DIE retains its place among the world’s best Development Think Tanks

DIE retains its place among the world’s best Development Think Tanks

Press Release, 31 January 2018

Philadelphia / Bonn, 31 January 2018. The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) has once again been voted one of the best research institutions and policy-advisers on development policy in the world. This is according to the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report 2017 by the University of Pennsylvania, which was released yesterday.

Its sixth place in the category Top International Development Think Tanks puts the DIE in the same league as international benchmarks such as the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the British Chatham House and the American Brookings Institution. The category ranks institutions according to their contribution to innovative research and strategic analyses, facilitating cooperation between relevant actors and contribution to the overall quality of life in the relevant countries.

On the report’s release, DIE’s director Dirk Messner gave a positive assessment of the DIE’s work in 2017: “As an interdisciplinary institute, we have been working over several years on translating excellent research into concrete politically relevant concepts. Together with our international partners, we are taking responsibility in shaping global cooperation. Through co-chairing the T20 process during the German G20 presidency and initiating the establishment of the T20 Africa Standing Group, in 2017, we once again emphasized that we are an important network partner for research and policy-advice on challenges of global sustainable development, and in areas of global governance, such as the G20.”

Furthermore, the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) was able to assert its strong positions in a series of other categories. In the general category Top Think Tanks in Western Europe – which is dominated by foreign, security and economic research institutes – DIE was placed in the Top 30; its worldwide rank of 42 placed the institute among the top 25 percent of global research institutions. “This is something, we’re especially proud of”, said Dirk Messner. “This good performance shows, that our research on development, sustainability and cooperation does permeate other sectors of international politics”, Messner continued.

In the categories Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks and Think Tanks with the Best External Relations, the institute maintained its good positions, coming in at fifth and 27^th place respectively. Additionally, with positions 41 and 27, the DIE performed above average in the categories Outstanding Policy-Oriented Research Program and Best Quality Assurance and Integrity Policies and Procedures.

The annual Global Go To Think Tank Index Report by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania surveys the role of policy research institutions in government and civil society around the globe. This year’s survey included responses from 3.750 policymakers, journalists, university faculty and administrators, think tank scholars and executives as well as by donors from around the world.

Correction: An earlier version of this press release placed DIE as 40th of the worldwide think tank ranking. The consolidated version of the Think Tank Index Report 2017 (publication date 5 February 2018) puts DIE at position 42.