OTT Talks series: Think tanks in a changing Europe
How do think tank leaders navigate shifting political landscapes, financial constraints, and evolving policy demands? Discover their insights in our latest podcast series.
Across Europe, many think tanks are facing an uncertain future. As countries transition to upper-middle-income status, international donors and EU institutions have scaled back funding for civil society. Meanwhile, domestic demand for evidence-based policy research remains inconsistent, and in some cases, non-existent. This shift has left think tanks struggling to sustain their work at a time when democratic systems across the region are under increasing pressure.
Think Tanks in a Changing Europe—a podcast series by On Think Tanks, supported by the Open Society Foundations—explores how think tanks across the continent are navigating these challenges. In this series, Goran Buldioski and Enrique Mendizabal speak with former and current European think tank directors who have led their organisations for over a decade. They share insights on the strategic decisions they made to grow, adapt, or shift focus, how they navigated political challenges, and whether they still believe in the role of think tanks in their countries and regions.
Explore the first two seasons below, along with an analysis by the hosts highlighting key lessons and challenges uncovered through these conversations.
More interviews with European think tank leaders
OTT has documented the stories of think tank leaders from across the world. This page brings together the accounts of European think tank leaders alongside their peers.