The Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) has been ranked among the top Asian think tanks for the fifth year running. The 2016 Global Go To Think Tank Index by the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme rates some 7000 think tanks worldwide, based on an annual global survey of experts, policy makers and journalists.
In this year’s index, a worldwide ranking of think tanks (excluding those in the US) saw the SIIA coming in first in Singapore and Southeast Asia, placing 53rd overall. Topping the list as the Think Tank of the Year 2016 was Chatham House from the United Kingdom.
The SIIA was also ranked among the top 25 Best Independent Think Tanks in the world – the second Asian think tank recognised in the category. The SIIA was among the top in ASEAN in the categories of Top Domestic Economic Policy, Top International Development Think Tanks, Transparency and Good Governance, and Best External Relations or Public Engagement Programme.
The institute was also the only Singaporean think tank to be ranked in the categories of Best New Idea or Paradigm Developed by a Think Tank, Best Trans-disciplinary Research, and Best Use of Internet. In 2016, the SIIA revamped the Haze Tracker portal (http://www.hazetracker.org/), which now features an interactive map with wind direction, hotspot data and concession information to help monitor and trace pollution sources. The SIIA also launched the Global Citizens Singapore programme last year, an event series that delves into societal issues and aims to help gather a community for change.
