Can think tanks change policy in government or business? If they can, how exactly should they go about doing so? Increasingly, think tanks are operating in a less conventional way, with fewer flagship reports and more collaborative processes that pave the way for stakeholders to address critical issues together. Such approaches allow think tanks to do what governments, business, unions, and community groups often can't do themselves.

An Australian think tank, the Centre for Policy Development, has been pioneering a new approach (create-connect-convince) over the past five years that has yielded important policy "wins" on forced migration, climate risk, and human services. This session will explore the new think tank landscape in established, but somewhat distrusted, democracies, and consider how think tanks might drive a new agenda on integrity and democratic renewal.

Biography

Dr Travers McLeod has been CEO of the Centre for Policy Development, an independent Australian policy institute, since 2014. He holds a DPhil and MPhil in International Relations from Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes scholar and was a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations. His book, Rule of Law in War (OUP, 2015) was described by General David Petraeus as the best contemporary study of the interaction of law and conduct of counterinsurgency operations. Travers’ previous roles include being associate to Justice Michael Kirby in the High Court of Australia and a policy adviser at the Oxford Martin School, where he played a lead role in the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations. Travers remains an Associate of the Oxford Martin School and holds adjunct positions at the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia.