"Thinking", Research & Dialogue

As a public policy think tank, much of our work is thinking about public policies and how we can help to make sense of complex issues and find better solutions to challenges and problems.

We would like our research papers to help reframe policy debates and help policy makers make the right choices by providing the tools and information they need. Very often, it is important and useful to be able to provide solid background information on specific subjects for general and stakeholder groups so that they could have in one place a comprehensive document about the issue at hand. From that base, it becomes possible to introduce alternative perspectives and solutions. While much of our effort is on original research, we also synthesize other people's good ideas since there is no need to reinvent the wheel each time. We look for worldwide examples to find good ideas, which may be adapted for local and regional conditions.

We also integrate stakeholder-learning as well as consensus-building workshops as part of our "thinking", research and dialogue process since it is vital to leverage everyone's ability to make better choices. These processes also help people to focus and reflect on the most critical issues.

Strategic Influence

For social change to take place, we need to operate on many levels. Whilst our research papers and workshops are important, it is also essential to be able to put ideas directly to decision-makers in the public and private sectors. Our influence comes through long cultivated connections with public sector officials, politicians, business leaders, NGOs, educators and decision-makers in other fields.

Our strategy is to influence them directly. We have provided private briefings to them as well as to leaders on the international stage. Our work and activities are designed to produce multiple results. Firstly, they enable us to see how things work, or don't work, in practice, which enables us to give better policy advice on how to do things better. Secondly, the way we design our research projects give us opportunities to work with many organizations, which is an effective way of influencing them. Thirdly, they are excellent public education projects in themselves.

Dialogue Facilitation

We are often invited to create dialogue processes for specific issues as well as sectors. We apply a set of skills, which we call 'Sustainability Tools' designed to enhance communication. Those who wish to involve us understand our mission and strengths and wish to involve us in developing private and public dialogue processes or to use us to generate new ideas for change. These experiences help us enormously to refine our ideas and methodologies. Indeed, they have helped to spark new ones on several occasions.

Civic Exchange has designed and facilitated multistakeholder dialogue processes on transport, urban design, conservation, sustainable development, and competition issues, and has worked with many sectors focussing on specific matters.

Education

We use our research and projects to educate and outreach to a wider audience. A project aimed at decision makers could be simplified and re-packaged for students. For example, Civic Exchange has produced numreous pamphlets on a variety of issues for general distribution.

Student Internship Programme

We have an active student interns programme. We welcome local students as well as those from overseas. We encourage our interns to take up a piece of research that interests them and we act as their supervisors. Their finished work is then published on our website in a section devoted to the interns' work. We have had some incredible bright, positive and energetic young folks with us during the first year.