embassy events

U.S., Czech and Slovak think tank professionals meet in Prague

Prague, September 6, 2005

At the Woodrow Wilson Center

On September 5-6, American Information Center Prague organized a two day seminar entitled “Do Think Tanks Have a Policy Impact” featuring speakers from the U.S., Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The first day, which was devoted to the role of think tanks in domestic policy, saw two general, agenda-setting presentations as well as case studies on, inter alia, financing a Czech university think tank, advocating the concept of flat income tax in the Czech Republic, and the role of a Slovak think tank in reversing antidemocratic political trends prior to the 1998 Slovak parliamentary elections.

The second day focused on the influence think tanks have on foreign policy and offered the audience overviews of the interaction between think tanks and foreign policy decision makers in the U.S., Czech Republic and Slovakia including two case studies. While many successes have been achieved by Czech and Slovak think tanks since 1989, the participants identified several challenges that need to be met in order for think tanks to thrive in the future. Chief among them were development of a solid local funding base, better interaction with decision makers and the media, and greater institutionalization and less dependence on individuals. 

The American Information Center is also preparing a compendium of the remarks delivered at the seminar.