The Chicago Council on Global Affairs Ranked No. 1 Think Tank to Watch

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs was ranked No. 1 “Think Tank to Watch” worldwide by the prestigious “2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index” released Friday. The Council’s report, “Preserving Ukraine’s Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do,” produced in collaboration with the Atlantic Council and the Brookings Institution, also was named the No. 1 “Best Policy Study-Report” by a U.S. Think Tank, and No. 3 worldwide. The Council appeared in 10 categories overall – many for the first time in the institution’s history.
 
“These rankings put into numbers what we all knew instinctively,” said Ambassador Ivo H. Daalder, president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, “There’s an electric energy here at the Council. This report highlights the accelerating expansion and quality of our work, and we couldn’t be more proud of how this great organization is increasingly seen as one of the places that is addressing the most pressing issues of our day.”
 
Last year the Council appeared on this annual survey as the No. 9 “Think Tank to Watch.” In addition to vaulting to first place in this category this year, the Council on Global Affairs was ranked in many other categories for the first time, including “Top Think Tanks in the United States” (No. 66), “Top Think Tanks Worldwide” (No. 160), “Top Foreign Policy and International Affairs Think Tanks” (No. 22 in the United States, No. 103 worldwide), “Best Institutional Collaboration Involving Two or More Think Tanks” (No. 5 in the United States, No. 9 worldwide), “Best Transdisciplinary Research Think Tanks” (No. 15 in the United States, No. 67 worldwide) and “Best Use of Social Networks” (No. 15 in the United States, No. 78 worldwide).
 
The Council also reappeared in the categories of “Best Managed Think Tanks in the United States” moving to No. 10 in the United States (No. 24 worldwide) and “Top Defense and National Security Think Tanks in the United States” at No. 19 in the United States, No. 58 worldwide.
 
“This is a transformational time for the Council on Global Affairs,” said Glenn F. Tilton, chairman of the board of directors at the Council. “None of this would be possible without the hard work of our dedicated staff and fellows nor without the generous support of our members and board as well as of our partners and funders.”
 
This report reinforces that 2015 was a momentous year for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Its No. 1 U.S.-ranked “Best Policy Study-Report by a Think Tank” released February 2015 urged the U.S. and NATO to increase military assistance to Ukraine in the midst of its conflict with Russia. The Chicago Forum on Global Cities in May 2015 convened leaders in business, civics, education and the arts to launch an important cross-sector dialogue on the power and limitations of global cities to shape the world. This year’s forum will take place in Chicago June 1-3.
 
The Council’s 2015 Global Food Security Symposium also provided a platform for stakeholders to bring clarity and offer solutions to the challenges and opportunities faced by the U.S. government and the international community in feeding billions of people sustainably and nutritiously. This year’s symposium focuses on transforming the global food system to feed growing cities and will take place in Washington, D.C. April 26.
 
In lead up to the 2016 presidential elections, the 2015 Chicago Council Survey broadened the public discourse on American public opinion and foreign policy. The Council further expanded its legacy of independent research by producing several other influential publications and significantly increasing its expert roster of resident and non-resident fellows on everything ranging from China and the global economy to agriculture and global cities.
 
Compiled by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, the “2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index” is the result of an international survey of over 7,500 scholars, public and private donors, policy makers and journalists who helped rank more than 6,600 think tanks using a set of 28 criteria developed by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program. The full report is available online here.