The “2018 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report” ranked the University of Jordan (UJ) Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) as the top think tank in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for the third year consecutively.
The report, which has been released annually since 2007 by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania, analyses 6,291 centres from all around the world.
Internationally among non-US think tanks, CSS ranked 128th, maintaining its rank from last year.
The study also classifies research centres along fields of study, as well as regionally and internationally.
CSS was ranked 52nd internationally among non-US centres in the field of defence and national security. It was ranked 36th in the field of foreign policy and international relations, improving five places over last year’s ranking.
Six other think tanks from Jordan, five of which are Jordanian and ranked regionally, were also classified, including Al Quds Centre for Political Studies (ranked 39th), the Arab Thought Forum (ranked 41st), Al Rai Centre for Studies (ranked 73rd), the Arab Institute for Security Studies (ranked 74th) and the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (ranked 86th).
The report reflects the growing importance of thought and study centres which work on bridging the gap between knowledge and public policy.
The purpose of the project is to increase the profile and performance of think tanks and raise the public awareness of the important role think tanks play in governments and civil societies around the globe.
The Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) was established in 1984 as the first academic center at UJ. It was the first in Jordan to hold studies and research in the fields of regional conflict, international relations, and security.