Think tanks need to foster local talent

Chinese think tanks should focus on cultivating talent themselves instead of relying on talent from outside if they want sustainable development, an industry forum heard yesterday.

“Many think tanks have paid a lot of attention to introducing talent from elsewhere, and they should probably spend the same amount of energy on their own cultivation of talent,” Wang Ronghua, honorary chairman of the Center for Think Tank Studies, told the opening session of the two-day Shanghai Global Think Tank Forum.

China is home to an increasing number of think tanks in key sectors such as politics, economics and finance, and they have played an important role in the nation’s growth and its implementation of strategic policies, Wang said.

“Think tanks should also create a better working environment for these talents, allowing them to focus on studies,” Wang added. 

The Development of Think Tanks with High Quality Under a Changing International Order forum is hosted by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Christopher Caine, president of the Center for Global Enterprise, said think tanks across the world are now cooperating better, including in sharing data.

“In the past, it was almost impossible to have accurate data on the macro level covering the whole globe,” he said.

“But now, it is possible, and such technologies can help us improve our policy decisions.”