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What Is a Think Tank?

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Whats is a Think Tank, Thierry de Montbrial, Thomas Gomart, 2024
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When I was laying the foundations for the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri)1 in 1978 and 1979, only a select few in France were familiar with the English term “think tank” and had at least an approximate idea of what it covered.

This term has become fashionable but still has no consensual definition.

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In line with the underlying roots of the phenomenon, I regard a think tank as any open organization built around a permanent cadre of researchers or experts, whose mission it is to develop, on an objective basis, syntheses and ideas relevant to policy-making or the formulation of private or public strategies, subscribing to a perspective of public interest. Clearly, this is a radical and, therefore, idealistic definition, but one that allows us to examine real institutions that are considered, or consider themselves, as think tanks.

The criterion of openness to the public is an essential distinction between contemporary think tanks and advisors to heads of non- democratic states, either of times gone by (such as the secret cabinet of Louis XV), or of today. Openness implies debate with the outside world. Naturally, openness can be achieved to a greater or lesser extent.

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979-10-373-0087-4

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What Is a Think Tank?

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Author(s)
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Thierry DE MONTBRIAL

Thierry de MONTBRIAL

Intitulé du poste

Founder and Executive Chairman of Ifri - Member of the Institut de France (Académie des Sciences morales et politiques)

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Thomas GOMART

Thomas GOMART

Intitulé du poste

Director of Ifri

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Geoeconomics and Geofinance Initiative
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Economic questions are approached from a political economy perspective: the evolution of the global economic system, governance and institutions, dynamics and trends of various economic zones (United States, Russia, China, emerging markets...). European issues are at the core of our research. 

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Multi-alignment and De-risking: The Global South Response to World Fragmentation

Date de publication
31 October 2024
Accroche

Turbulences and conflicts threaten the stability of the global order. What is the Global South’s response to these risks?

Critical Raw Materials, Economic Statecraft and Europe's Dependence on China

Date de publication
01 October 2024
Accroche

As China tightens export controls on critical minerals, it is important to put Beijing's policies in perspective and analyse how Europe can respond.  

Strengthening US-EU Cooperation on Technical Standards in an Era of Strategic Competition

Date de publication
26 May 2023
Accroche

Transatlantic ties have had a rough go in recent months. After an unprecedented degree of alignment on Russia in the first half of 2022, including the quick and efficient rollout of a series of groundbreaking sanctions packages, the United States and Europe stepped back into dispute territory with the fallout from measures taken by Washington, notably some key provisions of the pathbreaking Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed last summer.

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European Union–Republic of Korea Cooperation on Economic Security: Opportunities, Limits and Challenges

Date de publication
17 June 2024
Accroche

This piece is a revised version of a paper presented at the conference on “New Convergences in EU-ROK Economic Security Relations”, organised in Rome on 30 January 2024 by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI).

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Whats is a Think Tank, Thierry de Montbrial, Thomas Gomart, 2024
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Whats is a Think Tank, Thierry de Montbrial, Thomas Gomart, 2024

What Is a Think Tank?