Postdoctoral Fellow Benjamin Martill flew to Madrid on Wednesday 10th April to attend the European Think Tank Summit 2019, organised annually by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme at the University of Pennsylvania.
The summit brought together representatives from European and global think tanks to discuss sector-wide changes, to learn lessons from one another, and to coordinate responses to shared problems. Panels addressed such topics as Europe in a changing world, the challenges to global trade, diversity in think tanks, and transparency in the age of ‘info wars’. Delegates also met with the Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell and the Mayor of Madrid Manuela Carmena to discuss the role of think tanks in both Spain and Europe as well as the nature of political change on the continent.
Ben Martill remarks that: “The summit represented an amazing opportunity to discuss the role of think tanks with people from all over the world. We were able to exchange best-practice on a host of important issues, including innovation, diversity, technological change, and communication. Overall, one claim shared by all attendees was the indispensable role think tanks have to play in a challenging, complex and ever-changing social and political environment.”
