Case study: Supporting a leading social science research institute in South Africa
Social science research agencies, like their counterparts in the natural sciences, require access to policy reports, social science trends, and effective policy solutions from various regions. They need to access policy grey literature, Africa-specific reports and locally relevant data that aligns with the unique social challenges of South Africa.
Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks covers all policy topics, including emerging and underexplored areas that are crucial to South Africa and the broader continent. The platform is invaluable for research organisations that:
- Conduct social-scientific research, be it for public sector users, non-governmental organisations or international development agencies,
- Advise Government on matters pertaining to social science research,
- Contribute to the formulation and monitoring of government policy,
- Evaluate policy implementation, and
- Disseminate research-based data and fact-based research results.
As the world’s largest database of policy reports, papers, and grey literature, Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks comprises nearly 7 million items sourced from 13,700 policy and social science organisations globally. An additional 13,600 organisations in the directory aid discovery. The bulk of the collection goes back to 2000, with around 1 million records predating this year. As such, Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks offers unparalleled access to knowledge that aligns with a social science research organisation’s objectives.
The following table demonstrates how leveraging such resources could empowers research agencies to provide the government of South Africa with evidence-based, well-informed policy advice that draws on both local and global best practices.
| Activity/aim of research organisation | How Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks can support |
| Conduct policy-relevant, social-scientific research | Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks provides access to over 14 million policy reports from leading think tanks, agencies, and research institutions worldwide, gaining insights into social science trends and policy solutions that have been effective in other regions. It is also the largest dedicated discovery service for policy grey literature. |
| Advise government on matters pertaining to social science research. | With over 850 African organisations and more than 63,000 Africa-specific reports, Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks provides locally relevant data that aligns with the unique social challenges of South Africa. This helps research organisations in tailoring research advice to fit national and regional contexts. By leveraging these resources, research organisations can provide the government of South Africa with evidence-based, well-informed policy advice that draws on both local and global best practices. |
| Inform the effective formulation and monitoring of government policy | Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks houses unpublished reports and working papers not typically found in academic journals. These timely resources provide subscribers with cutting-edge data that can shape faster, more responsive policy recommendations in areas like public health, education, and social development. Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks covers all policy topics including neglected and new areas, including specialist topics of importance to South Africa and other countries on the continent. |
| Stimulate public debate through the effective dissemination of research-based data and fact-based research results | Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks provides a platform where an organisation’s research can be widely disseminated, making it accessible to policymakers, NGOs, researchers, and the general public across Africa and beyond. This ensures that a research organisation’s data and findings reach diverse audiences, sparking informed discussions on social science issues. The Mentions tool helps track where an organisation’s research is being cited or referenced, allowing the entity to monitor its impact and engagement with public discourse. By identifying which reports, articles, or discussions feature its research, an organisation can strategically participate in ongoing debates and highlight critical issues. |
| Evaluate policy implementation | The platform’s Mentions tool highlights where an organisation’s own research has been referenced globally, allowing it to measure the broader impact of its work and demonstrate influence when advising the government. It also reveals connections with international policy developments, which can strengthen policy recommendations by showing global alignment. |
| Foster research collaboration; and capacity building | Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks’ broad and comprehensive coverage ensures maximum support for interdisciplinary research. Searches can be conducted across disciplines allowing for identification of research output in a discipline, no matter what the original discipline of the publishing institution. Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks will help research organisations to discover reports and documents that are rare and hard to find, especially from smaller, niche, entities, including those located in rural areas. |
Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks is a transformative resource for South African research agencies and think tanks. By providing unparalleled access to a vast collection of policy reports, grey literature, and locally relevant data, the platform empowers organizations to conduct comprehensive social-scientific research, offer insightful government advice, and contribute to effective policy formulation and monitoring. Additionally, it facilitates public debate, evaluates policy implementation, and fosters collaboration and capacity building.
Leveraging these resources ensures that research organizations can deliver evidence-based, well-informed policy advice that draws on both local and global best practices. This not only advances social science research and policy development in South Africa but also promotes a culture of informed decision-making and ethical governance.
Ultimately, Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks is instrumental in shaping a more inclusive, responsive, and forward-thinking approach to addressing South Africa’s unique social challenges.
