The Australian Institute of International Affairs has been voted the top think tank in South East Asia and the Pacific, in the annual Global Go To Think Tanks Index.

The Index, compiled by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program based at the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, acknowledges the important contributions and emerging global trends of think tanks worldwide.

The Index began in 2006, in response to requests from donors, government officials, journalists, and scholars to produce regional and international rankings of the world’s pre-eminent think tanks.

The Index, which was released 2.30 am local time, places the AIIA at the top of the regional index, with the Lowy Institute and the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at number 5 and number 8 respectively.

Brookings was ranked the top think tank in the world and Chatham House the top think tank outside the US.

The report was released officially at the Australian Institute of International Affairs, Stephen House, 32 Thesiger Court, Deakin at 10am 23 January.

The AIIA’s National Executive Director, Melissa Conley Tyler, said the top ranking recognised the Institute’s 91 year history as an independent non-political body promoting an interest in, and understanding of, international affairs. (www.internationalaffairs.org.au)

“We are delighted that the Institute has been recognised as the top think tank in the region by this prestigious index”, Ms Conley Tyler said.

“We also congratulate all of the other Australian think tanks listed in the index. In Australia, there are 29 think tanks, and we’re pleased that our work to provide high-quality analysis and comment on international affairs has been so highly ranked”.

Full copies of the 8^th Annual Global Go to Think Tank Index Report are available at http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=think_tanks