Think Tank Generator in South Africa

After the successful Think Tank Generator workshops in Wroclaw (April 2011) and Warsaw (June 2011), we decided to continue the project in Stellenbosch, South Africa, because several participants in the workshops are currently studying or conducting research at Stellenbosch University. The African edition of the Think Tank Generator workshop took place on August 25th, 2011, and both international students on exchange in Stellenbosch and South African students participated in it.

After a short introduction by Ingo Nordmann about think tanks in general, their methodology and intentions and think tank papers, Prof. Dr. Klaus Bachmann (University of Wroclaw) talked about online resources and how to use them efficiently - for papers, think tank articles or MA theses. He introduced students to useful internet resources and databases such as the World Value Survey (http://www.wvsevsdb.com/wvs/WVSAnalize.jsp), the Eurobarometer (http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm), the Afrobarometer (http://www.afrobarometer.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=24&Itemid=51) and the Freedom House Index (http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=5).

After that, Prof. Dr. Ulf Engel (University of Leipzig) discussed current events in Africa and identified issues that are currently relevant for African think tanks. He also explained the purposes and characteristics of policy papers and how to write them. Then, students were introduced to different African think tanks, such as the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA), the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

The workshop was a success and provided students and professors with a good platform to exchange ideas and to network. We hope to be able to continue the workshop series in Leipzig, Germany, in the summer semester 2012.