Report / Case study

Think Tank‐University Relations in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Synthesis Report on 10 Country Studies

author(s) Partnership for African Social & Governance Research (PASGR), .
from UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
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themes
regions
  • Eastern Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Africa
  • World
  • Southern Africa
  • Western Africa
citation

PASGR (2016) Think Tank-University Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Synthesis Report on 10 Country Studies, Working Paper 014, Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR): Kenya

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Abstract

Literature reveals diverse relationships between think tanks and universities, ranging from short- and long-term, formal and informal, and institutional and individual need for collaboration in the interdisciplinary research landscape. Even with this knowledge, the relationship between think tanks and universities in Sub‐Saharan Africa context is not fully explored. Universities and think tanks are thought to have both negative (competitive, or displacing) and positive (collaborative, complementary and mutually reinforcing) relationships. It is evident that think tanks influence graduate teaching and curricula, and universities build the capacity of think tank researchers. The interaction of these two institutions in the knowledge landscape to connect research and teaching and inform policy necessitates a deeper analysis of opportunities for more structured collaborations and complementarities. This paper details how think tanks and universities in Sub‐Saharan Africa inter-relate and the factors that influence these relationships. The 10-country study addresses 2 overarching questions: What is the nature of relationships between think tanks and universities? What is the influence of partner or funding organizations on these relationships?

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