Think tanks and other actors: reflections on creating successful collaborations to effect change
By Andrea Baertl
We called this year’s OTT conference ‘Think tanks and partnerships for change’.
But early in the event, we began to wonder if we’d got the name wrong. ‘Partnerships’ is a loaded word. Some thought it misconstrued the nature of their think tank’s relationship with other actors.
Perhaps, ‘collaborations’ is a better fit? It covers a fuller range of formal and informal interactions. These range from establishing networks to forging alliances, from formal contracts and memorandums of understanding, to convening, engaging and knowledge sharing with many actors to achieve their goals.
Whatever we call it, one thing is clear: to achieve change, think tanks must work with different types of organisations, groups, and individuals. As Joseph Asunka said in his keynote presentation, we can go ‘further together’.
Working in collaboration with others can take longer and isn’t easy, but it’s more likely to engender long-lasting change.
In this article, I summarise my top takeaways from the three-day conference with thinktankers, funders, and policy entrepreneurs from over 30 countries.
