by Kenny Chee

TWO Singapore institutions are among the top 10 think-tanks in Asia, according to a global survey that polled nearly 5,500 organisations.

The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Iseas) is placed seventh, while the Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) is 10th.

Top in Asia is the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in China; No. 2 is The Japan Institute of International Affairs; and No. 3 is the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in India.

Iseas and IDSS are research centres that focus on studying the developments of South-east Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, respectively.

The second annual survey was conducted last year over eight months by the University of Pennsylvania's Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program.

No Singapore institutions were placed in the top five Asian think-tanks in its first survey in 2007.

Iseas director K. Kesavapany was pleasantly surprised by the results, and attributed the institute's standing to the "collective and accumulated work" by its researchers over its 40-year history.

Dr Joseph Liow, associate dean of NTU's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told my paper that IDSS' placing is due to its research volume and focus on publishing research in top journals, which "maximise the impact and visibility of our work".

IDSS is under the S. Rajaratnam School's purview.

"We have established a reputation in fields such as terrorism and climate change, which are of interest to the international scholarly community. It is probably why we have been noticed by other think-tanks," he said.

A global panel of experts, including representatives from think-tanks and inter-governmental organisations, were asked to nominate the think- tanks they considered the best in the world.

Based on selection criteria like media reputation and the number of recommendations from the think-tanks that policymakers adopted, a shortlist of 400 institutions was formed.

The list was then sent to almost 5, 500 organisations to select what they felt were the top think-tanks in various regions and areas of research.

Both Mr Kesavapany and Dr Liow said that having Singapore institutions among the top 10 Asian think-tanks is significant.

Said Mr Kesavapany: "It recognises the value Singapore places on research and information gathering."

Dr Liow concurred, adding that Singapore's emphasis on education is a key factor in why it performed well in the survey.

He explained that by positioning itself as a centre for excellence in tertiary education, the country has created a conducive climate for top-notch research.

"And because of that, we have managed to attract some of the top talents in various fields."

TOP 10 THINK TANKS IN ASIA

TOP 8 SOCIAL-POLICY THINK TANKS GLOBALLY

Source: University of Pennsylvania

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