James McGann

Director, Think Tank and Civil Societies Program, The Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania,

James G. McGann is a senior lecturer of International Studies at the Lauder Institute, director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program and senior fellow, Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to assuming his current post, James was Assistant Director of the International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also served as the Senior Vice President for the Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats, the Assistant Director of the Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government, and the Public Policy Program Officer for The Pew Charitable Trusts. James earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a National Fellow at Stanford University while writing his doctoral thesis, which examined the nature and evolution of public-policy research organizations in the United States such as Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, Urban Institute, and others. James compared and contrasted the mission, structure, and operating principles of these leading think tanks to determine how those factors influenced the institutions’ role in policymaking. His research and consulting have enabled him to work with governments and civil society organizations in over 100 countries. He is the creator and editor of the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index. He is the author of over 15 books and over 100 articles on think tanks, politics and policy advice. His recent publications include: Think Tanks, Foreign Policy and the Emerging Powers (Palgrave, MacMillian 2018),Think Tanks and Emerging Power Policy Networks (Palgrave,MacMillian 2018), Think Tanks the New Policy Advisers in Asia (Brookings Press Fall 2018), Trends and Transitions in Security Expertise From Deterrence to Climate Change and Back Again (Routledge Fall 2017) and The Fifth Estate: Think Tanks Public Policy and Governance (Brooking Press 2016).

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