In late January this year the results from the annual Global Go-To Think Tank Survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania were released. SAIIA is proud to announce that it was ranked the 2009 number one think tank in the ‘Southern and sub-Saharan Africa’ category.
It is the first comprehensive global ranking of think tanks and results are based on an extensive worldwide survey of over a thousand scholars and experts. This year, 392 organisations across the globe were assessed from a pool of over 6000 possible candidates. (The survey identified some 503 think tanks in the sub-Saharan region.) Over 1200 international experts comprising leading scholars, former think tank executives, public and private donors, journalists and policymakers participated in the selection process.
The selection criteria included organisations’ ability to meet the goals of their respective funders, the relationship between organisations’ efforts in a particular area and the positive change in that area, organisations’ ability to bridge the gap between policymakers and grassroots realities, as well as the number of recommendations adopted by policymakers.
Fred Phaswana, our National Chairman has welcomed the survey results especially as 2009 had been our 75th Anniversary. “I believe that this international peer recognition of SAIIA was based on its quality research output and high public profile, and I congratulate the staff and research associates of SAIIA on this accolade,” he said.
To view the complete report, click here.
