Baker Institute ranked again among top 5 university-affiliated think tanks in world

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Jeff Falk
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jfalk@rice.edu

Baker Institute ranked again among top 5 university-affiliated think tanks in world
Institute’s Center for Energy Studies ranked No. 1 energy think tank in US

HOUSTON – (Jan. 27, 2017) – Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy maintained its No. 4 ranking among the top five university-affiliated think tanks in the world, according to an annual index of global think tanks. The Baker Institute first rose to No. 4 in 2015 — up from No. 9 in 2014.

Rice’s Baker Institute was founded in 1993.

The Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies (CES) also maintained its No. 2 ranking among the world’s energy- and resource-policy think tanks, making it the No. 1 such think tank in the United States, according to the survey.

Other university-affiliated think tanks in the world’s top five are Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (No. 1), Harvard’s Center for International Development (No. 2), the London School of Economics’ IDEAS/Public Policy Group (No. 3) and the University of Sussex’s Institute of Development Studies, U.K. (No. 5). The top-ranked global energy think tank is the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, U.K.

The Baker Institute now ranks No. 17 among all think tanks in the U.S. — up from No. 18 in 2015 — and was also recognized in the category of “Best Quality Assurance and Integrity Policies and Procedures.”

“These rankings reflect the Baker Institute’s increasingly meaningful impact on our nation’s policy and political dialogue,” said Baker Institute Director Edward Djerejian. “Our fellows, scholars and staff are to be commended for their dedication and work. We have formulated a comprehensive strategy for the future, which will enhance the growth, breadth and impact of the institute as we address the country’s most pressing public policy challenges.”

“We have an outstanding group of fellows, scholars, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students across multiple academic disciplines who contribute to our work on many different topics in the energy-environment arena,” said Kenneth Medlock, CES senior director and the James A. Baker III and Susan G. Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics. “Our interdisciplinary approach to providing unbiased analysis of factors that shape the future of energy provides critical insights to policymakers, corporate leaders and the general public on a global, national and regional level.”

Founded in 1993, the Baker Institute has fellows and scholars who conduct research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. Core fields of study include energy, the Middle East, Mexico, health care, taxes and public finance, entrepreneurship, international economics, science and technology, China, space policy and drug policy.

Established in 2006, the University of Pennsylvania Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program’s Global Go To Think Tank Index has become the gold standard of excellence for think tanks around the world and is widely cited by governments, donors, journalists and policymakers as the foremost guide to the performance of thousands of domestic and international public-policy centers.

The program’s report is compiled with assistance from more than 2,500 peer institutions and experts from the media, academia, public and private donor institutions and governments in the U.S. and around the globe.

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Related materials:

2016 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report: http://repository.upenn.edu/think_tanks/12.

Follow the Baker Institute via Twitter @BakerInstitute.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top five university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.