Value proposition

"Helping bridge the gap between knowledge and policy and the public and policy makers"​

The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania conducts research on the role policy institutes play in governments and in civil societies around the world. The TTCSP was established in 1989 at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia and moved to the IR Program at the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. The TTCSP recently moved from the IR Program to the Lauder Institute, Wharton School and School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. Often referred to as the “think tanks’ think tank,” TTCSP examines the evolving role and character of public policy research organizations. Over the last 20 years, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program has laid the foundation for a global initiative that will help bridge the gap between knowledge and policy in critical policy areas such as international peace and security, globalization and governance, international economics, environment, information and society, poverty alleviation, and health. This international collaborative effort is designed to establish regional and international networks of policy institutes and communities that will improve policy making as well as strengthen democratic institutions and civil societies around the world. The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the International Relations Program works with leading scholars and practitioners from think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborative efforts and programs.