The role of think tanks in integration processes
Research Article
How to Cite
Atoyan V.K. The role of think tanks in integration processes. Science. Culture. Society. 2021. Vol. 27. No. 3. P. 6-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2021.27.3.1 (in Russ.).
Abstract
The article analyzes the role of think tanks in the development of supranational integration projects. The significance and the international experience of using the potential of think tanks in foreign policy is considered. As a result of the study, some reasons have been identified that hinder the harmonious integration and development of interaction of think tanks within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. The public policy of most of the EAEU countries has not yet developed a tradition related to the financing of thought factories from individuals and organizations, as well as from business structures and special trust funds, as well as tax benefits and mechanisms that facilitate this process. The lack of opportunities to receive a research order or a grant from the public or private sector, including from the supranational structures of the EAEU, which are existentially important for the functioning and development of thought factories. As a rule, this pushes thought factories to participate in grant projects of countries and organizations located outside the EAEU. As a result, in some EAEU countries, the financial flows that support this sector mainly come from other countries. In fact, using numerous grant programs and other soft tools, other external actors often use the potential of the thought factories of the EAEU countries, thereby getting the opportunity to dictate their agenda, lobby their interests and promote their vision in specific policy areas, which undoubtedly sets trends in the expert-analytical environment, affects the ideological orientation of thought factories and the formation of public opinion. There are not enough platforms that promote the interaction of thought factories within the framework of the EAEU, which, along with an insufficient financial component that can create appropriate motivation, significantly hinders the development of integration in this direction.
Keywords:
Think Tanks, brain trusts, Integration, EAEU, EU, Foreign Policy, Track II Diplomacy
References
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13. Dolinsky A. (2016) Track II Diplomacy: Russian Studies as a Factor of Soft Power. In: Think Tank Atlas: Russian Studies Abroad. Rethinking Russia. P. 30-35. URL: http://rethinkingrussia.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Атлас-аналитических-центров.pdf (last request 14.06.2021) (in Russ.).
14. Boucher, S., Hobbs, B. (2004) Europe and its think tanks: a promise to be fulfilled. An analysis of think tanks specialized in European policy issues in the enlarged European Union. Paris : Notre Europe. 160 p. (in Eng.).
15. Atoyan K. L. (2018) On the Issues of Eurasian Integration in Higher Education. Dialog: politika, pravo, ehkonomika. No 2 (9). P. 66-72 (in Russ.).
16. Atoyan V. K. (2017) Issues of interaction of think tanks of the EAEU countries in the context of integration processes: challenges and opportunities. In: Eurasian Integration: problems and prospects, sat. mater. kr. table "Integration processes in the post-Soviet space: problems and prospects" (Moscow, April 2-8, 2017). Ed. by O.V. Petrovskaya, S.V. Tikhonova. RISI; IFGSU CIS. M. : RISI. P. 23-33 (in Russ.).
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2. Ivchenkova M. S. (2019) The functioning of Russian "thought factories" in the information society. Vestnik instituta sotziologii. Vol. 10, No 3, P. 151-164. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.19181/vis.2019.30.3.594 (in Russ.).
3. Atoyan V. K. (2016) The industry of "think tanks" in Armenia. National Strategy Issues. No 4 (37). P. 158-176 (in Russ.).
4. Urrutia, O. (2013) The Role of Think Tanks in the Definition and Application of Defence Policies and Strategies. Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos. No 2, P. 1-34 (in Eng.).
5. Istomin I. A. (2015) Foreign policy expertise in the United States. Comparative Politics Russia. Vol. 6. No 1 (18). P. 111-127. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18611/2221-3279-2015-6-1(18)-111-127 (in Russ.).
6. Genyush S. V. (2012) Expert diplomacy: Civil society serving the foreign policy. Problemnyi analiz i gosudarstvenno-upravlencheskoe proektirovanie. No 5 (25). P. 14-25 (in Russ.).
7. Telenga M. P. (2016) The evolution of "think tanks" in the U.S. foreign policy making (XX century). Historical and socio-educational thought. Vol. 8. No 4/1. P. 87-91. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17748/2075-9908-2016-8-4/1-87-91 (in Russ.).
8. McGann, J. (2016) The Fifth Estate: Think Tanks, Public Policy, and Governance. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 240 p. ISBN 978-0815728306 (in Eng.).
9. From Academia to Politics: When scholars rule China, Publication: China Brief. Vol. 15. Issue 23. 07.12.2015. URL: http://www.jamestown.org/uploads/media/_CB_15_23_3.pdf (last request 17.07.2021) (in Eng.).
10. Atoyan V. K. (2016) On the issues of intellectual support of state policy. The 21st century. No 3 (40). P. 114-123 (in Russ.).
11. Stuti, Bh., & Priya, Ch. (2019) Peacebuilding think tanks, Indian foreign policy and the Kashmir conflict. Third World Quarterly. Vol. 40, Issue 8. P. 1496-1515. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1642743 (in Eng.).
12. Voda K. R. (2018) Asian think tanks: global role and impact on foreign policy. Comparative Politics Russia. Vol. 9. No 3. P. 5-13. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18611/2221-3279-2018-9-3-5-13 (in Russ.).
13. Dolinsky A. (2016) Track II Diplomacy: Russian Studies as a Factor of Soft Power. In: Think Tank Atlas: Russian Studies Abroad. Rethinking Russia. P. 30-35. URL: http://rethinkingrussia.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Атлас-аналитических-центров.pdf (last request 14.06.2021) (in Russ.).
14. Boucher, S., Hobbs, B. (2004) Europe and its think tanks: a promise to be fulfilled. An analysis of think tanks specialized in European policy issues in the enlarged European Union. Paris : Notre Europe. 160 p. (in Eng.).
15. Atoyan K. L. (2018) On the Issues of Eurasian Integration in Higher Education. Dialog: politika, pravo, ehkonomika. No 2 (9). P. 66-72 (in Russ.).
16. Atoyan V. K. (2017) Issues of interaction of think tanks of the EAEU countries in the context of integration processes: challenges and opportunities. In: Eurasian Integration: problems and prospects, sat. mater. kr. table "Integration processes in the post-Soviet space: problems and prospects" (Moscow, April 2-8, 2017). Ed. by O.V. Petrovskaya, S.V. Tikhonova. RISI; IFGSU CIS. M. : RISI. P. 23-33 (in Russ.).
17. Shamakhov V. A., Vovenda A. V., Koryagin P. A. (2016) The main activities of think tanks of the eaeu states. Administrative Consulting. No 8, P. 15-24 (in Russ.).
Article
Received: 13.07.2021
Accepted: 29.09.2021
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Atoyan, V. K. (2021). The role of think tanks in integration processes. Science. Culture. Society, 27(3), 6-13. https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2021.27.3.1
Section
Modern political processes in Russia and abroad
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