Implications for Think Tanks Need to be able to: –Understand the political context –Do credible research –Communicate effectively –Work with others Need organisational capacity –Staff –Internal processes –Funds

Organisational development tools Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices: –The entrepreneurship questionnaire –Training & mentoring etc Knowledge Management Organisational development –Finance, admin & personnel systems –Strategic (action & business) planning –Fundraising & reporting Building an organisational profile –Communications, Public Affairs and the Media Struyk, 2002, Local Governance Institute, Open Society Network, Budapest

Research Tools - Case Studies - Episode Studies - Surveys - Bibliometric Analysis - Focus Group Discussion Communication Tools - Communications Strategy - Writeshops - Message Design - Making use of the media Overarching Tools - The RAPID Framework - Using the Framework - The Entrepreneurship Questionnaire Context Assessment Tools - Stakeholder Analysis - Forcefield Analysis - SWOT analysis - Policy Mapping - Political Context Mapping - Problem Tree Practical Tools Policy Influence Tools - Influence Mapping & Power Mapping - Lobbying and Advocacy - Campaigning: A Simple Guide - Competency self-assessment

Stakeholder Analysis A stakeholder is a person who has something to gain or lose by the outcomes of a planning process or project. Purpose: Identify the needs and concerns of different stakeholders. Should be done early in project planning stage. Benefit: To gain understanding / build consensus, To communicate the benefit of the proposed project, To build strong, inclusive public involvement campaign.

Keep Satisfied Engage Closely Monitor (minimum effort) Keep Informed High Power Low High Interest Stakeholder Analysis Why: Understand who will gain or lose from a policy or project. Help Build Consensus. Steps: Identify Stakeholders. Analysis Workshop. (Develop Strategies)

Forcefield Analysis Developed by Lewin (1951) Done by identifying the driving forces and obstacles or restraining forces to change. Can help identify the relative priority of factors on each side of the issue. Benefit : to inform decision-making to gain a comprehensive view of the different forces to analyze the possibilities for influencing policy

Forcefield Analysis Process: Identify a specific change you want to achieve Identify supporting and opposing forces (Identify Priorities) (Develop Strategies)

SWOT Analysis Purpose: Can assess the internal forces that determine your organisations potential to carry out a strategy (the Strengths and Weaknesses), Assess the external forces that will help or hinder you (the Opportunities and Threats), Helps organisations to be realistic about how much they can achieve given limited resources and understand where they are likely to be able to have most impact.

Strengths ThreatsOpportunities Weaknesses Skills and abilities Funding lines Commitment to positions Contacts & Partners Existing Activities Other orgs relevant to issue Resources: financial, technical, human Political and policy space Other groups or forces Existing Activities SWOT Analysis Stages: Write clear policy influence aim, Brainstorm of ideas, Assess internal capacity, Assess external environments, Wrap-up with action oriented discussion

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