Press release of 31 January 2019

Bonn, 31 January 2019. The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) has been named one of the six best international think tanks for development policy. This is according to the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report 2018 by the University of Pennsylvania, which was released on 31 January 2019.

The ranking’s category Top International Development Policy Think Tanks rates leading institutions that provide innovative research and conduct strategic analyses on developmental challenges. Alongside the British Chatham House and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), as well as the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), DIE was among only four European institutions as part of the top 10 development think tanks worldwide.

Like in previous years, DIE was also well received in other categories of the ranking. Both inside Europe (category Top Think Tanks in Western Europe) as well as on a global level (Top Think Tanks Worldwide Non-US), DIE was very visible in 2018 and is placed in the top 25. DIE was also able to repeat its sound placements in the categories Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks and Think Tanks with the Best External Relations, coming in at places five and 27 respectively.

On the report’s release, DIE’s Acting Director Imme Scholz reflected on the reasons for the good reception: “DIE has been working intensively at the interface of research and policy advice for many years. Our commitment to international research and policy advice networks is most important to us. We are engaging in long-term partnerships on global research questions and training programmes with partners from the global South – for example through our Managing Global Governance programme. Through our pivotal role in the Think 20 group, we are able to provide evidence-based advice to global decision makers, throughout the G20 presidencies of Germany, Argentina and Japan.” Scholz concluded that, “this approach has proved its value and helps us to be among Germany’s most visible institutions in international rankings like this.”

The annual Global Go To Think Tank Index Report of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania surveys the role of political research institutions for government and civil society. This year more than 3.750 experts from politics, media, academia as well as from public and private financiers participated in the survey.