In recent months, CIPE co-sponsored two major conferences overseas that focused on the importance of think tanks and their influence on public policy. The first of these, "Think Tanks As Civil Society Catalysts in the MENA (Middle East North Africa) Region: Fulfilling Their Potential," took place on February 6-8 in Beirut, Lebanon. The second conference, "Think Tanks as Policy Catalysts in Africa," took place on March 8-10 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Both events were highly successful and helped to break new ground in the Middle East and Africa. The two conferences explored such issues as:
Middle East and North Africa
The conference in Beirut brought together the
leaders of 21 think
tanks from ten different countries in the
region, along with over 20
observers from local, regional, and
international organizations. It was
co-sponsored by CIPE and The World Bank Institute
(formerly known as the
Economic Development Institute) and hosted by
the Lebanese Center for Policy
Studies. The event was a follow-up to a CIPE
/ World Bank conference in 1997
in Cairo, Egypt on public policy and
institution-building for think tanks.
Dr. Nasser Saidi, Lebanon's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, gave the keynote address in Beirut on behalf of H.E. Salim al Hoss, the Prime Minister of Lebanon. He noted, "Think tanks have a great role to play in helping to develop a democratic culture in our part of the world by shaping peoples' awareness of the facts and prospects." He admitted that democracy still has a way to go in the Middle East and North Africa, even in Lebanon, but he said he is encouraged by what he has seen. He suggested that think tanks have a unique niche in the "design and implementation of government policy because of the role that public opinion plays in shaping government policy in a democratic system, and because of the role that think tanks play in influencing public opinion."
The conference was opened by Dr. Kemal Dervis, Vice President of The World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa. Dervis emphasized The World Bank's commitment to a comprehensive development strategy that takes into account issues of good governance, institutional and regulatory frameworks, and the importance of individual freedoms and an open society in increasing economic productivity.
The first day of the conference examined the major economic reform issues facing the region, including economic deregulation, fiscal responsibility, and education reform. Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, President of the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies, welcomed participants to the conference with an overview of socio-economic forces that may either constrain or offer opportunities for development in the region. Dr. John Waterbury, President of the American University of Beirut, then examined the difficulties of deregulation and the role that civil society organizations can play in regulatory regimes. Water-bury argued that nongovernmental organizations can play a key role as advocates and watchdogs of certain regulatory regimes by designing regulations and monitoring mechanisms.
Day two of the conference was a capacity-building workshop for think tanks. Georges Frem, co-founder of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, spoke about the extent to which regional philanthropy contributes to social and economic development, and how think tanks can tap into the private sector for funding through creative marketing of their products and services. Dr. Diane Stone, a leading expert on think tanks and policy networks, advocated the development of policy networks comprised of government, business, media and policy experts as an informal way for think tanks to have an impact on official policy development.
The Beirut conference also placed emphasis on the Internet and on-line communications strategies in the Middle East, a region that has not traditionally been known for the free flow of information. The presentation of Fadi al-Qadi, project director of the Arabic Media Internet Network in Jordan, noted that the Internet cannot be monitored, censored, filtered, or mono-polized by any news organization, government, or social group. As such, it stands to play a key role in providing valuable data for policy advocacy.
Africa
The conference in Harare, "Think Tanks
as Policy Catalysts in
Africa," drew the leaders of 31 think
tanks from 18 different countries in
sub-Saharan Africa to discuss challenges and
policy issues relevant to the
subcontinent. The event was co-sponsored by
CIPE, The World Bank Institute,
the Secretariat for Institutional Support for
Economic Research in Africa
(SISERA), and the African Capacity Building
Foundation (ACBF).
The first two days of the conference focused on "nuts and bolts" operational issues of board governance, media relations, policy advocacy, and financial sustainability. The third day of the gathering concentrated on policy issues of budget transparency, democracy, and good governance.
In his keynote remarks on day one, Dr. Alan Gelb, the World Bank's Chief Economist for Africa, highlighted encouraging economic trends in Africa over the past two decades. As a general rule, he said, fiscal deficits have shrunk (to around 2 percent), trade is more open (tariffs have dropped substantially), and there are more opportunities than ever before for private initiative and foreign direct investment. He also noted that in Africa "it appears that the countries where political participation has risen more are typically the countries we tend to think of as being better managed."
Charles Mensa, President of the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) in Ghana, a CIPE partner organization, described the success that IEA has achieved in working with his nation's Parliament to scrutinize the Finance Ministry's budget proposals.
Conference participants placed heavy emphasis on credibility, accountability, and sustainability for ensuring the long-term success of think tanks in Africa. Dr. Sam Wangwe, Executive Director of the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) in Tanzania, said that the ESRF does not allow contract work to exceed 40 percent of his organization's annual income. This enables the ESRF to maintain its objectivity while also ensuring a diverse funding base. Other ways to assure financial stability, he said, include promoting civic education to encourage philanthropy, promulgating tax deductions for investing in think tanks, and increasing government outsourcing to think tanks and other non-governmental organizations.
Wrapping up the conference was Akin Mabogunje, Executive Director of Nigeria's Development Policy Center who left participants with several points to consider when designing future policy initiatives. Mabogunje underscored the need for policy initiatives from think tanks to be creative, to build the capacity of the state, and to recognize the government's role in creating the necessary institutions that enable a free market to work. He suggested that think tanks must also be aware that building democratic institutions is as important as developing free market institutions and supporting private enterprise. With-out those institutions, he said, these may appear to be economies of free enterprise, but they are not.
Mabogunje concluded the conference by stressing that a think tank must also be able to measure its own performance; and they must cite African resources in their findings. Most importantly, Mabogunje stressed the need for think tanks to make their outputs and conclusions accessible to the public so that they can make better decisions at the polls.
Best Practices for Board Leadership
This panel addressed the roles and responsibilities of the board and
how its performance can be maximized. Specific areas of discussion included
strategic plans, international accounting standards, corporate procurement
policies, and management review and board evaluation, with special emphasis
on ethical standards.
For more information on these think tank conferences, contact: cipe@cipe.org.