Think tank and urban development expert Dr. Ray Struyk visits Uzbekistan

02/03/2012

Dr. Struyk gives a lecture on the role of think tanks. (U.S. Embassy photo)

As part of the U.S. Speakers Program, U.S. Embassy Tashkent hosted think tank and urban development expert Dr. Raymond Struyk, January 23-29. While in Tashkent, Dr. Struyk spent time at the Center for Economic Research, which was recently named one of the top 30 think tanks in Asia.

Dr. Struyk also spent time with others from the Uzbekistan think tank community, including the Institute on Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research, the Institute of Social Studies, the Center for Political Studies, and the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies. He spoke with each organization about improving its quality of research, providing valuable examples from Germany and South Korea.

In addition to visiting institutes in Tashkent, Dr. Struyk gave a lecture at the U.S. Embassy. His talk, “The Role of Think Tanks in the Transformation of Society, Economy, and State,” discussed the role of think tanks and the qualities needed for a successful think tank (see a PDF version of the talk here, 126.6 KB).

According to Dr. Struyk, think tanks should “widen the debate” by offering alternative approaches to addressing present day problems. They exist to “provide independent analysis” about situations or issues.

When discussing the necessity of a rigorous quality control program, he noted that “reputation is everything for a think tank.” Maintaining high quality standards is essential. Other important qualities include: effectively communicating, motivating staff, being inventive, having financial management and using board members’ expertise.

During his time in Tashkent, Dr. Struyk also spoke to organizations about urban development and potential challenges cities face when the urban population grows, which is a worldwide trend.

Dr. Struyk specializes in think tank and urban development and policy analysis. He is currently on the Board of Trustees at the Institute for Urban Economics in Moscow and on the Advisory Board at the Legal Policy Research Center in Almaty. Since 2007, he has been a senior fellow at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.