Announcements
Announcements
Transparify’s study gauged the extent to which organizations publicly disclose through their websites where their funding comes from, awarding up to five stars depending on the level of disclosure.
A review of 169 think tanks in 47 countries worldwide lists SEI as one of 21 “transparency leaders”, rated with five stars in a cohort that averaged just 2.2.
The stated aim of the study, by the think tank Transparify, in Tbilisi, Georgia, is to “provide think tanks committed to intellectual independence and excellence in research with a tool for signalling to policy-makers, the media and the public that they deserve their trust and respect.”
“Think tanks can play a positive role producing independent, in-depth policy research to inform politicians, media and the public,” the report says, but “lack of transparency can raise questions about hidden agendas and thus undermine the effectiveness of the think tank sector as a whole.” The five-star rating earned by SEI and other top-rated think tanks reflects their “exemplary” transparency: “These think tanks use their websites to disclose in great detail who funds them, with what sums, and for what research projects. They set the gold standard for the field as a whole.”
Transparency is a core value for SEI, along with independence and scientific rigour. SEI’s work is funded by a wide range of public and private sources, but is never driven by political or business interests. SEI’s research results are open access and strives to make them widely available. SEI provides detailed financial data, as well as clear summaries of our funding sources in our annual reports, and also recognize funders on publications.
“Transparency is essential to building trust and credibility,” said SEI Executive Director Johan L. Kuylenstierna. “We are strongly committed to rigorous, objective and impartial research, but our partners and audiences should not have to trust us blindly. By fully disclosing who funds our work, we invite the public to assess our objectivity, and call us to task if they believe we have fallen short of our mission.”
“For SEI, transparency is not only about disclosure, but also about participation,” Kuylenstierna added. “We are equally committed to making research freely available and communicating it to those who can bring it to bear in policy-making and on the ground. Transparency is a keystone in bridging science and policy.”
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