Complementing the Foreign Policy Establishment - The Rise of Think-Tanks in India



Suhasini Haidar in her recent commentary (South Block in the Shade) in The Hindu has highlighted an interesting foreign policy phenomenon in India – the rise of think-tanks. Though she sees it as a factor in checking the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) from being “India’s primary interlocutor for the world,” many working on foreign policy have been asking for an effective role by the think-tanks with quality inputs to the Establishment

Suba Chandran, D

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  ARTICLES  Article No.   #5065 , 21 June 2016COMPLEMENTING THE FOREIGN POLICY ESTABLISHMENTThe Rise of Think-Tanks in IndiaDr D Suba ChandranProfessor, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, & former Director, IPCSSuhasini Haidar in her recent commentary (South Block in the Shade) in The Hindu has highlighted an interesting foreignpolicy phenomenon in India – the rise of think-tanks. Though she sees it as a factor in checking the Indian Ministry ofExternal Affairs (MEA) from being “India’s primary interlocutor for the world,” many working on foreign policy have beenasking for an effective role by the think-tanks with quality inputs to the Establishment.For a long time, the Indian political establishment across the board has viewed independent think-tanks in the countryprimarily from a negative perspective – as being foreign funded (thereby implying that they follow a different agenda thanthat of the government). Though the different ministries (especially the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the MEA) anddifferent wings of the Indian armed forces have – directly or indirectly – supported their own, these think-tanks did not havea negative tag in the governmental corridors.Do independent think-tanks such as the India Foundation (IF) and Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) challenge therole of the South Block? Or do they signify, along with few others such as the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) andGateway House (GH) – the rise of think-tanks that are much needed and timely? And do they not help the state in today’sworld of having “speciality” independent institutions?Unfortunately, those who criticise the VIF and the IF view them primarily based on who is funding them, and whom they areclose with inside the Indian establishment. Such a perspective is not drastically different from the previous governmentalperspective that those think-tanks funded by foreign foundations are essentially bad. Why should the background of thefunders come to the forefront, instead of the work of these think-tanks and more importantly, their utility?From the US to Japan, there are think-tanks funded and supported by the rightist, economic, environmental, and liberalfoundations and lobbies. In India, think-tanks like the ORF, GH, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) etc – have allbeen supported by business houses. Especially in a country where there is no governmental support for independent think-tanking, institutions will have to be dependent on sources – domestic and external. Of course, the government supportsinstitutions such as the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) etc.; butthey cannot be called completely “independent.”The issue here is not about who is funding but instead what value they bring in for the larger foreign policy establishment;and more importantly,  their  effectiveness in reaching out to the  world.  True,  the MEA has to remain “India’s primaryinterlocutor for the world.” Has it not been the case since independence? Despite that, there has been repeated emphasisthat given the contemporary need and the vastness of global interactions, India would need additional power to help theMEA carry forward.Let us face the facts. Given the bureaucratic tangle and the need for paper work within and with the Indian Ministry ofFinance (MoF), independent think-tanks are much better placed to take forward a few multilateral dialogues. In fact, theMEA has already been doing the same via ICWA, IDSA, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS),ORF etc. Perhaps the MEA realises the need and has in fact already opened its gates in different ways.And this  presents  a  huge  opportunity  for  the  think-tank  environment  in  India.  Today,  the  situation for  independentthink-tanks is sharply different from those initial days in the 1990s when visionaries like RK Mishra and PR Chari establishedthink-tanks  like  the  ORF  and  Institute  of  Peace  and  Conflict  Studies  (IPCS)  respectively  –  independent  from  thegovernment.  From funding to hiring quality researchers – it was not an easy task for these pioneers then. Today, thesituation is substantially different.Global think-tanks such as the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) haveestablished a chapter in India. All three wings of the Indian armed forces – the army, navy and air force – have beensupporting their own: the Centre for Land and Warfare Studies (CLAWS), the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) and thehttp://www.ipcs.org/print_article-details.php?recNo=50931 of 2 6/23/2016 11:52 AMCentre  for  Air  Power  Studies  (CAPS)  respectively,  in  addition  to  the  Centre  for  Joint  Warfare  Studies  (CENJOWS).Additionally, TERI and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) have their own focus onissues relating to environment and economy. There is competition and at the same time cooperation among them. There isalready an initiative amongst the leading think-tanks in New Delhi to have a dialogue amongst themselves, so that theycould make useful contributions to India’s foreign policy decision-making, and also take forward some of the larger externalobjectives of the country.Perhaps this is a new beginning. Let us not try to vilify them by looking at who is funding whom. They have a useful role toplay and will be extremely helpful to the foreign policy establishment. Let us not see and pursue foreign policy as some soleentity’s prerogative. There has to be a collective push, and with the right imagination and strategy, the think-tanks will beable to help the Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the MEA by being independent.In fact, the PMO, the MEA and other related institutions should take a conscious effort to take this process even further.Though the number of think-tanks have witnessed a phenomenal increase in the last ten years, a majority of them arelocated in New Delhi. A huge country such as India, with substantial issues all over its land and maritime territories, alsoneeds regional think-tanks based in Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai and Jammu. There are a few in these cities, buthave serious problems with funding and outreach. Given India’s regional matrix and the role played by the states, it isimperative to have successful regional think-tanks.Second, it is also imperative to invest in think-tanks focusing on non-foreign policy issues. Science, environment, trade,maritime issues etc are specialised areas that demand focused attention. For example, the National Institute of AdvancedStudies (NIAS) in Bengaluru (with whom this author is associated) has a specialised focus on science butis  least aligned withthe foreign policy establishment in India.Finally, if think-tanks have to have maximum impact on decision-making, they have to substantially improve their inputs.Organising conferences, dialogues and hosting dignitaries from outside cannot be their primary functions. There have to be“quality” inputs,  which are “actionable.” While “research” has to be the bedrock of these institutions,  they should have“policy” relevance, otherwise there would not be a big difference between a PhD and policy research reports.There is a new dawn of independent think-tanks in India. It would not have happened without the South Block and the PMOmaking a conscious decision to open up. The latter should not expect the former to be their second fiddle. Let them remainindependent and yet be integrated within their own space.B 7/3 Lower Ground Floor, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi 110029, INDIA.Tel: 91-11-4100 1900, 4165 2556, 4165 2557, 4165 2558, 4165 2559   Tel/Fax: (91-11) 4165 2560Email: officemail@ipcs.org© Copyright 1997-2016, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.    http://www.ipcs.org/print_article-details.php?recNo=50932 of 2 6/23/2016 11:52 AM

The Rise of Think-Tanks in India

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The Rise of Think-Tanks in India

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