I mentioned below that I'd try and introduce a weekly roundup of all the most interesting things coming out of the leading UK / US think tanks. I find I spend more & more time reading those sorts of things rather than blogs so I might as well share what I find. So, a work in progress inevitably and whether the content is there to support this weekly I'll have to wait and see but in the meantime:
Compass
- New Lawson's centre-left Compass launch a debate and consultation on the counter terrorism bill. Jacqui Smith (Home Secretary) and Shami Chakrabarti Director of human rights group Liberty have set out the arguments both for and against the government’s proposals and the articles are complimented with a consultation which will run until Friday 15 February
- Research Fellow Zoe Gannon takes issue with Government attempts to get people back into work
Civitas / Centre for Social Cohesion
- Civitas have established an offshoot called the Centre for Social Cohesion. They've published a harrowing paper on honour-based violence in the UK - Crimes of the Community.
Chatham House
- International Affairs think tank Chatham House have a few good things this week built around the theme of the EU's future. First an article that explores the connection between multiculturalism and European foreign policy.
- Also worth a read is a paper on how the EU is trying to position itself as a global player with a broad spectrum of civilian and military capabilities, a 'power for good' and 'peace-builder' in the world - can the EU be an 'ethical power?'.
- Still on this theme a paper on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and whether it supports EU efforts to be held as a 'force for good'.
Demos
- Finally Demos have launched a very interesting project called the 'Everday Democracy Index'. It's a tool for assessing the democratic health of European countries and so it's a more interesting exercise than those reports that 'reveal' Sweden to be more democratic than say North Korea! It includes not just formal dimensions of democracy but also more everyday features of democracy – how important democratic principles and practices are to the cultures of workplaces, to people’s community life, to the way they interact with public services, and even to the way they talk to their friends and family. I'll probably blog in more detail about this soon provided the always excellent Tom Freeman hasn't said all there is to say on it...
Labels: Think Tank Roundups
7 Comments:
I sometimes go and give them apoplexy at Compass , its such fun
I think your concerns about not having enough content are well founded. Maybe do a monthly roundup of the best publications from think-tanks rather than listing them all? The good stuff is often very good but the bad stuff is truly dreadful.
This is a really worthwhile idea. I'm not sure whether there will be the content out there- but I do think its worth doing- partly because there is lots of interesting stuff coming out. Some of it is dross, but there is some good stuff.
Thanks folks - I suspect the worthwhile content will come in bursts rather than in a steady flow.
Needless to say I won't be including the inane "Shock: over-eating makes you fat" type studies that sometimes appear...
Yeah, this is a really good idea. I tend to tour the think-tank websites myself every couple of months, but that's no use for anything I might want to be topical about. And coverage in the MSM is pretty limited (and skewed).
I like the idea too. I don't know whether the JRF counts as a think tank but it'd be worth adding that more research based stuff in as well (if you've got time).
And while I understand your reluctance to do "over eating makes you fat" stuff, if you find yourself tempted from time to time, I'm sure we'll understand.
I think you need to list the Tanks you are covering, and ask for suggestions.
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