’s video comment, recorded during the IV Annual Conference “Strengthening the analytical community to reform and change” that took place on November 16, in Kyiv.
The outer area is needed to influence within Ukraine
Executive Director at the Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office in Brussels Elena Prystaiko reminded about that during the IV Annual Conference of think tanks on November 16, in Kyiv.
“Changes in Ukraine occur when there is a domestic demand and control by society, and an external pressure on those who make and develop decisions in Ukraine,” said Elena Prystaiko. She added that it is particularly directed work of 19 organizations represented the Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office in Brussels.
All about the impact of the Ukrainian analytics in the capital of the European Union, how to resist global populism and can the think tanks handle the role of qualitative social change agents is in the participant’s video comment at the IV Annual Conference of think tanks, which took place on November 16, in Kyiv.
The team of analysts is planning to be strengthened by the new player – Universities
The International Renaissance Foundation in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine started the local think tanks supporting initiative three years ago. Project’s ideologists put their efforts to build their institutional capacity. And, as independent monitoring demonstrated, the goal was reached: 11 think tanks working in the project, became powerful and influential organizations.
How has it become possible and what are international donors’ future plans? Watch this in Сollaboration Project Coordinator at Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine Vasyl Romaniuk’s video comment, recorded during the IV Annual Conference that took place on November 16, in Kyiv.
The experts’ task is to let people avoid hearing only what they want to hear
Vladyslav Galushko, a Program Manager at the Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE) insists on this.
The expert notes that “in a furious stream of information – different, conflicting, fake – people are very easy to create an echo-rooms, in which they will hear only what they want to.” He calls it “a defensive reaction to the challenges of the information society era” and is convinced that, analysts have to give a professional response to this challenge.
On the evolution of analytical thought, the formation of those who produce it and priorities of those who support it – in Vladyslav Galushko’s video comment.
If the scenario of the Ukraine’s future is a modern, developed nation, it can’t happen without think tanks
Representative of the Association for an Open Society (PASOS, Latvia) Maria Golubeva claims arguing, “The product produced by analytical centers is not just clever ideas, but a practical basis for country’s development.”
She notes that the current analytics should be of a higher quality, which is a fundamental problem analysis + innovations in communications with potential customers.
“If today society ignores the experts in most cases, it does not mean that a serious analysis of social problems should be presented in the form of entertainment, just to be heard. We must produce quality and useful product, and explain complicated things in simple terms,” said Maria Golubeva.
On the “brilliant academics”, “entertainment materials” and “officials’ unpaid reported notes”, she said on the sidelines of the IV Annual Conference that took place on November 16, in Kyiv.
The think tanks development project is aimed at cultivating in them a different view of themselves
In such a way the Deputy Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation Inna Pidluska defined the initiative’s key goal.
Independent think tanks in Ukraine not only put an end to the state monopoly on ideas but also made it a trend to create quality public policy, she said.
So five years ago, the International Renaissance Foundation along with the project’s partners defined a task to give them the opportunity to develop institutionally and thus become organizations with a clear development strategy.
Inna Pidluska says that during that time a significant progress was made on establishing of think tanks as institutions, enhancing the quality of analytical product, and increasing demand for analytics in society.
Under what conditions are international donors continuing to support think tanks in Ukraine? The answer is in Inna Pidluska’s video comment recorded during IV Annual Conference of think tanks that took place on November 16, in Kyiv.
Independent think tanks have the power to instill a culture of analytics’ consumption
Maksym Latsyba, the Head of the Civil Society Development Program at the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) is convinced about that.
“And it can be done if the think tanks are not just generators of reform, but will also lobby actively their implementation. Then the system solutions, which analysts are offering now will replace those cosmetic changes, which the current government authorities cover up,” he stressed.
The expert also relies on local authorities, which due to the decentralization reform has changed qualitatively. “After the renewal of power at the local government, the financial decentralization, the mayors’ and city executive committees’ demand on analytics quite increased. I hope those new mayors will grow in the new ministers, national level’s heads and bring a culture of consultation and involvement of think tanks to develop solutions and new policies with them,” said Maksym Latsyba.
On new rules of cooperation between government and civil society, new priorities for the expert community and new trends in the analytic market – in Maksym Latsyba’s video comment recorded during IV Annual Conference of think tanks that took place on November 16, in Kyiv.
