Think Tank-University Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Synthesis Report on 10 Country Studies
Author: PASGR
Year: 2016
Type: Working Paper
PASGR and the Think Tank Initiative (TTI) undertook a 10-country study to address the gap in literature and analysis by asking two overarching questions:
- What is the nature of relationships between think tanks and universities?
- What is the influence of partner or funding organizations on these relationships?
Based on these two questions the study examines:
- The types of relationships at institutional and individual levels (formal and informal), in four different areas: research, training/education, policy dialogue, and consultancy;
- The main drivers of the relationships taking into consideration the contexts in which universities and think tanks operate;
- The influence of key players in the relationships based on their characteristics;
- Key barriers to more effective relationships and how these can be overcome; and,
- Actions to foster better relationships between universities and think tanks.
The study used common survey tools and specific interview questions that involved a selected group of universities, think tanks and third-party organisations in 10 African countries: Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
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