KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) and the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) have been ranked among the top think tanks in the world, an international report has revealed.
The Global Go-To Think Tank Index Report, released annually by the Think Tank and Civil Societies Programme at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, has ranked the Asli 122nd out of 150 (non-American) think tanks worldwide.
The CPPS was ranked 100 (out of 175 think tanks) worldwide, and came in fourth (out of 100 think tanks) in the Southeast Asia and Pacific category.
Other local think tanks, namely the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), Institut Rakyat, and the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) made it into the league of top think tanks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Asli chief executive officer Tan Sri Dr Michael Yeoh said he is delighted that Asli and CPPS were judged the top think tanks in Malaysia and Asean.
“Overall, out of 2,400 global think tanks ranked, we are the only Malaysian think tank in the top 100 worldwide. We are ranked no.4 in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (including Australia and New Zealand).
“We are number 24 in the world for top transparency and good governance, 40 for best advocacy campaign, 56 for best management, 39 for best think tank conference, 33 for best new idea developed by a think tank, 32 for best trans-disciplinary think tank and 15 for best quality assurance and integrity policies.
“We are also the 48th best independent think tank in the world, and number 26 worldwide for think tanks with operating budgets of less than US$ 5 million.
“This is very satisfying for our hard work and strong commitment to our core values of integrity, good governance and teamwork, and achieving this with our low budget and limited resources (is gratifying).
“We shall continue with our research and public advocacy to serve the nation and the people of Malaysia,” Yeoh added.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Asli-CPPS, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, said he is pleased the think tanks scored highly in this prestigious world ranking.
“We have consistently maintained high quality and integrity in all our research analyses.
“With strong support from the government and the public for our independent insights and views, we are confident we will continue to serve society (well) for a better Malaysia,” he added.