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Collaboration Between Think Tanks and
Government in the Development of Public Policy
Bettina Horst
There are endless examples of countries that have lost decades of
progress as a result of poor design and implementation of public policy.
This, unfortunately, has condemned millions to a life of poverty.
Recovery from poorly written and ill-conceived policy is costly and
time consuming, often taking decades to regain what was lost in the
process. Incomplete policies put in place or beneficial policies not
implemented have a significant effect on future generations. The effects
of public policy or the lack of it cannot be ignored. Even though it is
government which acts as the main source of design, implementation,
and execution of public policy, gone are the days when citizens could
afford to shrug off the importance of their role in the policy process
and ignore the actions of government. In this regard, think tanks
have played an important role in empowering civil society with a sense
of responsibility in the policy process. As institutions dedicated to
the study and analysis of public policy, think tanks provide tools and
information to government and civil society to help them make well
informed decisions. In many instances, think tanks have been able
to create a space for civil society to influence policy processes which
otherwise would have been monopolized by the government. The
