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| Think tanks based in India | |
|---|---|
| Name | Think tanks based in India |
| Caption | Map of major policy research centres in India |
| Established | 20th century onward |
| Type | Research institutes, policy institutes |
| Location | India |
Think tanks based in India provide research, analysis, and advocacy on public policy issues across India. They engage with institutions such as the Parliament of India, Reserve Bank of India, Supreme Court of India and interact with international bodies like the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank. Think tanks bridge actors including the Prime Minister of India, state chief ministers such as those of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and civil society organizations like NITI Aayog, National Human Rights Commission, and Election Commission of India.
The origins trace to pre-independence organizations connected to figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and institutions such as the Indian Council of Historical Research and the All India Institute of Public and Social Sciences. Post-1947 growth accelerated with ties to the Planning Commission of India and later NITI Aayog, influenced by models from the Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Chatham House and the RAND Corporation. The liberalization era under Manmohan Singh and policy shifts after the 1991 economic reforms catalyzed proliferation, leading to networks tied to universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Centre for Development Studies. Cold War dynamics involving Soviet Union and United States also shaped the orientations of many centres.
Think tanks in India specialize in domains like foreign policy, strategic studies, public finance, urban studies, health policy, environment, technology and social policy. Prominent thematic links include Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Finance (India), Ministry of Defence (India), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Ministry of Home Affairs (India). Security-oriented institutes reference events and actors such as the Kargil War, Siachen Glacier, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Line of Control (India–Pakistan), and organizations like Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Border Security Force and Research and Analysis Wing. Economic policy research engages with instruments like the Goods and Services Tax and institutions such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India, State Bank of India, Export-Import Bank of India, and commodity issues involving the Reserve Bank of India and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Major policy centres include the Observer Research Foundation, Centre for Policy Research, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, National Council of Applied Economic Research, Indian Council of World Affairs, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Brookings India, Centre for Science and Environment, ORF affiliates and university-affiliated centres like the JNU Centre for International Politics and IIM-B Centre for Public Policy. Defence and strategic studies link to United Service Institution of India, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and regional specialists tied to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation dialogues. Economic research connects to NIPFP (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy), Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, Institute of Economic Growth, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research and financial networks involving the International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank. Health and development profiles include Public Health Foundation of India, Population Foundation of India, Centre for Equity Studies and environmental policy houses like TERI and Bombay Natural History Society.
Funding streams draw from domestic philanthropies such as the Tata Trusts, Azim Premji Foundation, RLLNF (Ratan Tata) and corporate social responsibility arms of companies like Reliance Industries, Adani Group, Tata Group as well as international funders including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Rockefeller Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and multilateral agencies like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Governance models reference boards with ex-officio members from institutions such as Indian Administrative Service officers, retired officials from Indian Revenue Service, academics from Delhi School of Economics and judges from the Supreme Court of India, alongside corporate directors from State Bank of India and private sector leaders like those from Infosys and Wipro.
Think tanks inform parliamentary committees such as the Standing Committee on Finance, advise executive bodies including NITI Aayog and ministers like the Minister of Finance (India), shape judicial litigation through amicus curiae briefs in the Supreme Court of India and contribute to media debates involving outlets like The Hindu, Times of India, Indian Express and broadcasters such as Doordarshan and NDTV. They publish with academic partners such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and collaborate in fora like the Raisina Dialogue, Milan Summit and Shangri-La Dialogue to influence bilateral ties with countries including United States, China, United Kingdom, Russia, Japan and Australia.
Critiques address concerns over corporate funding linked to conglomerates like Tata Group and Reliance Industries, ideological bias reflecting affiliations with political parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian National Congress, transparency issues compared to standards set by International Budget Partnership, and ethical disputes paralleling controversies involving Lalit Modi-era governance and corporate lobbying scandals such as those tied to 2G spectrum case or Coal allocation scam. Debates also invoke scholars and litigants from institutions like National Law School of India University and public interest litigants in the Supreme Court of India.
Indian think tanks participate in regional mechanisms such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, Indian Ocean Rim Association, and engage bilaterally through memoranda with institutes like Chatham House, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Lowy Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies and Atlantic Council. Networks extend to academic and policy partnerships with universities such as Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, London School of Economics and transnational projects involving the World Health Organization and United Nations Development Programme.
Category:Think tanks in India