Friday, March 27, 2020

Will Think Tanks Survive the Coronavirus Pandemic?

The response to the coronavirus pandemic has already caused many job cuts, and it is sure to hurt funding at a number of think tanks.

Can think tanks survive in this environment?  Here is what Hans Gutbrod and Till Bruckner of Transparify said in a new piece entitled: "Avoiding the Asteroid: Being Constructive and Relevant in the Pandemic":
COVID-19 could become to many think tanks what the asteroid was to dinosaurs: an extinction level event. It’s likely that sector funding will decrease sharply, both within countries and from foreign donors in developing-country contexts, while other pressing causes take precedence.

And here is a piece from On Think Tanks founder and director Enrique Mendizabal, entitled "Times of Crisis: What Can Think Tanks and Their Funders Do?"

Here is a recent Think Tank Watch piece on why no think tanks predicted the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is a selection of various think tank writings on the coronavirus.

Nonprofits, which have been seeking billions of dollars in emergency funding, are already feeling the impact of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, think tanks continue to cancel events left and right.