Few months ago Uganda launched 2040 Vision. The document is
imaginative but weak on benchmark drivers to achieving an integrated first
world economy by 2040. For example, the role of knowledge is not clearly
articulated. In all developed nations on earth, Think tanks are bedrocks of
knowledge agenda. You see, these Think
tanks are public-policy research analysis and engagement organizations that
generate policy oriented research, analysis, and advice on domestic and
international issues, which enable policymakers and the public to make informed
decisions about public policy issues. Such Think tanks may be affiliated or
independent institutions and are structured as permanent bodies, not ad hoc
commissions. These institutions often act as a bridge between the academic and policy-making communities and between states and civil society, serving in the
public interest as independent voices that translate applied and basic research
into a language and form that is understandable, reliable, and accessible for
policymakers and the public.
James McGann (2012), argues that the potential of think tanks to
support and sustain democratic governments and civil society is far from
exhausted. Today policymakers and civil society throughout the developed and
the developing world face the common problem of bringing expert knowledge to
bear on government decision-making. The challenge is to harness the vast
reservoir of knowledge, information and associational energy that exists in
public policy research organizations in every region of the world for public
good – You see; McGann makes an important point because knowledge is
increasingly an international commodity that spans physical and metaphysical
boundaries. Indeed learning and knowledge are the key ingredients that hydrate
the process of transformation. Recently, key ideas that shaped the 2012
campaigns in United States were cooked in strategy rooms of major Think tanks
like Brookings Institution and Center for American Progress. In Uganda, we seem
to be playing a catch up game. The 2012 Global Go-To Think Tank Index shows
that progress is happening in Uganda. For example, the Economic Policy Research
Center (EPRC) was ranked the best Think tank in Uganda, followed by Advocates
Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), and Makerere Institute of
Social Research (MISR) respectively.
ACODE was further ranked 25th among the top 50 Think Tanks in Africa.
MISR was further ranked 37th among the top 50 think tanks in Africa. And out of
the 75 Think Tanks with the Best Advocacy Campaign, ACODE was ranked 38th and
MISR 69th. ACODE was also ranked 17th globally among the top Think Tanks with
the Best Policy Report Produced during 2011-2012. Perhaps, what we need to
interrogate is whether government institutions and wider public are
piggybacking information and knowledge from these think tanks to strengthen
public policy and service delivery in Uganda. Quite often, these think tanks
face a dilemma in of demonstrating ability for brutal independence. In many
countries, phantom Think Tanks are mushrooming, where governments create think tanks that are
designed to appear to be non-governmental organizations but are in fact arms of
the government. Likewise, opposition parties, corporations and individuals have
established think tanks to promote their special and particularistic interests.
This trend raises concerns about a lack of transparency and private interest
masquerading as public interest. Are Think tanks in Uganda ready to overcome
this temptation?
The other challenge for think tanks is to produce timely and
accessible policy-oriented research that effectively engages policymakers, the
press and the public on the critical issues facing a country. Gone are the days
when a think tank could operate with the motto “research it, write it and they
will find it.” Today, think tanks must be lean, mean, policy machines. The Economist described “good think tanks” as those
organizations that are able to combine “intellectual depth, political
influence, and flair for publicity, comfortable surroundings, and a streak of
eccentricity.” Uganda- we still have a lot to learn along this transformation
journey.
Morrison Rwakakamba
Chief Executive Officer
Agency for Transformation
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