Efficacy of Think Tanks in Influencing Public Policies: The Case of Bangladesh

Abstract

This article analyzes contextual and organizational challenges and constraints faced by think tanks in Bangladesh. It argues that while think tanks have been visible in the policy discourse through fostering policy debates and advocating policy proposals, their direct impact on policy outcomes remains limited. Think tanks’ research findings are often interpreted through the prism of politics. A number of think tanks are institutionally weak and face challenges in funding, attracting researchers, and retaining research focus. Think tanks can potentially focus attention to the wider policy community, and emphasize intermediate influences, such as, building capacity, wider networking and interacting with a broader base of policy-makers, in order to be effective and relevant in the policy discussions.     

美国对“疆独”问题政策的演变、影响与前景

美国对“疆独”问题政策起源于20世纪40年代,在冷战期间因活动较少、相对隐蔽、作用相对有限,故未能引起重视。冷战后,伴随着“疆独”问题的凸显和美国对华政策的调整,美国对“疆独”问题政策开始浮出水面,走向公开化,成为影响“疆独”问题演变的重要变量。“9．11”事件后以及奥巴马上台后,美国对“疆独”问题政策又出现了新变化。本文按时间脉络系统梳理了美国对“疆独”问题政策的演变历程,并就其对“疆独”问题的影响作了分析,最后就美国对“疆独”问题政策的前景进行了展望。     

The importance of geopolitics in firms' international location decisions: The Polish case

Despite connections and common traits between geopolitics and International Business based on geography and location, literature on this matter is scarce. This study aims to contribute to this literature gap, by assessing the importance of Poland's geopolitical factors in FDI location decisions. By applying a hybrid methodology which combines qualitative and quantitative analyses we conclude that there is a connection between Poland's geopolitical factors (stable, variable and interactional) and the volume, origin and distribution of the FDI received.     

Polish martial law of 1981 in Polish post-communist films: Between romanticism and postmodernism

This essay discusses representations of Polish martial law of 1981 in Polish feature films made after communism collapsed. It considers them against the political history of Poland over the last thirty years, especially the history of Solidarity and the shift from communism to post-communism. It argues that the way martial law is portrayed changed over the years. While initially, as represented by Kutz's Death as a Slice of Bread, the aim was to commemorate the victims of martial law and condemn the authorities, in later films we observe more complex portrayals that reflect the growing erosion of the myth of Solidarity and the Church.     

The Memory of Katyn in Polish Political Discourse: A Quantitative Study

This study uses quantitative methods to explore how the memory of Katyn is mobilised in political discourse. The scholarly literature on memory conflict tends to see international memory disputes as an expression of a state's interests as a whole; this study analyses when hostile rhetoric is mobilised and finds that in Poland Katyn is invoked as part of an opposition strategy that criticises the incumbent regime for undermining the national interest. Periods of accelerated debate about the significance of Katyn have occurred as political elites sought to achieve specific domestic rather than foreign political goals.