Think Tanks & Civil Societies Program

The Lauder Institute

The University of Pennsylvania

Session II: Why Think Tanks Matter in Times of Crisis: 20 Policies from 20 Think Tanks

The Session will run approximately from 9:07 AM - 9:49 AM and will feature 20 think tanks that have made a difference with specific policies, proposals, and programs that address the COVID-19 Crisis and that have been adopted by policymakers and governments around the world. There will be a total of 20 panelists who will have 2 minutes each to present their case. Case descriptions, followed by brief introductions of all panelists, are as follows.

Featured Cases (2 minutes each): 

Chair: SARAN, Samir | President 

Observer Research Foundation, India 

Bruegel, Belgium 

WOLFF, Guntram | Director

Case: In late January/early February 2020, when it started to become clear that the world and Europe would be faced with a pandemic, Bruegel researchers started working on how an economic response to the pandemic could look like. They contacted the relevant authorities in Europe, which asked them to prepare a paper for the discussion of EU finance ministers. The paper was discussed at the EU finance ministers meeting (ECOFIN) on March 11 2020 and was instrumental in forging consensus that a bold fiscal and monetary response was needed alongside a strict health response. "Whatever it takes" was the leitmotif successfully put forward. The paper is available here.

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), United States

MORRISON, Steve | Senior Vice President & Director Global Health Policy Center 

Case: On December 2, 2020, the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security convened a meeting of its members and expert advisors. The commission was established in 2018 and in 2019, issued seven recommendations in its report ‘Ending the Cycle of Crisis and Complacency in US Global Health Security’. The commission will continue its work through to 2022 and is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These recommendations were workshopped to incorporate the context of Covid-19 and were then integrated into the Biden administration’s plan.

Clingendael Institute, Netherlands

VAN SCHAIK, Louise | Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs

Case: Together with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), the Clingendael Institute aimed to influence the German EU Presidency with regard to its stance on WHO reform and EU-WHO relations. A webinar was organized under Chatham House Rule in the week after the EU managed to secure a resolution on Covid-19 in the World Health Assembly of May 2020. In the closed online meeting an open exchange took place among experts, representatives of the EU and several of its member states, the WHO and the German EU Presidency. Inspired by this meeting and additional exchanges with key officials, an SWP comment was drafted and published in October 2020. In November 2020, the EU’s Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States officially adopted conclusions on the role of the EU in strengthening the World Health Organization. Clingendael authors also contributed to an academic journal article in a special issue on Covid-19 by the Journal of European Integration that contrasts the EU’s current efforts to uphold the WHO to its lukewarm approach in the previous decades, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but despite the US pulling out. 

Emirates Policy Center, United Arab Emirates

AL KETBI, Ebtesam | President

Case: EPC has provided the UAE decision makers with a strategy to confront Covid19 pandemic challenges by recommending an actionable plan containing key policies and alternatives on various interconnected issues. On containment measures, EPC made recommendations to calculate the Reproduction Rate Index, to work to establish supplementary and temporary hospitals to isolate patients in the event of the worsening of the epidemic and the loss of control over its spread, and to expand the laboratory examination system. Secondly, EPC recommended conducting epidemiological investigations supported by satellite location data, using a 'supercomputer' to track potential carriers of the virus and hotspots of the virus, and maintaining a direct database on the movements of patients. Moreover, they recommended linking immigration, passports and health insurance databases to help identify people most at risk of infection by using 'big data analytics' to track recent travel history when they use their health insurance card at a clinic, hospital or pharmacy. On healthcare development and capacity building, EPC recommended strengthening the capabilities of the Infectious Diseases Center or the Epidemic Control Center, by setting up an integrated system and a comprehensive contingency plan that specifies steps and procedures for dealing with any future epidemics; promoting awareness among healthcare workers; adopting better procedures for infection control in hospitals, better procedures for isolating infected patients, and reviewing and renew guidelines for infectious diseases. In addition, they recommended increasing the number of government and private hospital beds, intensive care units, medical laboratories, and epidemiological examination/rapid response teams. Finally, EPC made several recommendations to make full use of all bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to enhance communication and cooperation to improve coordination of epidemic control efforts through regional and international collaboration.

European Policy Centre (CEP), Serbia

LAZAREVIC, Milena | Programme Director

Case: Shortly after the state of emergency and lockdown were introduced in March 2020, CEP realised that this would have a significant impact on the economy, especially small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs (SMEs). For the purposes of providing evidence-based proposals on how to combat economic consequences of the pandemic, they gathered a group of experienced and renowned economists who developed an extensive proposal with a set of 10 key policy measures. These ranged from temporary suspension of payment of taxes, including flat-rate taxes on entrepreneurs, contributions in all active private companies, utility bills for SMEs, housing loan payments for citizens, loans and lease payments and advance corporate taxes for all business entities to reducing the cost of leasing public office space by 50% for crisis-hit retail stores. The proposal also suggested refunding the fiscal part of fuel costs for freight transport companies and the provision of a National Bank of Serbia credit line for additional bank liquidity of up to €2 billion without interest. Recommendations were also made to build an administration responsible for the disbursement of public investment funds for which non-budgetary funding is provided, in order to realize payments as soon as possible, with a parallel review of all planned investments to be financed from the public funds by more than 10% as new economic circumstances require the urgent determination of new priorities.

CEP also proposed that in addition to these horizontal measures, the Government should provide special support to those industries and sectors that were being significantly impacted by the crisis in the long term, such as the tourism industry, including the hotel industry, catering, travel agencies and air transport. The same was proposed for parts of the agriculture sector, such as small wineries and specialized agricultural producers who directly rely on the hard-hit sectors.CEP argued that the implementation of the measures for support to the economy should not be burdened by unnecessary administrative restrictions. Furthermore, they proposed to avoid complicated procedures, taking into account the urgency of the situation. Our proposal was to keep the support measures as simple as possible and as easily and quickly implemented as possible, to avoid collapse of the economy. Almost all of these proposals were taken into account by the Government of Serbia and received prime time national television coverage. These proposals were introduced in April 2020 and additional support to the most vulnerable industries was approved in summer 2020.

Fedesarrollo, Colombia

MEJÍA, Luis Fernando | Executive Director

Case: Fedesarrollo provided the first estimates of both health and economic costs of COVID-19 in Colombia in April 2020, which were determined to be around 13-17 USD billion per month of strict lockdown. Aligned with these results, our economic growth forecast was set around -2.0% to -7.5%. This led to sharp revisions of growth forecasts which were quickly adopted by the government (-5.5% in June 2020) and market analysts. Fedesarrollo also contributed with the estimation of the economic effects of the pandemic at a regional and sectoral level, which served as an input for reactivation plans in different cities of the country.

Fedesarrollo also provided a roadmap of the measures to cope with the effects of the pandemic, most of them adopted by the national government. Among the measures recommended for the short and medium term: i) social transfers to poor and vulnerable households and; ii) wage subsidies for firms, an initiative that was implemented by the government in May 2020. After evaluating the program, we concluded that the subsidies reached 67% of formal firms, but they were mainly concentrated in big and small-medium firms (74% and 62%, respectively) while micro enterprises only had a 47% coverage. The government enhanced specific procedures to increase the coverage of the program and in January 2021 announced the second round of subsidies; iii) since May 2020 Fedesarrollo pointed out the importance of infrastructure investment, especially in small projects and tertiary roads. In August 2020, the government implemented this recommendation, creating a reactivation package with an investment close to 3 USD billion destined to infrastructure projects. Regarding long-term recommendations, Fedesarrollo drew attention over the importance of structural reforms to obtain higher economic growth. These reforms include a tax reform, a labor market reform, and a social security reform. We also pointed out the importance of strengthening institutions, deepening competition, and increasing public investment in infrastructure projects, among others.

Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Brazil

LIMA, Marlos | Director for International Affairs

Case: FGV collaborated with the Brazilian government to help 66 million people survive during the pandemic, fighting against poverty and saving lives. They helped design and implement public policies by providing research to support decision makers in their understanding of the impacts of the Covid crisis on the Brazilian labor market and helped avoid the increase of Brazilian social inequality. Throughout 2020, FGV has published a series of studies on the impact of the pandemic on the Brazilian economy. FGV has received widespread media coverage, and has access to decision makers in key ministries and the private sector. This access made FGV’s data and analysis key for recommendations that helped facilitate the approval of legislation regarding emergency economic recovery measures and strategies for assisting vulnerable populations. Brazil’s emergency income program helped avoid a major social and economic crisis. FGV’s focus on creating solutions made it possible for them to be at the forefront of the creation of knowledge supporting Brazil’s socio-economic policies.

Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC), Egypt

EL-GOHARY, Osama | Director

Case: IDSC initiated three megaprojects to assist the government in combating the effects of the pandemic. The first project was the launch of 'CARE.gov.eg' website to support the Egyptian healthcare system. The website aimed at providing a credible source of accurate and reliable Covid-19 information and avoid the spread of misinformation. CARE provides Egyptian citizens with infographics and short informative videos, to ensure that credible information is delivered to end users in a friendly, easy and interactive way. The website was chosen by Google and Facebook to be the most reliable source of information. This directed the Egyptian people to IDSC's platform to seek information about the virus. In addition, the Egyptian Cabinet promoted 'CARE.gov.eg' as the one and only source of accurate and credible information.

IDSC’s second project was the launch of 'Ahalina' (Our People) website - the slogan for which is “Helping Hand in Hand'' - that emerged as one of the governmental and institutional technological innovations to contribute to securing adequate income for all affected workers during the pandemic and preserving their jobs. Financial institutions, companies, businessmen, and others who wish to contribute in supporting the financially and socially affected workers donate via e-payment on the website. The website 'Ahalina' collected donations worth EGP 323 million (USD 20.59 million) from multiple entities and individuals, tripling its initial target of EGP 100 million (USD 6.38 million). IDSC also created a database for target groups to directly coordinate with the donors. Furthermore, IDSC worked cooperatively with the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Manpower to provide the affected labor with training programs to accommodate them into sectors not adversely affected by the pandemic. This initiative contributed to the success of the Egyptian government’s efforts to disburse a grant of 500 Egyptian pounds for irregular employment on three different phases, which met the needs of approximately 2 million families for cash support.

IDSC was also successful in publishing over 20 publications concerning the coronavirus outbreak, including 250 proposed initiatives to reopen safe economic activity during the outbreak. 3 sectoral guides inspired by the best international practices, which aimed to reopen hardly hit sectors like tourism, building and construction, and schooling sectors amid Covid-19 were also published and disseminated. IDSC's framework on handling the economic crisis was also discussed during an economic ministerial committee meeting. More than 35 articles on the pandemic's repercussions on Africa as well as 4 publications shedding light on important opinions pieces and best international practices concerning restarting the economy amid the outbreak were also published.

Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), Italy

MAGRI, Paolo | Executive Vice President 

Case: In March 2020, Italy became one of the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the crisis, ISPI immediately mobilized its staff and network of experts to help policymakers and the public respond to the crisis. ISPI also issued a public statement to communicate that the think tank was "keeping its lights on" and launched #ThinkTanksReact, a worldwide solidarity campaign that brought together 126 think tank leaders and showed the resilience of the think tank community. In the darkest days of the crisis, ISPI advised the national commission that was tasked by the government to draft the plan ‘Initiatives for recovery – Italy 2020-2022’. In particular, ISPI provided direct expertise to the commission (through virtual closed-door meetings) and collected proposals from the business community, civil society and other experts on key measures such as state aids to economic sectors hit by the crisis and other support measures for Italian households/companies. ISPI also contributed to the design and fine-tuning of the idea of a ‘travel permit’ to be issued to air travelers who had undergone a Rapid Test for infection or had been tested or vaccinated against COVID-19 and provided expertise - and raised awareness - on the size and actual lethality of the pandemic (example) which also enabled to set up an early warning system on ICU occupancy. Overall, ISPI carved out a role as producer and disseminator of scientific and policy findings on both the health and economic emergencies, and - together with other national players - facilitated the release of crucial, timely and useful data points by regional and national authorities. 

Institute of Development Studies (IDS), United Kingdom

LEACH, Melissa | Director

Case: As a partnership between IDS, Anthrologica and The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and with current funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Wellcome Trust, Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) has been at the forefront of efforts to support the global response to COVID-19 as the pandemic has unfolded. SSHAP operationalises knowledge from a network of international social scientists to ensure emergency preparedness and response are effective, adaptive, contextually informed, planned in consultation with affected and at-risk communities, and based on interdisciplinary science and evidence. 

In response to the needs of international agencies during the global pandemic to have relevant and rapid evidence, SSHAP produced concise yet substantive briefings, coupled with visual explainers. Collaborating agencies have included WHO, UNICEF, IFRC, UN Habitat, FCDO, and USAID. The top 10 briefings have been downloaded over 29,000 times. Three areas of policy impact include (a) raising attention to issues of COVID-19 control in informal urban settlements, joining UN-Habitat’s expert advisory group and feeding directly into the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee guidelines; (b) informing WHO global strategies and guidance on homecare for COVID-19 via involvement in the WHO Research Roadmap Social Science Expert Group, and (c) producing guidance on addressing online COVID-19 information, dis- and misinformation, including around vaccines, highlighting the importance of trust and dialogue with communities – taken up in media and policy discussions in the UK and globally. SSHAP continues to engage with a range of international partners on matters related to the global pandemic, responding to direct requests from agencies, and contributing to developing global strategies, and advocating for greater inputs from the socio-behavioural sciences into response strategies. 

Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI), Lithuania

VAINÉ, Aneta | Vice President

Case: Immediately after Lithuanian government’s decision of March 12th, 2020 to introduce the first lockdown from 16th March 2020, LFMI called on the government to allow immediate business tax deferrals and to suspend automatic freezing of bank accounts for tax payment non-compliance. Business and payroll taxes were due on March 15th, within three days following the government’s lock-down resolution. The business sector was already experiencing serious disruptions in supply and sales, and without changes to the pending tax obligations a chain reaction would have accelerated. The government immediately endorsed the said tax suspension proposals. Tax deferrals were allowed and automatic freezing of bank accounts was suspended. This helped to prevent massive business operation disruptions and closures. A total of 21,000 companies had benefited from the tax “holiday” by mid-2020. The same rules have applied during the second lock-down.

While these first policy responses to the emerging challenges were expedient, the whole state apparatus, legislature and government agencies continued to make their way on the public spending and regulatory journey. LFMI submitted a memorandum to the President, parliamentary speaker and the Cabinet calling to revise the 2020 spring legislative agenda. LFMI pinpointed 20+ public spending and regulatory initiatives and draft laws which ran counter to the challenges of the moment and would impose excessive regulatory and tax burden the nation could not afford. These included tax hikes for self-employed individuals, an increase in the cap on social security contributions and the minimum wage, additional working hours restrictions, etc. LFMI called on the state leadership to replace this legislative inertia with an anti-crisis strategy. As a result, the parliament’s spring agenda was revised accordingly and most of the legislative initiatives were withheld.

Thirdly, in a position note submitted to the Government in March 2020, LFMI challenged pending proposals to regulate wholesale and retail prices and to impose restrictions on sales and supply of goods. These price regulation proposals were turned down.

Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), South Africa

MAZIBUKO, Zamanzima | Co-editor of MISTRA’s book ‘Epidemics’

Case: In July 2019, MISTRA launched an edited volume, Epidemics and the Health of African Nations which drew together scholars from across the continent to address Africa’s experience of epidemics. The research findings in the book have taken on even more importance as Africa contends with COVID-19, and the need grows for quality, evidence-based information about how best to address a pandemic on the continent. Extrapolating from the volume, MISTRA has been leading the conversation on South Africa’s health system preparedness to manage COVID-19. The research findings on the role of community healthcare workers (CHW) and the syndemic approach in managing epidemics were revealing of the important contribution by CHWs in screening and educating communities about diseases (e.g. during the scourge of HIV in South Africa) and tracing active cases and contacts (e.g. successful containment of Ebola in Nigeria) as well as the interrelationship between disease and political and socioeconomic factors found on the African continent. Other findings in the publication had to do with financing of healthcare in the form of a National Health Insurance, regulatory frameworks for commercialisation and distribution of emerging health technologies, alternative knowledge systems including incorporating traditional healers in national health strategies, which are all currently relevant in how the COVID-19 pandemic is unfolding. The book found that a well-functioning health system is at the core of a country’s capacity to provide quality healthcare to counter an epidemic. The research paved the way towards Commissioned Research to interrogate the interventions that have been put in place by the government for managing the pandemic and to put forward recommendations for how various key players can ensure the COVID-19 strategy by the government and several businesses is multisectoral and multifaceted. The research featured on numerous media engagements and received a review in the South African Medical Journal in August 2020. MISTRA officials Zamanzima Mazibuko and Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya have appeared on several media platforms throughout the South African lockdown, examples of these are the top three outlets: SABC, Newzroom Africa and ENCA. Ms. Mazibuko was also invited to be part of the Gauteng Premier’s COVID-19 Advisory Committee which provides advisory on how the Gauteng Province, where MISTRA is based, can best navigate the pandemic. Other MISTRA researchers have also written opinion pieces and hosted webinars on challenges facing basic education and post-COVID economic recovery strategies. The significance of the findings in MISTRA’s Epidemics book and the contribution to the knowledge base being developed on epidemics resulted in the book being provided on open source in May 2020 (downloaded across the globe 239 times as of October 2020).

National Economic Research Center (CIEN), Guatemala

DEL CARMEN ACEÑA, María | Vice President 

Case: The National Economic Research Center - CIEN in Guatemala is a think tank that, for the past three decades, has focused on developing public policy to improve the development of the country. The year 2020 presented a particular challenge because of the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the economy and health sectors particularly heavily, in a country with less than one hospital bed per each thousand inhabitants (last place in Latin America). CIEN concentrated in analyzing the programs that the Government designed with the aim to save lives and livelihoods.

There were two specific actions that CIEN took: the first one was to launch an Observatory to study and present proposals regarding decisions and improvements to be made around the COVID-19 programs, and the second one was to seize the opportunity that arose from the crisis and promote modernization and digitalization of the Government. On the one hand, CIEN was able to exert influence in the improvement of the programs, specifically the Family Bonus Fund (Fondo Bono Familia) which covered about 50% of the COVID-19 resources (Q6,494 million or USD811.75 million). On the other hand, the team worked closely with the Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government (GAE in Spanish) and cooperated in a Plan for Digital Government 2020-2026 in Guatemala. Moreover, CIEN signed a letter of agreement with the GAE, so that in the year 2021, the team will participate in designing specific programs within the Route Map of the Digital Agenda of the current Government. This is an ongoing effort of active involvement in public policy planning. The team is also currently working with the Vice President around the topic of the new 2021 Budget of the State and other programs related to the much-needed economic reactivation in the country after the COVID-19 crisis.

Observer Research Foundation, India

MIHIR, Sharma | Senior Fellow and Head, Economy and Growth Programme 

Case: India has been hit harder, in economic terms, by the pandemic than any of its peers in the G-20. The first quarter after the nationwide lockdown saw output contract by over 20 per cent; India entered a recession next quarter, which is simply unprecedented in a country that has seen consistent growth for many decades. The Observer Research Foundation mobilised staff to respond to the crisis on multiple fronts. Its public health team sought to disseminate timely information about the nature and spread of the virus, and to properly inform and advise an overburdened health administration. ORF’s security & strategy divisions sought to decode what a post-pandemic world order would look like for India and the emerging world, and its tech team examined pandemic-related disinformation online. The web site ran a closely-followed case and test counter. In order to ensure that there was a common understanding across the emerging world of the emergent threats and of possible policy responses, ORF mobilised its matchless network of associates and alumni, running hundreds of pieces from contributors of 49 nationalities comparing and contrasting the pandemic’s local effects. In order to combat the economic repercussions, it rapidly became clear that the government could either abandon India's long-standing commitment to fiscal discipline or severely cut down on development expenditure, particularly on issues related to green infrastructure investment.

ORF sought to find a third way that policy makers could adopt. They zeroed in on creating a mechanism that would link Indian recovery priorities with appropriate global financing – specifically with pools of capital seeking out opportunities for investment that met ESG (environmental, social and governance) standards. Expansive monetary policy in the West meant that capital was looking for a return; and Indian sustainable development projects could provide it, as long as a suitable pipeline was provided. This would speed up India’s recovery, ensure it was green, and minimise human suffering.

This pipeline would take the form of a new institution – they called it a Green Investment Bank -- that could channel these investments, with both public and private participation. Following ORF's work and outreach to the government, it has been reported that the government is expected to announce soon the formation of new Indian development finance institutions, for the first time since the 1990s. These would be, as ORF argued, a bridge between underperforming pools of capital in the West and the recovery and resilience projects that need financing in India. India has the largest population affected by the COVID-19 emergency; and it is the essential geography where the Paris Agreement climate targets will be met or lost. We think that getting the Indian economy back on track and greening its trajectory will address both these pressing problems. Further, we have consciously designed our suggestions for India’s policy architecture to be replicable across the emerging world, as is our mandate. We understood how essential our role was, as a think tank that was capable of combining the language of development, climate, finance and public health from an emerging-world perspective.

Our Hong Kong Foundation, Hong Kong

WONG, Stephen | Senior Vice President & Executive Director of Public Policy Institute

Case: The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Hong Kong’s economy hard, with 2020’s GDP expected to have contracted by at least 6%; the worst since the 1998’s Asian financial crisis. OHKF developed an effective response to help reboot the local economy by Governments’ infrastructure investment, which effectively acts as a countercyclical fiscal policy to create jobs and investment opportunities. OHKF provided research for policymakers and the public which demonstrated that infrastructure investment like roads and railways also have the additional benefit of releasing development potential of land along the routes, something that the city is most in need of. To that end, OHKF has been advocating the development of various transport infrastructure projects including the Northern Link Railway, as well as the Tuen Mun Bypass and Route 11 Highway. HKSAR Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, has announced in her latest Policy Address in November 2020 that the Government will commission the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) to start the detailed design and engineering study of the Northern Link.  It is expected that the construction of the railway would release the development potential of 90 hectares of land in North New Territories, which would provide around 70,000 residential units. The Government has expedited the development of Tuen Mun Bypass and Route 11 Highway. The three infrastructure projects combined would involve an estimated capital investment of at least USD$70 Billion.

Razumkov Centre, Ukraine

YAKYMENKO, Yuriy | President 

Case: The Razumkov Centre produced anti-crisis recommendations for the Ukrainian Government and became one of the founders of the Center of Economic Recovery (CER) of Ukraine, which is a consortium of Think Tanks that produces elaborate policy recommendations for the government. CER was established in Spring 2020, as the result of joint initiative of Ukrainian Government, think tanks, businesses, and trade unions, and Razumkov was among the co-founders. Currently, 21 Think Tanks, 34 business associations and trade unions, 37 business structures, and 40 ministries and government agencies are among members of CER. Within two months, CER managed to carry out extensive research aimed at improvement of the extremely difficult socio-economic situation in Ukraine caused by the strategic miscalculations of previous governments together with COVID-19 pandemic. This unique close cooperation of leading Ukrainian Think Tanks, business, trade unions, the Government and international partners allowed the formulation of the 'State program of stimulation of the economy overcoming the negative effects caused by restrictive measures for preventing the emergence and spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for 2020-2022'. This program has been approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on May 27, 2020. The goal of the Program is to introduce during 2020-2022, a comprehensive system of new opportunities for stabilization and sustainable development of Ukraine's economy and employment growth by maintaining existing, and stimulating the creation of new, highly productive jobs with decent working conditions.The constructiveness of such their work is evidenced by the fact that among 220 program proposals, more than 60% were proposed by CER.

The Razumkov Center also coordinated the CER`s task force on energy issues. Currently, CER is working on development of the National Economic Strategy 2030 (NES) at the request of the Government, which should be presented in the first quarter of 2021. The launch of the process of elaboration of NES,  which main vectors have been outlined by CER, serve as acknowledgment of this initiative by the State. Recently, Razumkov Centre presented its study 'Guarantees of Citizens’ rights and freedoms under conditions of COVID-19 pandemic: Peculiarities and ways of Improvement' based on the results of an All-national opinion poll.

Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan

SULERI, Abid | Executive Director

Case: During the early phase of COVID-19, amidst strict lockdown across the country, food supply chains were disrupted due to panic buying that encouraged hoarding, resulting in price hike. Urban food systems were particularly affected because of the poor’s high dependence on the informal markets. Disruption of the informal food sector aggravated the situation that ultimately led to food inflation. 

In this backdrop, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR), in early March 2020,  sought SDPI’s recommendations on how to keep the food supply chain intact. The ministry also needed SDPI’s input in the preparation of a Food Security Crisis Management plan for the smooth functioning of food supply chains that connects producers, processors, marketers, transporters, and retailers to consumers.  

SDPI emphasized on the compilation and visualization of data on supply, stock, and prices of essential food commodities. In this regard, an online dashboard was advised to readily inform decision-makers about i) the food surplus and food deficit districts (subnational administrative units); ii) the need for  transportation of food from surplus district to deficit district; iii) arrangements for imports, if domestic food stocks deplete; and iv) to check food hoarding. 

In September 2020, SDPI presented the Food Security Dashboard to the highest office of the government.  Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a meeting in late December, has approved the prototype of the Food Security Dashboard. The Dashboard was developed by the SDPI team with the support of experts from the Food Security Advisory Council, of which SDPI hosts the secretariat as well. 

Screenshots of Food Security Dashboard

The Heritage Foundation, United States

TUBB, Katie | Senior Policy Analyst

Case: A project of The Heritage Foundation, the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission developed nearly 300 specific recommendations for federal, state, and local governments, businesses, churches, charities, and community organizations to navigate America prudently toward recovery. The commission has made more than 40,000 contacts with policymakers across the United States and 35 U.S. states adopted the commission’s top recommendations under the Trump administration. Vice President Mike Pence also acknowledged the role of The Heritage Foundation and thanked them for their contribution in the US’ plans to combat the effects of the pandemic.

The Stimson Center, United States

PONZIO, Richard | Senior Fellow and Program Director

Case: Launched on December 2, 2020, the Doha Forum Report 2020 titled ‘Coping with New and Old Crises: Global and Regional Cooperation in an Age of Epidemic Uncertainty’ found that the international response to the pandemic has often proven fragmented, delayed, ad hoc, and under-resourced, while pointing to promising new global public-private partnerships to spur innovation through new technologies and to promote decent job and wealth creation opportunities. With the arrival of multiple effective vaccines, the report recommends a three-year (2021–23) global green recovery effort with four critical dimensions of global-national-local interaction: i) public health, human rights, and social protection; ii) economies that are robust, efficient, fair, and opportunity-building, both for entrepreneurs and for youth; iii) economic recovery that doubles as effective climate ac­tion; and iv) greater and more inclusive digital connectivity worldwide. Timed as a substantive contribution to the UN COVID-19 Recovery Heads of State Summit (December 2-3, 2020), the report's findings and recommendations will be shared and debated with senior policy-makers in New York, Geneva, and major capitals worldwide, in early 2021, in an effort to influence the relatively swift adoption of a more coordinated, comprehensive, and environmental-sensitive approach to COVID-19 recovery worldwide. Having consulted hundreds of organizations and governments on related themes in connection with the UN75 Global Governance Forum (Sept. 2020), the Doha Forum Report 2020 team offer path breaking ideas on how a post-UN75 global governance modernization program must go hand-in-hand with post-vaccine recovery efforts to achieve progress that is durable, green, and broad-based--reaching even the most vulnerable groups, including refugees and unemployed youth. 

Arab Forum for Alternatives, Lebanon

ELAGATI, Mohamed | Director 

Case: The forum released a comparative study titled ‘COVID-19 pandemic: Does the mainstream public policies system achieve protection for all?’. This study analyzed around seven gaps including; 1) Fragility of state institutions particularly those related to public services such as healthcare, 2) Centralization legacy in dealing with major crises, 3) Limited role of parliaments and elected municipal councils,  4) Lack of proper utilization of the resources of the private sector) in public policy responses to the pandemic in Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon and made around ten  recommendations, some of which included the following; 1) There is an obvious need for a better management of resources, which requires adopting a different approach in the policymaking process on both the procedural and technical levels, 2) The revival of several industries during the pandemic is an example of unused resources that need to be utilized whether at times of crises or as part of an attempt to boost the economy and support production, 3) The policymaking process has to be done in a democratic and participatory manner that guarantees the contribution of citizens who should identify their problems and needs and also monitor the performance of officials, 4) a partnership needs to be created by civil society organizations in order to mobilize efforts for the purpose of achieving development, forming a lobbying bloc that can affect the decision-making process, monitoring the implementation of projects, and submitting recommendations, 5) decentralization becomes a substantial requirement in the Arab region. This could be done through expanding the role of municipal councils in monitoring the performance of local officials and handling complaints and interpellations. Decentralization makes it possible to base decisions on the local needs of each region on how government officials can improve the process of policy making to provide maximum relief to people in the region (the importance of enhancing the role of parliaments and civil society organizations so that the state is prepared to face such crises. It is through those entities that the state can understand the needs of the people and can also request that they abide by rules). The recommendations were made to government officials and parliamentarians, as well as municipalities members. The core aim of the study was to provide information and augment knowledge of civil society organizations who wish to engage with the COVID19 crisis and its policies.

Panelists: 

Chair: SARAN, Samir | President Observer Research Foundation, India: 

Samir Saran, Ph.D, is the President of Observer Research Foundation (ORF), one of Asia’s most influential think tanks. Working with the Board, he provides strategic direction and leadership to ORF’s multiple centres on fundraising, research projects, platform design and outreach initiatives including stakeholder engagement. He curates the Raisina Dialogue, India’s annual flagship platform on geopolitics and geo-economics, and chairs CyFy, India’s annual conference on technology, security and society. He spearheads the Foundation’s efforts to foster new international partnerships and globalise its platforms. He is a member of the Regional Stewardship for India and South Asia of the World Economic Forum, and a part of its Global Future Council on Geopolitics. Samir was also the Commissioner of The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace – which released its final report, ‘Advancing Cyber Stability’, at the Paris Peace Forum in November 2019. Samir has benefited from a rich and diverse experience in the Indian private sector. At India's largest conglomerate, Reliance Industries, he served in various capacities across their fibre and petrochemicals, power, telecom, retail and media verticals. He has been actively engaged with regulators and policy makers since the early 1990s, closely studying India’s ambitious economic reform journey.

Samir completed his doctoral studies at the Global Sustainability Institute, UK. He holds a Masters in media studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, and a Bachelors in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, India. He writes frequently on issues of global governance, climate change, energy policy, global development architecture, artificial intelligence, cyber security, Internet governance, and India's foreign policy. He has authored four books, several monographs, academic papers, edited two books, and is featured regularly in Indian and international print and broadcast media.

AL KETBI, Ebtesam | President Emirates Policy Center, United Arab Emirates:

Ebtesam Al-Ketbi is a member of the board of directors of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. She is a founder and president of the Emirates Policy Center and the first Arab woman to lead a think tank. She is a professor of political science at United Arab Emirates University and a member of the Consultative Commission of the Gulf Cooperation Council. She has served in several capacities, including: as the secretary general of the Gulf Development Forum; as a board member of the Association of Political Sciences; as a member of the board of trustees of the Arab Unity Studies Center; as a member of the board of trustees of the Arab Organization for Transparency; as a consultative board member of the Arab Thought Foundation; as a member of the board of trustees of the Arab Council for Social Sciences; and as a member of the core team behind the 2006 Arab Human Development Report, among others. She is a founding member of the Emirates Human Rights Association. She has published a number of papers including: “The Security Dimensions of Military Relations Between GCC countries and the USA”; “The Global Community and the War on Terrorism: Threat or Opportunity?”; and “Democratic Transformations in GCC Countries”. She earned a PhD in political science from Cairo University.

DEL CARMEN ACEÑA, María | Vice President National Economic Research Center (CIEN), Guatemala:

Maria Aceña graduated with degrees in Systems Engineering, Informatics and Computer Science from the Francisco Marroquín University and has a Master in Business Administration from the Central American Institute of Business Administration. She was executive director of Fundación para el Desarrollo de Guatemala, designed and directed the National Program for Educational Self-Management, and was president of CIEN (1996-2003) and Minister of Education of Guatemala (2004-2008). Since 2010, she coordinates the CIEN Citizen Security Area and is President of the Fundación Proyecto de Vida. She has worked as a consultant for various international organizations in the fields of health, education, public management, citizen security, and development. She has also belonged to and collaborates with different national and international organizations on issues of public policy, civil society, and research centers. Being a university professor has always been passionate about writing for the media. She is a columnist for the Publinews newspaper and Contra Poder magazine. Her greatest desire is to see a prosperous, safe, and peaceful Guatemala.

EL-GOHARY, Osama | Director Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC), Egypt:

Osama El-Gohary graduated in 2002 from The Egyptian Police Academy and started his career life as a member of the technical team for the first assistant of the Minister of Interior. In 2007, El-Gohary left the Ministry of Interior and joined the Ministry of Petroleum. At the same year, he received a post graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management from The American University in Cairo (AUC), scoring a grade “A” (Excellent). In 2009, El-Gohary received another certificate in Economics from Edinburgh Business School. Afterwards, In 2012, Osama received his masters (MA) certificate specialized in Digital Marketing from Hult International Business School. Later on, In 2016, he started working as a Marketing and Consumer Behavior lecturer at Misr International University. In the same year, El-Gohary was working as a senior analyst at The Egyptian Cabinet. In 2019, Osama was promoted to be the Egyptian prime minister’s assistant and IDSC’s Chairman.

ELAGATI, Mohamed | Director Arab Forum for Alternatives, Lebanon: 

Mohamed El Agati is the director of the Arab Forum for Alternative Studies (AFA) in Lebanon and a social sciences researcher. He holds an MA in political sciences from Cairo University. He has published many papers and edited several books on civil society, social movements, and political reform in the Arab region. He was assisted in this paper by Mina Samir, a research assistant at the AFA. 

LAZAREVIC, Milena | Programme Director European Policy Centre (CEP), Serbia:

As the Programme Director, Milena is in charge of the overall programmatic strategy of CEP as well as developing and managing the quality assurance system and processes within the organisation. In terms of thematic focus, she is primarily responsible for the Good Governance and Europe & US programme areas. Milena is a proven expert in the fields of public administration reform, regional development and local economic development, with consultancy engagements including SIGMA/OECD, ReSPA and the World Bank. In 2014-2015, in addition to her work at CEP, she acted as the special advisor to the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of public administration reform. Prior to co-founding CEP, Milena served for six years in the Serbian civil service, as advisor for public administration reform and administrative capacities for EU accession in the EU Integration Office of the Serbian Government (SEIO) and in the Serbian Ministry of Public Administration. As a Soros scholar, she obtained her BA degree in European Studies and International Relations at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), after which she obtained an advanced MA degree in European studies at the College of Europe, on a King Baudouin Foundation scholarship. She later also graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and obtained an MA in European Administrative Law at the Law Faculty of the Belgrade University. She speaks fluent English, French, Italian, and Bulgarian, and has basic knowledge of German. 

LEACH, Melissa | Director Institute of Development Studies (IDS), United Kingdom:

Melissa Leach is the Director of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). She co-founded and co-directed the ESRC STEPS (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) Centre from 2006 to 2014, with its pioneering pathways approach to innovation, sustainability and development issues. She is a Fellow of the British Academy and was awarded a CBE in 2017 for services to social science.

LIMA, Marlos | Director for International Affairs Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Brazil: 

Marlos Lima is Director for International Affairs at FGV. He is also a professor on postgraduate courses in Strategic Planning, Public Policies, Prospective Scenarios, Future Studies, and Decision Making under Uncertainty. Marlos has been involved in many projects in private and public initiatives abroad and in Brazil. He is an economist at Brazilian School of Economics, holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and a PhD on Management at FGV. Marlos Lima is also a visiting professor at many universities in Latin America, and founding member of Latin American Group for Public Administration (GLAP/IIAS), and the American Academy of Management.

MAGRI, Paolo | Executive Vice President Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), Italy:

Paolo Magri is Executive Vice President and Director of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) and Professor of International Relations at Bocconi University. He is also Secretary of the Italian Group of the Trilateral Commission; Member of the Europe Policy Group del World Economic Forum; member of the Strategic Committee of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs; member of the Board of Directors of the Italy-China Foundation; Member of the Advisory Board of the Italian Entrepreneurial Association of the Lombardy region. He is a regular speaker, writer and commentator to diverse media outlets on global issues, U.S. foreign policy, Iran and the Middle East. Previously, he served as Programme Director to the UN secretariat in New York and, up to 2005, he has been Director of International Affairs at Bocconi University in Milan. He has also been consultant for several International Organizations and companies such as Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Albania), European Union (Poland), Italcementi (Egypt).

He is the author of: "Post-vote Iran. Giving Engagement a Chance" (with Annalisa Perteghella, ISPI, 2017); "The Age of Uncertainty" (with Alessandro Colombo, ISPI, 2017); "The Trump Era" (Mondadori, 2017); "Il mondo di Obama"(Mondadori, 2016); "Twitter and Jihad: The Communication Strategy of ISIS” (with Monica Maggioni, Mondadori, 2015), which received scholarly recognition by the University of Pennsylvania; "Le nuove crepe della governance mondiale" (ISPI, 2016); "Iran After the Deal: The Road Ahead" (with Annalisa Perteghella, ISPI, 2015); "I BRICs e noi. L’ascesa di Brasile, Russia, India e Cina e le conseguenze per l’Occidente” (with Paolo Quercia, ISPI, 2011).

MAZIBUKO, Zamanzima | Co-editor of MISTRA’s book ‘Epidemics’ Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), South Africa:

Zamanzima Mazibuko is a senior researcher in the Knowledge Economy and Scientific Advancement Faculty at MISTRA. She is a Wits university alumni and holds a BSc degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and a BSc honours in Pharmacology. She obtained her MSc (Med) in Pharmaceutics cum laude and has published on nano-enabled drug delivery technologies in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. She has a patent filed with Wits Enterprise for a nano-enabled drug delivery system, designed and formulated for her master's degree. Zamanzima's current research interests are on the low-carbon economy; beneficiation of strategic minerals in South Africa, particularly platinum group metals; nanomedicine; and epidemics and health systems in Africa.  

MEJÍA, Luis Fernando | Executive Director Fedesarrollo, Colombia:

Luis is an economist from Los Andes University, with a master’s degree in economics from the same university and a master’s degree and doctoral studies in economics from the University of Chicago. He has taught macroeconomics in the University of Chicago and several Colombian universities as well. Between other distinctions, Luis Fernando was drawn as one of the 50 leaders under 40 years in Colombia, received the Margaret Reid Memorial Fund scholarship from the University of Chicago, as well as the Martin & Margaret Lee award for the best doctoral exam in macroeconomics.

He has been a professional and junior researcher at the Central Bank of Colombia, researcher at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington between 2001 and 2003, and in the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2005. Afterwards he was Director of Macroeconomic Policy at the Colombian Ministry of Finance between 2012 and 2014, where he worked as an advisor in earlier years. Luis Fernando was Deputy Minister and later served at Ministry at the National Planning Department of Colombia for four years until 2018, where he led the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, among others. He is currently Executive Director at Fedesarrollo.  

MIHIR, Sharma | Senior Fellow and Head, Economy and Growth Programme Observer Research Foundation, India: 

Mihir Swarup Sharma is Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and Head of its Economy and Growth Programme. He was trained as an economist and political scientist in Delhi and in Boston. His book, Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy, was published in 2015; it won the Tata LitLive best Business Book of the Year and was longlisted for the Financial Times–McKinsey Business Book of the Year. In 2019 Mihir co-edited What the Economy Needs Now with Abhijit Banerjee, Gita Gopinath and Raghuram Rajan. He is also the India columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, on the Editorial Board of the Business Standard newspaper in New Delhi, and an Aspen Fellow.

MORRISON, Steve | Senior Vice President & Director Global Health Policy Center Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), United States:

J. Stephen Morrison is Senior Vice President at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Director of its Global Health Policy Center. Dr. Morrison writes widely, has directed several high-level commissions, and is a frequent commentator on U.S. foreign policy, global health, Africa, and foreign assistance. 

PONZIO, Richard | Senior Fellow and Program Director The Stimson Center, United States:

Richard Ponzio is Director of the Just Security 2020 Program and a Senior Fellow at Stimson. Previously, he directed the Global Governance Program at The Hague Institute for Global Justice, where (in a partnership with Stimson) he served as Director for the Albright-Gambari Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance. He brings expertise in the areas of global and national democratic institution-building, global political economy, and the role of international institutions in responding to state fragility, global financial volatility, and population displacement. Ponzio is formerly a Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he conceptualized and coordinated Secretary Hillary Clinton’s and later John Kerry’s New Silk Road initiative. Earlier he served as a Senior Strategy and Policy Officer in the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, where he initiated a global network of multi/bilateral peacebuilding and stabilization organizations.

From 1999-2009, Ponzio served in a variety of senior policy and strategic planning positions for the United Nations in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, and New York. From 1997-1999, he was a Visiting Fulbright Fellow at the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre in Islamabad, where his research focused on the governance-security-development nexus in South Asia.

Ponzio has published widely in academic and policy journals (including Global Governance, Foreign Policy, and Survival), edited volumes, newspapers, U.N. policy reports (including national, regional, and global Human Development Reports), and books, including Democratic Peacebuilding: Aiding Afghanistan and other Fragile States (OUP, 2011) and Human Development and Global Institutions: Evolution, Impact, and Reform (Routledge, January 2016, with Dr. Arunabha Ghosh). He serves on the board of the Academic Council on the UN System.

Ponzio completed his doctorate in politics and international relations at the University of Oxford on a Clarendon Scholarship and undertook earlier studies at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy (M.A.), The Graduate Institute Geneva (M.A.) as a MacJannet Fellow, and Columbia University (B.A). 

SULERI, Abid | Executive Director Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan:

Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri has been heading Sustainable Development  Policy Institute, Pakistan’s premier policy research think-tank, since  2007. He is the member of different policy making forums and advisory  boards, including Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council; National  Advisory Council of Planning commission of Pakistan; Pakistan Climate  Change Council; convenor of Food Security Advisory Group at National  Security Division Govt of Pakistan; and member of Agricultural  Universities Vice Chancellor’s Search Committee, Govt of Punjab. He is  also serving on different international policy making forums, including  advisory board of intergovernmental organization CAREC (Central Asia  Regional Economic Cooperation) Think-Tanks Network; Member of  permanent organizing committee of South Asia Economic Summit; Co Chair of the Board of Climate Action Network South Asia; and lead  expert for World Economic Forum’s “Transformation Mapping” initiative  from Pakistan. He also served on three judicial commissions (formed by Supreme Court of Pakistan,  Islamabad High Court, and Lahore High Court) on environmental issues as well as the Member of Board of  Management of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) where he chaired PSO Board's Audit and Accounts Committee. Dr  Suleri represented Pakistan in various official delegations, including UN Sustainable Development Summit;  UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COPs); and WTO Ministerial Conferences. His current research interests  include Sustainable Development Goals, inclusive and sustainable economy; food security; regional trade;  and political economy of development, etc. He is a regular guest speaker and delivers lectures on different  aspects of sustainable development to the career civil servants, officers of armed forces, and  parliamentarians. He is an acclaimed writer and besides publishing in academic journals also contributes his  policy analysis on sustainable development issues both in print and electronic media. He is also editor-in chief of SDPI peer reviewed journal, “Journal of Development Policy, Research and Practice”. Dr Suleri  earned his PhD in food security from University of Greenwich UK in May 2000.

TUBB, Katie | Senior Policy Analyst The Heritage Foundation, United States:

Katie Tubb is a senior policy analyst for energy and environmental issues in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Tubb researches and writes on subjects such as nuclear energy, climate change policies, and the benefits of free market environmentalism. Tubb writes and contributes research to Heritage’s Issue Briefs and Backgrounder policy papers. She is a regular contributor to the think tank’s multimedia news organization, The Daily Signal.  Her work also is featured in other national outlets such as The Washington Times, National Review, National Journal, Nuclear Townhall, and Real Clear Energy.

Tubb joined Heritage in 2012 as a research assistant in the Roe Institute. She previously was an intern there as well as in the office of then-Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. Tubb holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Grove City College in Grove City, Pa. Born into an Air Force family, she currently resides in Virginia.

VAINÉ, Aneta | Vice President Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI), Lithuania:

Aneta Vainė is Vice President of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute. She first joined LFMI in 1994 and worked as project leader, public relations director and a senior policy analyst until 2004. In 2013 Aneta resumed her work at LFMI as Director of Development and Programs to strategically develop and manage LFMI’s programs, foundation relations, and international outreach. Aneta Vainė has authored and managed numerous national and international research and educational projects. She played a key role in LFMI’s winning Templeton Freedom Awards in 2014 and 2016. From 1999 until 2009, she also served as national rapporteur on Lithuania for the Freedom House’s Nations in Transit report. Between 2009 and 2013, Aneta worked as head of the Project Management and Internationalization Departments at a private university where she initiated and led strategic and internal quality management projects and developed joint degree programs with foreign universities. Aneta holds Master’s degrees in English and Economics from Vilnius University and a certificate in European studies from Surrey University, U.K. In 1997 she was a National Forum Foundation’s internship grantee with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, USA.

VAN SCHAIK, Louise | Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs Clingendael Institute, Netherlands: 

Louise van Schaik is Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs at the Clingendael Institute. She also coordinates Clingendael research in the field of climate change and sustainable development. In her research, she has extensively analysed the EU’s performance in multilateral bodies, including in the fields of climate change, health and food standards. She has also published on related research areas such as EU foreign policy, EU climate change and energy policy, EU research policy, scarcity of natural resources and green growth. Louise has published various policy reports, books, academic articles and commentaries. She regularly gives presentations and lectures to various groups of professionals. She was responsible for the acquisition and implementation of several research projects for governments, (international) foundations, the private sector, and others.

She has a Master's degree in Public Administration from Leiden University (2003) and a PhD in Political Science from the KU Leuven (2010). Prior to joining Clingendael in 2006, she was a Research Fellow at CEPS, a Brussels-based think tank, for four years. 

WOLFF, Guntram | Director Bruegel, Belgium:

Guntram Wolff is the Director of Bruegel. His research focuses on the European economy and governance, on fiscal and monetary policy, and global finance. He regularly testifies at the European Finance Ministers' ECOFIN meeting, the European Parliament, the German Parliament (Bundestag), and the French Parliament (Assemblée Nationale). From 2012-16, he was a member of the French prime minister's Conseil d'Analyse Economique.

Guntram Wolff is also a member of the Solvay Brussels School's international advisory board of the Brussels Free University. He joined Bruegel from the European Commission, where he worked on the macroeconomics of the euro area and the reform of euro area governance. Prior to joining the Commission, he was coordinating the research team on fiscal policy at Deutsche Bundesbank. He also worked as an advisor to the International Monetary Fund.

He holds a PhD from the University of Bonn, studied economics in Bonn, Toulouse, Pittsburgh and Passau and previously taught economics at the University of Pittsburgh and at Université libre de Bruxelles. He has published numerous papers in leading academic journals. Guntram is fluent in German, English, French and has good notions of Bulgarian and Spanish. His columns and policy work are published and cited in leading international media such as the Financial Times, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Caixin, Nikkei, El Pais, La Stampa, FAZ, Handelsblatt, Les Echos, BBC, ZDF, and others.

WONG, Stephen | Senior Vice President & Executive Director of Public Policy Institute Our Hong Kong Foundation, Hong Kong:

Mr. Stephen Wong received a B.A. Degree in Economics from the University of Chicago, Phi Beta Kappa, and an M.A. Degree in East Asian Studies (Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies) from Yale University. Since then, he has worked for a number of global financial institutions, including as an Executive Director in UBS (London) and a Managing Director at RBS. Mr. Wong joined Our Hong Kong foundation as Senior Consultant in May 2015, and was appointed Deputy Executive Director and Head of Public Policy in November of the same year. He is now Deputy Executive Director and Head of Public Policy Institute. Mr. Wong’s public service includes various advisory roles appointed by the Hong Kong Government, including Board Member of the Financial Services Development Council, Board Member of the Urban Renewal Authority, Member of the Town Planning Board, Members to the Task Force for the Study on Tenancy Control of Subdivided Units, Member of Investment Committee of the Beat Drugs Fund and more. Mr. Wong is also Chairman of the Clean Air Network, Vice Chairman of the Admissions, Budgets & Allocations Committee and Investment Sub-Committee Member of the Community Chest, and Executive Committee Member & Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Social Enterprise and Innovation Platform of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.  Mr. Wong is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Hong Kong University SPACE for the Institute for China Business.

YAKYMENKO, Yuriy | President Razumkov Centre, Ukraine:

Dr. Yuriy Yakymenko is President of the Razumkov Centre, Kyiv, Ukraine. Before joining the Razumkov Centre, in 1995-2002, he worked at Administration of the President of Ukraine, as political analyst, Head of Division for liaison with political parties and public organization, Deputy Head of the Main Department of Political Analysis and Forecast.    

He studied political science at Kyiv Taras Shevchenko University (graduated in 1991), obtained a MA degree in Political Theory from The University of Manchester (1994), and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science. He is an author of monographs, analytical reports, research papers, policy recommendations, publications, and comments for media on issues of Ukrainian politics. He also took part in drafting legislation for reformation of the political system of Ukraine, in national electoral campaigns of leading political forces and candidates for presidency.

His spheres of expertise include political systems, political parties and civic movements, political culture, electoral campaigns, and national identity issues.  

“Helping to bridge the gap between knowledge and policy”

About the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program

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 civil societies around the world. Often referred to as the “think tanks’ think tank,” TTCSP examines the evolving role and character of public policy research organizations.

Since its formation, TTCSP 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. TTCSP at the Lauder Institute works with leading scholars and practitioners from think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborative efforts and programs.