Think Tanks? The Battle of Ideas and Pakistan’s Missing Intellectual Infrastructure
Pakistan remains a consultant-driven country where the powers that be are wary of local thought especially those who might want to change the status quo. Yet ideas lead development.
In a world spinning faster than governments can think, you’d expect those in power to turn to institutions built precisely for thinking. That’s where think tanks come in. At their best, they are the "commanding heights" of public reasoning—idea factories, reality checkers, and policy midwives. At their worst, they are vanity publishers for political agendas or retirement homes for policy has-beens.
So what is a think tank, really? And why has Pakistan—despite having no shortage of clever people—failed to nurture even one world-class, independent institution of ideas?
Let’s begin with the basics.
What Exactly is a Think Tank?
A think tank is a research-focused organization that produces analysis, ideas, and recommendations on public issues—anything from inflation to education, climate change to cybersecurity, or trade policy to toilet reform. Think of them as bridges between academia and government, where complex research gets turned into digestible, usable, and sometimes even radical policy advice.
They are where boring spreadsheets meet grand visions. Where theory meets the real world. Where nuance still has a fighting chance.
They can be:
Independent and centrist (like Brookings),
Ideologically driven (like Heritage or Center for American Progress),
State-backed technocracies (like China’s CASS),
University-affiliated labs (like the Belfer Center), or
Donor-funded creatures of aid compliance (you know who you are).
Regardless of the flavor, their job is the same: generate ideas, create debate, challenge orthodoxy, and influence decisions—ideally without selling their soul to the highest bidder.
The Battle of Ideas is Real—and Global
In The Commanding Heights, Yergin and Stanislaw brilliantly documented how the ideological battlefield shaped economic history: from Keynes vs. Hayek to the market reforms of Thatcher, Reagan, and the Latin American “Chicago Boys.” Policy wasn’t just made in parliaments—it was born in university seminars and think tank white papers.
James A. Smith’s The Idea Brokers reminds us that institutions like AEI, Brookings, and Heritage weren’t mere spectators. They were part of the policy supply chain—sometimes the head, often the spine. Ideas were their product. Influence, their currency.
The rise of neoliberalism, for example, wasn’t an accident. It was manufactured—with policy papers, conferences, and carefully cultivated networks of scholars and officials. Even when governments weren't ready for reform, think tanks kept the flame alive until the moment was right.
Lessons from Latin America, China, and India
Let’s not limit the story to the West. The Global South has birthed some fascinating—and effective—think tanks:
Latin America: Chile’s "Chicago Boys," trained by Milton Friedman and friends, rewrote economic policy under Pinochet via think tanks like CEP. Controversial, yes. But undeniably transformative. Brazil’s FGV and Mexico’s CIDE have also become serious players in shaping social policy and economic reform.
China: Institutions like the Development Research Center (DRC) and CASS may be state-aligned, but don’t underestimate their clout. They don’t just whisper into Beijing’s ear—they shape its five-year plans, global initiatives like the Belt and Road, and industrial strategy with technocratic precision. It's managed intellectualism—but it works.
India: A chaotic, noisy, and delightfully pluralistic ecosystem. From ORF and CPR to NIPFP and CSE, Indian think tanks have helped shape everything from digital ID systems (Aadhaar) to urban policy and climate diplomacy. They straddle government, civil society, and media in ways that make their counterparts elsewhere look rigid and slow.
These institutions aren’t perfect. But they are part of the conversation. In fact, they often start it.
The Ideal Think Tank: What Should It Do?
Think tanks should:
Conduct research that’s rigorous, relevant, and refreshingly readable.
Convene voices across the aisle, and across sectors.
Speak truth to power—without fear, favor, or footnotes that make your eyes glaze over.
Act as memory in systems with short attention spans.
Translate complex ideas into policy briefs, op-eds, podcasts, and yes—sometimes even memes.
Build capacity, mentor young minds, and keep the next generation from drowning in jargon.
In short, they should be curious, courageous, and communicative. Like a really well-read uncle at a dinner table who listens, critiques, and doesn’t send you into an existential crisis.
Now Enter Pakistan... and Cue the Tragedy
And here’s where the story takes a sad turn. Because when it comes to think tanks, Pakistan has mostly missed the boat—and then blamed the sea.
Despite talented economists, social scientists, and development thinkers, the country has failed to institutionalize them. Why? A few recurring reasons:
Control-freak syndrome: Officials want to run universities and think tanks like they’re ministries. They install loyalists over scholars, reward silence over sharp thinking, and think “autonomy” is a Western conspiracy.
Fear of intellect: Public intellectuals are seen as threats, not assets. If you question orthodoxy, you’re branded a rebel. If you write too clearly, you’re too dangerous. If you critique the budget, you must be an enemy agent.
Donor dependency: Instead of building local capacity, the government prefers international consultants who speak fluent PowerPoint, charge in dollars, and rarely challenge the system that hired them. Their ideas are safe, their benefits generous, and their reports impeccably unreadable.
Merit aversion: Who needs scholars when you have connections? Promotions are political. Funding is opaque. Research is judged not by quality but by who commissioned it.
The result? Pakistan’s policy landscape is intellectually barren and emotionally constipated. Universities are demoralized. Think tanks are toothless. Policy documents are recycled. And the real reformers? They’re either ignored or abroad.
A Final Word: We Can Still Think Again
It doesn’t have to be this way. Pakistan can—and must—reclaim its intellectual space. That means:
Letting universities and think tanks breathe.
Funding independent research without strings attached.
Inviting dissent into the room—before it turns into disruption in the streets.
Building institutions that outlast donors, dictators, and desk officers.
In a world of noise, think tanks are meant to be the signal. But only if we allow them to think—and not just tank.
Until then, we will remain a country outsourcing not just its software, but its soch.