PIDS tops SEA ranking

MANILA, Philippines – State-run Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) ranked as the top think tank in Southeast Asia and remains one of the best in the world, according to the 2013 Global Go Think Tank Report released by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the University of Pennsylvania.

The TTCSP report recently appraised 6,826 think tanks from 182 countries.

Based on the report, PIDS was ranked 37th among the top 50 social policy think tanks in the world. It surpassed the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore that was ranked 41st.

PIDS also managed to improve its position from 40th place in last year’s report.

Only PIDS and ISEAS are the ASEAN think tanks included in the world ranking of top social policy think tanks.

On the other hand, PIDS was ranked 70th among 80 top international development think tanks and has moved up from its ranking of 79th in the 2012 report.

The Global Go To Think Tank Report is a comprehensive ranking of the world`s top think tanks and acknowledges the important contributions and emerging global trends of think tanks worldwide.

As a state-funded think tank, PIDS is devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions. Since its establishment in 1977, it has been engaged in conducting long-term, policy-oriented studies to assist policymakers and planners in crafting development plans and programs that are based on sound research evidence.

It has completed more than 800 studies that encompass a wide range of development issues such as trade, competition policy, housing and urban development, demography, poverty, agriculture, environment, public finance, information and communication technology, education, health economics, and others.

PIDS has assumed leadership roles in regional knowledge networks such as the East Asian Development Network (EADN) and is also an active member of the Global Development Network (GDN).

PIDS has also conducted numerous seminars and conferences with representatives from international agencies such as the ADB, World Bank, and various United Nations agencies.

President Aquino, during his State of the Nation Address last year, quoted the policy recommendations of a PIDS study on the government’s conditional cash transfer program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), as the basis for his decision to extend the program. -Donnabelle L. Gatdula (The Philippine Star)