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OTT Podcast brings you interviews and discussions with leading thinktankers. Follow us on onthinktanks.org

  1. Leading the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies: Mario Holzner on economic think tanks, funding, and independence

    APR 22

    Leading the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies: Mario Holzner on economic think tanks, funding, and independence

    In this episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski interview Mario Holzner, Executive Director of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), about conducting economic research on Central, East and Southeast Europe from Vienna amid shifting geopolitical and media environments. Mario describes the region’s historical heterogeneity and wiiw’s pragmatic, plural intellectual tradition, including scepticism toward purely supply-side transition policies and attention to demand, social impacts, and industrial policy. He explains how austerity and inflation eroded core public subsidies—traditionally from Austria’s Ministry of Finance, the central bank, Vienna, and social partners—driving greater reliance on project funding from the European Commission, international organisations, and, increasingly, foundations. The discussion covers pressures from partisan think tanks and polarised media, wiiw’s data-driven approach, expanded communications capacity, networked EU consortia, digital transformation, and the importance of independent analysis in a fragmented policy space. This episode is part of a series, Think tanks in a changing Europe, supported by the Open Society Foundations. You can listen to the whole series here. Learn more about the wiiw and the information discussed during this podcast. About OTT Talks: OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more. About On Think Tanks:  On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

    48 min
  2. Leading a think tank in Slovakia: Richard Durana on INESS and 20 years of free‑market advocacy

    APR 16

    Leading a think tank in Slovakia: Richard Durana on INESS and 20 years of free‑market advocacy

    In this episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski interview Richard Durana, co-founder and director of INESS (Institute of Economic and Social Studies) in Slovakia. Richard describes his move from chemistry to economics and how INESS has operated for two decades in a largely hostile, left-leaning political environment, emphasising both policy advocacy and public education. He compares Slovakia’s post-communist trajectory to the film Rocky, citing early-2000s reforms, foreign investment, and later decline amid higher taxes and unpredictability. He outlines INESS’s methods—media engagement, journalist briefings, large-scale education programs like the Economics Olympiad, and projects such as Price of the State and the Bureaucracy Index—alongside a fundraising strategy built on donor diversity, local institutional support, and zero government funding. This episode is part of a series, Think tanks in a changing Europe, supported by the Open Society Foundations. You can listen to the whole series here. Learn more about the INESS and the information discussed during this podcast. About OTT Talks: OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more. About On Think Tanks:  On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will help think tanks make short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

    46 min
  3. Beyond the report: How think tanks actually influence policy

    APR 8

    Beyond the report: How think tanks actually influence policy

    In this episode of OTT Talks, Enrique Mendizabal hosts David Watson, former Director of Communications at Chatham House and seasoned UK policymaker, in a conversation exploring David’s extensive background in government and think tanks. David reflects on his experiences within the UK government, emphasising the role of evidence in policy-making and the impact of think tanks. He discusses the differences between political roles and civil service roles and the importance of people’s lived experiences. The conversation also delves into the disconnection between think tank research and real-time policy-making. David shares his efforts to make think tanks more outward-looking and strategic with their interventions to influence policy processes. He talks about his work at ODI Global and Chatham House, emphasising the significance of strategic communications to cut through the noise and achieve corporate objectives. Finally, David addresses the evolving landscape of think tanks, the importance of being purposeful, and the challenges of producing diverse content to remain relevant in today’s fast-paced information environment. --- OTT Talks is a platform to share learning among think tanks, funders and other policy actors on a range of topics from think tank governance to communicating research.  Learn more: https://onthinktanks.org/podcast/ Support us: https://onthinktanks.org/support/

    47 min
  4. Petra Reszkető from the Budapest Institute on leading an economic think tank in Hungary

    MAR 25

    Petra Reszkető from the Budapest Institute on leading an economic think tank in Hungary

    OTT Talks: Think tanks in a changing Europe is back for season 4. In the opening episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski speak with  Petra Reszkető, Co-Director and Senior Researcher at the Budapest Institute, about leading an independent, project-based economic think tank in Hungary’s “illiberal democracy.” Petra outlines the challenges faced by the Budapest Institute, including limited and opaque government engagement, the emergence of quasi-governmental bodies and conflicting narratives, deteriorating access to and quality of public data, and the political risks associated with public participation. The conversation details the Institute's strategic pivot toward selective domestic engagement, collaboration with local actors, and an explicit regional focus. This regional work is supported by partnerships and projects with organisations such as the European Commission, the OECD, and the ILO. Key discussion points also cover the Institute's tender-driven business model, the difficulty of implementing post-evaluation changes, staff retention issues, and the critical importance of integrity, consistency, and robust contingency planning. This episode is part of a series, Think tanks in a changing Europe, supported by the Open Society Foundations. You can listen to the whole series here. Learn more about the Budapest Institute and the information discussed during this podcast. --- About OTT Talks: OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more. About On Think Tanks:  On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

    48 min
  5. Being “the African in the room”: Diversity, power, and proximate funding in global philanthropy — in conversation with Christopher Chibwana & Savior Mwambwa

    MAR 17

    Being “the African in the room”: Diversity, power, and proximate funding in global philanthropy — in conversation with Christopher Chibwana & Savior Mwambwa

    What does it feel like to become a funder when you've spent your career as a researcher? And what does it reveal about philanthropy when the person holding the chequebook doesn't look the part? In this special episode of OTT Talks, host Enrique Mendizabal speaks with Christopher Chibwana (Hewlett Foundation) and Savior Mwambwa (Open Society Foundations) — two African-born former thinktankers now leading programmes at major US-based foundations. Chris reflects on being read through visual and cultural cues inside institutions that weren't built with him in mind — and on being positioned as an explainer of the Global South rather than a shaper of how foundations engage with it. Savior contrasts OSF's history of regional hiring with a predominantly white US office culture, and examines how program officer authority quietly determines who gets funded, how much risk a portfolio can absorb, and whether smaller or less formal actors ever get a look in. Why do foundations find it so hard to shift resources toward proximate organisations, even when the case is widely accepted? How are geopolitical pressures reshaping what funders can say, fund, and stand behind? And what does contested language around "the global" reveal about where power actually sits in international philanthropy? Tune in to find out  — from two people who have now seen both sides of the table. Read more in Chris Chibwana's Substack. --- About OTT Talks: OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more. About On Think Tanks:  On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

    49 min
  6. Myanmar’s think tanks after 2021: Risk, exile, and transnational policy influence

    MAR 10

    Myanmar’s think tanks after 2021: Risk, exile, and transnational policy influence

    In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Samar Verma speak with Ngu Wah Win, Research Director at the Knowledge Circle Foundation and an alumna of the School for Thinktankers, about how Myanmar’s think tank and evidence-informed policy landscape has changed before and after 2021. The conversation covers how think tanks have shifted toward survival, advocacy, documenting human rights abuses, safeguarding displaced researchers, countering misinformation, and using digital platforms to amplify marginalised voices, while also facing unstable and short-term project-based donor funding that limits long-term capacity building and succession planning. --- About the guest: Ngu Wah Win is a Research Director at the Knowledge Circle Foundation, a non-profit organisation focusing on inclusive development in Southeast Asia. Before joining KCF in 2022, she worked as a senior consultant for multilateral organisations, bilateral aid agencies, and international NGOs, contributing to reform initiatives in Myanmar, including public financial management, agricultural value chains, and migration governance. She also served on the National Statistical Committee, Agriculture Policy Unit, and inter-ministerial task forces, conducting policy research until 2020. Ngu Wah Win holds a Master of Public Administration in Economic Policy Management from Columbia University, specialising in finance and banking, and degrees in economics and statistics from Chiang Mai University and Yangon University of Economics. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Economics at Chiang Mai University regarding labour migration, remittances, and political economy. She is also a Fellow at the University of British Columbia, Canada. About the podcast: OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research.  Learn more. This episode is part of On Think Tanks’ broader collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar-II (K4DM-II) initiative, which aims to strengthen Myanmar’s policy research ecosystem and support think tank leaders operating in complex and high-risk environments. As part of this project, IDRC supports Myanmar think tank professionals' participation in the School for Thinktankers, On Think Tanks’ flagship leadership and capacity development programme. Their engagement contributes to a longer-term effort to preserve leadership capacity and institutional knowledge, and to ensure that Myanmar’s think tank community is prepared to contribute to future policy and development opportunities as conditions evolve. About On Think Tanks:  On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

    35 min
  7. Myanmar’s think tanks in a time of crisis: From policy influence to sense-making

    MAR 10

    Myanmar’s think tanks in a time of crisis: From policy influence to sense-making

    In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Samar Verma speak with Min Zar Ni, a PhD student at the University of Southern Denmark and former Deputy Director of Research at Myanmar’s Centre for Economic and Social Development, about how Myanmar’s political upheaval has reshaped the country’s think tank and policy research landscape. The discussion explores how think tanks have shifted from direct policy influence and stakeholder engagement toward documenting realities and providing analysis with limited outreach, alongside challenges such as safety risks, polarisation, constrained dialogue, weakened long-term donor support, and the loss of talent as researchers leave the country. --- About the guest: Min Zar Ni Lin is a doctoral student in the Global Sustainable Production section at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Until early 2024, he served as the Myanmar Team Leader for the Efficient and Sustainable Apparel Myanmar (ESAM) project of SDU. This hands-on initiative aimed to support garment factories and their workers in Myanmar by enhancing productivity and improving occupational health and safety (OHS) conditions in the workplace. Prior to this, he worked as the Deputy Director of Research at the Centre for Economic and Social Development (CESD) in Myanmar. About the podcast: OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research.  Learn more. This episode is part of On Think Tanks’ broader collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar-II (K4DM-II) initiative, which aims to strengthen Myanmar’s policy research ecosystem and support think tank leaders operating in complex and high-risk environments. As part of this project, IDRC supports Myanmar think tank professionals' participation in the School for Thinktankers, On Think Tanks’ flagship leadership and capacity development programme. Their engagement contributes to a longer-term effort to preserve leadership capacity and institutional knowledge, and to ensure that Myanmar’s think tank community is prepared to contribute to future policy and development opportunities as conditions evolve. About On Think Tanks:  On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

    37 min
  8. Reimagining Myanmar’s think tanks: Resistance research, diaspora networks, and policy influence

    MAR 10

    Reimagining Myanmar’s think tanks: Resistance research, diaspora networks, and policy influence

    In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Samar Verma speak with Napas Thain, inaugural research fellow at the Myanmar Policy and Community Knowledge Hub (MYPAC) at the University of Toronto, about Myanmar’s political crisis since 2021 and how it has reshaped the country’s think tank and research landscape. The conversation examines the evolution of think tanks from limited information flow pre-2011 to liberalisation-era institutions such as Egress and the Myanmar Peace Center, shifts under the NLD toward advisor networks and smaller issue-based organisations, and the post-coup displacement of research and media into cross-border and diaspora settings. Napas discusses current challenges—including funding cuts and shifting aid priorities, as well as the legal and operational precarity faced by exiled researchers in Southeast Asia—alongside the role of think tanks in countering misinformation. --- About the guest: Napas Thein is the Inaugural Research Fellow of the Myanmar Policy and Community Knowledge Hub at the University of Toronto, where he focuses on Myanmar’s political transition, diaspora engagement, and regional diplomacy. He currently works as an Associate at McMillan Vantage, providing political analysis, policy research, and strategic government-relations support to clients across Ontario and federal government files. Napas previously served as a Research Fellow with the UBC Myanmar Initiative and Chiang Mai University, conducting extensive field interviews with civil society, ethnic resistance, and governance actors. He has also worked as a global security analyst at Kinross Gold, a research assistant in urban economics, and a constituency assistant in the House of Commons. A graduate of the Munk School’s Master of Public Policy, Napas has written for The Globe and Mail and the C.D. Howe Institute and remains active in Myanmar-related research and diaspora advocacy. About the podcast: OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research.  Learn more. This episode is part of On Think Tanks’ broader collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar-II (K4DM-II) initiative, which aims to strengthen Myanmar’s policy research ecosystem and support think tank leaders operating in complex and high-risk environments. As part of this project, IDRC supports Myanmar think tank professionals' participation in the School for Thinktankers, On Think Tanks’ flagship leadership and capacity development programme. Their engagement contributes to a longer-term effort to preserve leadership capacity and institutional knowledge, and to ensure that Myanmar’s think tank community is prepared to contribute to future policy and development opportunities as conditions evolve. About On Think Tanks:  On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

    56 min
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About

OTT Podcast brings you interviews and discussions with leading thinktankers. Follow us on onthinktanks.org

Information

  • Creator
    On Think Tanks
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © On Think Tanks
  • Show Website
    OTT Podcast

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