Following are the top think tanks in many of the major categories.
Top Think Tanks Worldwide (US & Non-US):
- Brookings
- Chatham House
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP)
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
- Bruegel
- Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)
- RAND Corporation
- Wilson Center
- Amnesty International
Top Think Tanks in the United States:
- Brookings
- CEIP
- CSIS
- CFR
- Wilson Center
- Cato Institute
- RAND Corporation
- Heritage Foundation
- Center for American Progress (CAP)
- National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Top Think Tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA)
- IMANI Center for Policy and Education
- Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA)
- Botswana Institute for Development Analysis (BIDPA)
- African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
Top Think Tanks in Mexico and Canada:
- Fraser Institute
- Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales (COMEX)
- Fundar, Centro de Analisis e Investigacion
- C.D. Howe Institute
- Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Top Think Tanks in Central and South America:
- Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV)
- Comision Economica para America Latina (CEPAL)
- Fundacion para la Educacion Superior y el Sesarrollo
- Centro Brasileiro de Relacoes Internacionais (CEBRI)
- Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI)
Top Think Tanks in Central Asia:
- Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
- Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS)
- Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD)
- Armat Center for the Development of Democracy and Civil Society
- Caucasus Research Resource Center
Top Think Tanks in China, India, Japan and Korea:
- Korea Development Institute (KDI)
- Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)
- Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
- China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR)
- Asia Forum Japan (AFJ)
Top Think Tanks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific:
- Australian Institute for International Affairs (AIIA)
- Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS)
- Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
- Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
- Lowy Institute for International Policy
Top Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe:
- Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM)
- Carnegie Moscow Center
- Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE)
- Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO)
- Razumkov Centre
Top Think Tanks in Western Europe:
- Chatham House
- Bruegel
- French Institute of International Relations (IFRI)
- Amnesty International
- Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
Top Think Tanks in Middle East and North Africa (MENA):
- Carnegie Middle East Center
- Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS)
- Brookings Doha Center
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Al Jazeera Centre for Studies (AJCS)
Top Defense and National Security Think Tanks:
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)
- RAND Corporation
- Brookings
- Chatham House
Top Domestic Economic Policy Think Tanks:
- Brookings
- NBER
- Adam Smith Institute (ASI)
- Cato Institute
- Peterson Institute for International Economics
Top International Economics Think Tanks:
- Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Bruegel
- Brookings
- NBER
- Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
Top Education Policy Think Tanks:
- Urban Institute
- Brookings
- Cato Institute
- National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER)
- RAND Corporation
Top Energy and Resource Policy Think Tanks:
- Institute of Energy Economics (IEEJ)
- James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
- World Resources Institute (WRI)
- Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES)
- Center for Science of Environment, Resources and Energy
Top Environment Policy Think Tanks:
- World Resources Institute (WRI)
- Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
- Worldwatch Institute
- Brookings
- Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)
Top Foreign Policy and International Affairs Think Tanks:
- Chatham House
- Brookings
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP)
- Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Top Domestic Health Policy Think Tanks:
- Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research (CCHSR)
- Bloomberg School of Public Health Research Centers (JHSPH)
- RAND Corporation
- Brookings
- Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy (KPIHP)
Top Global Health Policy Think Tanks:
- Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research
- Bloomberg School of Public Health Research Centers
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
- Brookings
- RAND Corporation
Top International Development Think Tanks:
- Brookings
- Chatham House
- Korea Development Institute (KDI)
- Wilson Center
- Center for International Development (CID)
Top Science and Technology Think Tanks:
- Max Planck Institutes
- Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
- Center for Development Research (ZEF)
- Battelle Memorial Institute
- Institute for Future Engineering (IFENG)
Top Social Policy Think Tanks:
- Urban Institute
- Brookings
- Fraser Institute
- Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE)
- RAND Corporation
Best For-Profit Think Tanks:
- McKinsey Global Institute (MGI)
- Deutsche Bank Research
- Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
- Oxford Analytica
- Nomura Research Institute (NRI)
Best Government-Affiliated Think Tanks:
- Development Research Group, World Bank
- Asian Development Bank Institute
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Royal United Services Institute
- World Bank Institute
Best University-Affiliated Think Tanks:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
- Center for International Development (CID)
- IDEAS/Public Policy Group
- James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
- Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
Think Tanks With Outstanding Policy-Oriented Research Programs:
- Chatham House
- Brookings
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- RAND Corporation
- Bruegel
Think Tanks With Most Significant Impact on Public Policy:
- Brookings
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Chatham House
- Amnesty International
Think Tanks With the Best Use of Media (Print or Electronic):
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Brookings
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Chatham House
Think Tanks to Watch:
- Chicago Council on Global Affairs
- Association for International Affairs (AMO)
- Institute for International Policy Studies (ISPI)
- Wilson Center
- Atlantic Council
Here is last year's cheat sheet compiled by Think Tank Watch.
Remember, you may want to be careful about reading too much into these rankings, which have numerous flaws and biases.
