Smart Thinking

Happy New Year - and with the start of the new we look at the year that was. What were the most popular think tank reports / policy areas and think tanks themselves in 2024? Huge congratulations to Adam Smith Institute who are the most searched for think tank for the second year in a row! Shoutout to Education Policy Institute as well for featuring in both the top 5 searched for think tanks as well as the 5 most read reports. Miles ahead of the pack in the number 1 and number 2 most read report slots were The Henry Jackson Society with their report on Labour's likely immigration policy and Tom Richmond with a look at adding VAT to private schools. Two very salient issues in this election year. Congratulations also go to the Centre for Cities and Anthony Breach whose recent devolution report made the top 5, despite being published towards the end of the year! For the most popular policy interest areas health, education and the environment all stayed in the top 5 (no surprises there) but migration and business jumped up into the list. To find the latest policy reports and the latest policy thinking head to our website: https://lnkd.in/ddyt3UR

Some of the members of our latest network in our membership - dedicated to those involved in the fundraising side of things in their think tanks. Hot topics were changes to the overall funding landscape (particularly trusts and foundations), how you get the whole think tank involved in fundraising efforts and collaboration between organisations for joint funding - clearly a growing area judging from this conversation. As a former fundraiser I have to admit to a particular fascination with the topic and I’m really look forward to the next gathering. But first, Christmas!

Who was hot in think tank land in November? The results are in! We have an (almost) completely new top 10 most read reports. Congratulations go to Resolution Foundation Centre for Cities Onward Education Policy Institute Royal United Services Institute Institute for Government Institute of Economic Affairs - London The Centre for Social Justice who all had at least one report in the top 10 this month. Special mention to Centre for Cities who not only had 2 reports on the list but secured the number 1 most read spot as well for Anthony Breach's report 'Economy first: A pragmatic English Devolution White Paper'. Read it again here: https://bit.ly/3D0gOTR We also had a completely new top 5 in popular policy areas. It's not often that BUSINESS heads the list but clearly something is stirring and it's fellow finalists also seem to have a theme of growth and it's possible restraints... 🥇 Business 🥈 Housing 🥉 Employment 4️⃣ Cities 5️⃣ Migration To find all the latest think tank reports and events then head to our site here: https://bit.ly/49i1oX3 #thinktanks #mostread #smartthinking

If you're a student interested in policy, check out these think tanks offering work experience and internships After I graduated, think tanks were one of the few places where I could get 'real-world' experience in public policy, research, and politics. Check out these organisations that offer opportunities throughout the year: IPPR: Economic and social policy research. Chatham House: International relations and global security. Adam Smith Institute: Free-market advocacy. Fabian Society: Social justice and inequality. Policy Exchange: Health, education, and economic policy. Resolution Foundation: Inequality and living standards. Institute For Fiscal Studies (IFS): Taxation and fiscal policy. Institute for Government (IfG): Governance and public sector reform. New Economics Foundation (NEF): Social and environmental sustainability. Demos: Public services and social policy. Tomorrow's Company: Purpose-driven business and inclusive capitalism The Centre for Social Justice: Tackling poverty and social inequality. Bonus: 👉 Smart Thinking: Bring together job opportunities from the leading UK think tanks. ♻️ Share this with someone who might find this helpful!

Always a pleasure to host our Senior Comms Network!

Today we hosted a fantastic webinar with Khyati Sundaram talking about all things AI and recruitment. This is such an important topic for those working in think tanks and policy for two main reasons: 1) The volume of applicants has gone up as ChatGPT makes it quicker and easier for candidates to apply to *all* the jobs - a particular challenge for smaller think tank teams who then have to sift hundreds of applications 2) It is much harder to decide which candidates to take forward because how can you sort who might be the right person for the job when their application is likely AI-generated and all applications now sound the same? Khyati took us through the wider implications of AI in recruitment and how we should be thinking about it in a broad sense, as a sector and as a society, but then went onto the practicalities of how to structure application questions to get the most useful and siftable answers - h/t use a skills map... and what tech there is, at the moment, to help. Members can head to our webinar archive and find the recording and further resources: https://stmembers.co.uk/ #stmembers #smartthinking #thinktanks

Yesterday Smart Thinking hosted it's second Early-Mid Think Tank Careers Network (working on a catchier name...) This is our newest and biggest membership network and is aimed at those in the first 5 years of a think tank career. We had 30+ think tankers in the room from 13 different think tanks and it was really great to see lots of mixing and mingling and much appreciation of Green Alliance's view and the food! The next get together will be in the spring but if you have lots of researchers or other early-stage think tankers then have a think about whether they might like to join a regular get-together with those in similar roles in this unique little sector of ours. Please feel free to get in touch here or on emily@smartthinking.org.uk if you want to find out more! #stmembership #smartthinking #thinktanks

Are you experienced and interested in a comms role in a think tank? The Health Foundation have three new openings in comms - in Media, Editorial and DataViz. If you have experience in any of these areas then read on! Media Manager - looking for an experienced media manager to help them continue to secure high-profile media coverage by proactively contacting journalists to pitch stories, managing media bids, and working closely with colleagues focusing on key policy issues to ensure press activity. Senior Editorial and Planning Manager - developing and driving forward delivery of HF's publishing and editorial output, working closely with colleagues at all levels to ensure all publications and editorial output are produced at the highest standard. Data Visualization and Design Manager - Do you have experience of leading on the delivery of high-quality dataviz and design content that meets audience needs and engages them effectively?This role will lead on developing HF's approach to dataviz, helping them meet their ambition of becoming a sector leader in this type of content. Find all the roles listed here: https://bit.ly/3O8CAH7 #commsjobs #thinktankjobs #smartthinking

One of the main ideas behind Smart Thinking's conception was to bring together, in one place, all the latest thinking on different policy areas. So starting this week we are going to get in the habit of highlighting one of the many policy areas on our site and pulling out a handful of interesting reports from a wide range of UK think tanks to give you a sense on what the policy thinking is on this particular area - and hopefully some will catch your eye! This week we are looking at *BUSINESS POLICY* and here is your reports round up: - First up is Capital Issues from Onward and how we could reform the UK’s capital markets to boost science and tech: https://bit.ly/4ecc4Y3 - Budgeting better: How the UK could start to improve its fiscal framework and boost growth is from think tank @IPPR https://bit.ly/3UBDnnJ - Next in the spotlight is SME Manufacturers: Meeting the Challenges of affordable energy and a skilled workforce from think tank @Civitas: https://bit.ly/3Az4wAL - And last but no means least - Financing the future economy from Power to Change and a look at how community businesses can access the right finance to acheive their ambitions: https://bit.ly/40ykhCG Head to our business policy pages to discover these and many many more: https://bit.ly/3CcM6q4 #thinktanks #businesspolicy #smartthinking

Are you looking to grow in your think tank career? Already do a bit of presenting but want to be more confident? Know you will need to do a lot more public speaking in the future but unsure how to get good at it? Our training this month will help you! We are hosting an all-day public speaking training workshop on 26 November that focuses on: - Speaking confidently and controlling nerves - Building your message to have real impact on your audience - Developing presence and being present We also look specifically at appearing on panels and chairing events as well as some practical tips on how to prepare yourself for any public speaking event. Join people from various think tanks to share best practice and build your professional network alongside the training. To find out more head to our training page here: https://bit.ly/3NU2bDI #stmembers #thinktanktraining #policytraining #publicspeaking