How Think Tanks Help Policymakers Create a More Equitable and Prosperous Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar, November 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

An International Development Research Centre survey shows think tanks in Myanmar need to improve research quality and outreach to ensure officials have easy access to accurate information for making national policy. 

Even though the research quality of some of Myanmar's independent research organisations is considered above average, policymakers more often turn to international think tanks for information needed to craft policies, according to the "2018 Policy Community Survey - Report on Myanmar" released today.

The report describes the results of the first local perception survey of Myanmar's think tanks, and whether the research these organisations provide is sufficient to help policymakers address many economic and social challenges. The survey results will inform a larger set of projects from the Myanmar Initiative aiming to help local think tanks develop.

"Our hope is to help policymakers and think tanks in Myanmar work better together in addressing policy challenges, by identifying how think tanks are succeeding and where there are opportunities for improvement," said Dr. Edgard Rodriguez from Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), who leads the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar Initiative.

"We wanted to find out: do policymakers have the research and evidence they need? What kind of research would they find most useful and is it being supplied by local think tanks? What should local think tanks do differently?" Dr. Rodriguez added.

To gather such insight, international opinion research firm GlobeScan and its local partner KANTAR Public queried senior level policy stakeholders in Myanmar, from government, civil society, media, academia, and the private sector.

Reponses show that Myanmar's policymakers find access to relevant information on some priority topics, such as education, gender issues and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals easier than others, such as economics, poverty alleviation, natural resources and foreign affairs.

For local think tanks to become the preferred source of data and evidence and thus play a greater role in Myanmar's development, they should focus on improving research quality, increasing the availability of experienced and trained staff, and building greater awareness of their services, according to the report.