Inter-Asia think tank partners ranked among the best in the world in 2013

An important aspect of the Inter-Asia research group's current research is the role of our close cooperation with external entities (Entes Promotores Observadores; EPOs), including leading think tanks in Spain and in China. The International Relations Program of the University of Pennsylvania has recently published its 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Index, the only international ranking system for think tanks made by a university research centre available to date.

According to the 2013 edition, one of Inter-Asia's closest collaborators, CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for InternationalAffairs) has been recognised as the most influential Think Tank in the South of Europe. CIDOB was ranked 16th among the top think tanks in Western Europe (up two places from 18 in 2012), and maintained its ranking of 64th among the top think tanks worldwide (US and non US). In addition, CIDOB has been ranked 12^th in the world in the new category of “Think Tanks to Watch”.

According to this new edition of the Global Go To Think Tanks Index, with the 16th position (up 2 posts from last year’s position and 5 from the year vefore), CIDOB is the most highly valued Spanish think tank within the category of Western European think tanks

Jordi Bacaria, director of CIDOB, said that "it is very important for CIDOB to hold good positions in the Index, particularly because it means the recognition of civil society and public decision makers which we aim to reach. It means that this audience appreciates our work as analysts and opinion makers, its quality and its independence," in a preliminary assessment of the results of the survey.

Several of the Chinese think tanks with which Inter-Asia collaborates together with the CIDOB have also been very highly ranked:

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)

Top Think Tanks – Worldwide (US and Non-US) (#20)

Top Think Tanks – Worldwide (Non-US) (#9)

Top Think Tanks in China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (#4)

Top Domestic Economic Policy Think Tanks (#12)

Top International Development Think Tanks (#20)

Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks (#3)

Think Tanks with Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Programs (#25)

Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP, CASS)

Top Domestic Economic Policy Think Tanks (#12)

Top International Economic Policy Think Tanks (#27)

Central Party School

Best Think Tanks with Political Party Affiliation (#12)

China Institute of International Studies (CIIS)

Top Think Tanks – Worldwide (US and Non-US) (#36)

Top Think Tanks – Worldwide (Non-US) (#30)

Top Think Tanks in China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (#3)

Top Foreign Policy and International Affairs Think Tanks (#29)

Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks (#8)

The Chinese elites' perception of Catalonia

Sean Golden, member of the Inter-Asia research group, recently conducted a study trip to China, visiting Xi'an, Xining, the Qinghai Plateau and Beijing. While in Beijing he met with Prof. 张敏 Zhang Min of the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) to begin discussing details of a new study to be carried out jointly with CASS, China's #1 think tank, on behalf of the Patronat CatalunyaMón, to investigate the perception of Catalonia among China's elites (government, business, communications media; policy-makers and opinion-formers), in order to design a strategy for better promoting Catalan interests in China.

Inter-Asia think tank partners ranked among the best in the world

An important aspect of the Inter-Asia research group's current project The impact of East Asia in the Spanish context: Cultural production, politics/policies and society, funded by the Spanish government, is the role of our close cooperation with external entities that promote the project and observe its results (Entes Promotores Observadores; EPOs), including leading think tanks in Spain and in China.The International Relations Program of the University of Pennsylvania has recently published its Global Go to Think Tanks Report 2011, the fifth edition of its annual report, lead by Professor James G. McGann, and the only international ranking system for think tanks available to date. As part of the survey process, the Report contacted 6,545 think tanks, while producing the most authoritative list of high performance think tanks in the world.

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) - CIDOB Foundation think tank seminar on the EU sovereign debt crisis

On 9 November 2011, Inter-Asia research group member Sean Golden co-organised with the CIDOB Foundation of Barcelona and participated in a think tank seminar requested by a visiting delegation of scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), on the following topics: 

• The extent to which the European sovereign debt crisis has an impact on European Economic recovery, growth patterns, and relationships with trading partners;
• Rules and impact of EU economic governance vis-a-vis Spain;
• Spanish strategies towards EU governance measures;
• Spanish attitude towards IMF, World Bank, G20 and other international institutions;
• Spanish expectations of future bilateral relations with China and the role of Spain within the framework of EU China relations.