OTT Podcast

In this final episode of OTT Talks Season 5, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski speak with Juha Jokela, Programme Director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, about how Europe’s turbulent geopolitical context is reshaping foreign policy think tank work.

Jokela likens today’s Europe to the film “Conclave,” warning against political leaders offering certainty while societies lose the value of doubt, amid declining faith in post–Cold War assumptions and the rise of far-right actors. He describes key shifts over the past decade: growing demand for rapid “snap” analysis under tight deadlines, increased politicisation of research in the social media era, and pressure from project-based funding that can undermine long-term expertise.

Jokela discusses Finland’s far-right entering government and shifting debate, the challenges this poses for EU reform, and FIIA’s strategic choices around AI, long-term research profiles, teamwork over individual branding, and preparing staff for an uncertain funding and security environment.

About OTT Talks:

OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more.

About On Think Tanks: 

On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will help think tanks make short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

In this special-edition OTT Talks episode, Camila Ulloa and Andrea Cabrera from the OTT team walk us through the Think Tanks to Watch initiative, which spotlights think tanks worldwide doing meaningful work.

The list was created in response to global think tank rankings, which can be methodologically flawed and encourage unhelpful competition across very different contexts; instead, Think Tanks to Watch is a peer-recognition exercise focused on shareable practices, not a ranking, award, or “best of” list.

For the second edition of the list, coming soon in November 2026, we have made several changes, including a smaller list of 55 organisations, inclusion criteria tied to follow-up survey responses, and repeat inclusion requiring multiple nominations and new practices.

Stay tuned for the launch!

This video is available to everyone as a limited-time preview of the OTT Membership. For complete access to recordings of past masterclasses, Q&A sessions, and more resources, join now: patreon.com/onthinktanks

In our first-ever Think Tank Leader Q&A, Enrique Mendizabal sat down with Liliana Alvarado, Executive Director of Ethos in Mexico, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about leadership, funding shocks, and what it really takes to measure impact as a think tank.

Liliana covers a lot of ground — from her early days at Mexico's Ministry of Finance and her Chevening scholarship at LSE, to becoming the first female and first Mexican Executive Director of Ethos after an open recruitment process in 2021. What makes this conversation particularly valuable is how candid she is about the hard parts: managing funding volatility, making difficult programme cuts, looking after staff wellbeing through uncertainty, and reinventing an organisation's focus mid-stream.

Some highlights from the session:

• Why government experience makes think tankers more effective
• Leading through major funding shocks and political change
• The hard choice to scale back anti-corruption work due to lack of funding
• Diversifying funding through Mexico's private sector
• Practical ways to measure impact beyond policy change
• What she would do differently — and what keeps her going

In this OTT Talks episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski return for a conversation on European foreign policy think tanks with guest Monika Sie Dhian Ho, former General Director of the Clingendael Institute.

She compares the Dutch context to the famous Italian novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), describing a domestic “Zeitenwende” marked by the rise of culturally polarising parties, renewed socio-economic insecurity since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and persistent difficulties crafting migration policy that addresses cumulative societal effects. Monika explains how foreign policy think tanks have had to engage wider publics through survey research and nationwide dialogues, defend independence and evidence-based work amid polarisation and framing attacks, and balance public opinion evidence with research evidence.

She also discusses building regional language-and-culture centres, increasing methodological rigour, investing ahead of funding curves, diversified project-based financing, facilitating field research in high-risk regions, and future challenges including AI and greater politicisation of the sector.

About OTT Talks:

OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more.

About On Think Tanks: 

On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will help think tanks make short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

OTT Talks returns with co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski, in conversation with Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome and former adviser to the EU High Representative.

Nathalie likens today’s European context to “One Battle After Another,” describing interconnected external and internal challenges, from the war in Ukraine and wider conflicts to threats to liberal democracy, including pressures from Putin’s Russia, Trump’s America, and Europe’s own nationalist-populist forces. She reflects on how foreign policy and think tank work have shifted since 1999 toward a more crowded, public, less specialised space, arguing impact comes more from framing questions than issuing recommendations.

Nathalie contrasts national and EU-level influence, outlines think tank leadership priorities—strategy, funding, management, mentoring, and visibility—and discusses shrinking core funding alongside well-endowed illiberal institutions.

About OTT Talks:

OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more.

About On Think Tanks: 

On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will help think tanks make short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski speak with Dr Rosa Balfour, Director of Carnegie Europe, about how Europe’s successive crises since the 2008 financial crash—through the Arab Spring, Crimea, Brexit, and Trump—have reshaped the foreign policy landscape and the role of think tanks.

Rosa describes Brussels as a more process-driven but increasingly closed policy ecosystem, contrasts it with more politically aligned national capitals, and explains the leadership demands of running a pan-European think tank: thought leadership, fundraising, visibility, and supporting staff across multiple capitals. She discusses the tension between 24/7 commentary and deep research, the responsibility to contribute to public debate (including in smaller countries), the funding constraints facing European think tanks, and the growing but still limited mainstream influence of radical-right think tank ecosystems such as Hungary’s MCC.

This episode is part of a series, Think tanks in a changing Europe, supported by the Open Society Foundations. You can listen to the whole series here.

Tune in, and visit Carnegie Europe to learn more about what was discussed during this podcast.

About OTT Talks:

OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more.

About On Think Tanks: 

On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will help think tanks make short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

In this OTT Talks episode, Enrique Mendizabal speaks with Ivor Chipkin, co-founder and director of South Africa’s New South Institute, shortly after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Public Service Amendment Act 2025. Chipkin explains how, since 1994, political leaders have held extensive control over public service appointments and operations as a workaround for governing under inherited apartheid-era administrations, but this politicisation later contributed to declining performance, corruption, and “state capture,” with uneven effects across institutions. The new act aims to demarcate politics from administration by shifting key administrative powers to department heads, while politicians set policy and provide oversight, aligning South Africa with civil service reforms seen elsewhere. Chipkin describes NSI’s long-term advocacy and alliance-building from the 2022 reform opening to the 2024 coalition-era shift, and highlights implementation risks, monitoring needs, and the importance of patient funding.

Recorded live at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, this special edition of OTT Talks brings you the keynote speeches from the 10th edition of the conference.

In an era marked by democratic uncertainty, technological disruption and geopolitical instability, do think tanks still matter?

In this keynote from the OTT Conference 2026, Rosa Balfour reflects on the growing pressures facing think tanks — from the transformation of the information ecosystem and declining trust in institutions to funding challenges and global geopolitical upheaval.

She argues that think tanks continue to play a critical role as bridges between policymakers and society, while calling for greater clarity of purpose, stronger communities of practice and more meaningful public engagement.

Explore more insights from the OTT Conference 2026: https://onthinktanks.org/ott-conference-2026/

Become an On Think Tanks member: https://onthinktanks.org/membership/

Recorded live at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, this special edition of OTT Talks brings you the keynote speeches from the 10th edition of the conference.

How can think tanks remain trustworthy institutions in increasingly polarised political environments?

In this keynote from the OTT Conference 2026, Héctor Cárdenas reflects on the relationship between evidence, storytelling and trust. Drawing on COMEXI’s experience in Mexico, he explores how think tanks can navigate political pressures, fragmented audiences and institutional tensions while remaining credible, pluralistic and grounded in evidence.

From strategic communication and public engagement to government relations and organisational identity, this session offers a thoughtful reflection on what it means for knowledge to matter in today’s policy debates.

Explore more insights from the OTT Conference 2026: https://onthinktanks.org/ott-conference-2026/

Become an On Think Tanks member: https://onthinktanks.org/membership/

Recorded live at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, this special edition of OTT Talks brings you the keynote speeches from the 10th edition of the conference.

Who are think tanks ultimately accountable to?

In this keynote from the OTT Conference 2026, Denis Foretia examines the complex relationship between legitimacy, independence and trust in African policy research organisations. Drawing on the experience of the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation in Cameroon, he reflects on the tensions between governments, funders and citizens — and argues that genuine legitimacy must be earned locally, not borrowed internationally.

Through personal stories and institutional lessons, Denis explores what it takes to build trust with the communities think tanks claim to serve.

Explore more insights from the OTT Conference 2026: https://onthinktanks.org/ott-conference-2026/

Become an On Think Tanks member: https://onthinktanks.org/membership/