The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) cordially invited to a Think Tank Lab Lunch Talk about the question "What Do Policymakers Want from Think Tanks?"
Policymakers are the most important audience for think tanks. They are interlocutors to help us understand current policy problems, stakeholders in developing solutions, and a key target audience for our analyses and advice. However, according to policymakers interviewed for a study by the Stiftung Mercator and Robert Bosch Stiftung published in 2020, think tank products tend to give insufficient consideration to real-life political processes and pressures. In other words, products are not always “tailored enough to the target group and their concrete needs.”
So, what do policymakers expect from think tanks? In our Lunch Talk, we will ask two of them directly. Please join us for an “Ask Me Anything” discussion with an experienced member of the German Bundestag and a newcomer in the German government to learn how they engage with think tanks, how they believe think tank products can become more relevant to their work, and how think tankers can best bring their expertise to the attention of policymakers.
Speakers:
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff MdB
Member of the German Bundestag and Deputy Chair of the FDP Parliamentary Group
Britta Jacob
Desk Officer at the Policy Planning Staff, Federal Foreign Office
Facilitator:
Roderick Kefferpütz
MERICS Project Lead for the Think Tank Lab, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)
This was a Think Tank Lab community event. If you wish to receive invitations to future events and information about our activities, please join our mailing list on www.thinktanklab.org.
