Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Dr. James McGann (aka "Mr. Think Tank") Dies

Dr. James McGann, Director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania, died on Nov. 29.

Dr. McGann, also known as "Mr. Think Tank," is best known for creating the annual think tank rankings ("Global Go To Think Tank Index") that were closely followed across the globe but also came under increasing scrutiny for biased methodology and myriad errors.

While far from perfect, Dr. McGann's think tank rankings were the most comprehensive global think tank rankings available.

It is unclear what replacement for the rankings, if any, will emerge.

Besides the rankings, McGann authored several books on think tanks, including The Fifth Estate, Global Think Tanks, and Think Tanks: The New Knowledge and Policy Brokers in Asia.

Here is an obituary from the Philadelphia Inquirer published on Dec. 2