Global Think Tank Launches from Curaçao
The first independent global think tank in the western Caribbean was launched October 11, 2018 in Curaçao. The Think To DO Institute is an independent, virtual think tank based in Curaçao and created through a unique network of global think tanks across the world that will focus on best practices around the central ideas of “resilient societies” and “the 4th Industrial Revolution”.
Bastiaan Kooyman, who is the founding board member of the unique global think tank, shared, “What an honor to be part of this great initiative now called the Think to DO Institute. I have been very concerned over the years about the development of our country Curaçao, and am now exited to be part of this project.
Progress is not only reserved for the fortunate ones in our community. We, as leaders, have to take it upon ourselves to see to it that the community as a whole benefits and shares in a good quality life. To do this we need change. Great people were successful in being different. Not so by reinventing the wheel but by opening new horizons and as a result the eyes of our nation. We must stop talking and talking, find the best successes in the world, and see how we can adapt and adopt those practices, thinking differently and doing differently.”
What will the Institute DO?
The independent global think tank will, given timely research across its network of global partners, organize briefings, publish issue briefs on proposed pending legislation and global trends and topics, hold seminars for the community at large, policy makers and media, and, when requested give testimony in legislative hearings on best practices. The topics of study were determined based on global trends, economic conditions, regional issues and developments, and their intersection with local priorities. As important as the topics, are the tools and processes that teach people why the data matters, and how it influences a cultural shift away from emotional decision-making, and toward data-driven decision-making and global mindset development.
Over the past eight months, over 130 local persons were interviewed about the concept of a think tank and its potential to assist the community at large and those in leadership positions to better understand the importance of being a resilient society and to prepare for the 4th Industrial Revolution. These persons were also asked to identify and prioritize their biggest concerns about the local society. These were then matches with the 9 most researched globally recognized concerns, and key research questions and the topics for study were born.
Who will be involved in the think tank?
Because of the scale of the island and the limited access to local expertise and research structures, the Think to DO Institute structures its research teams with both local and international researchers representing other globally recognized think tanks and research processes. Each team is formed in such a way as to have balance and independence from local, regional or global political or private sector influence. The institute employs a variety of metrics to assess the institute’s contributions to the policymaking environment and civil society.
Local Thinkers/ Global Thinkers
Fifty percent of the thinkers will be local; fifty percent of the thinkers will be from a variety of other think tanks identified with expertise in each research area. Fifty percent of the local thinkers will be between the ages of 20-45, and the other half over the age of 45. The role and value of Global Shapers (those between 20-45) is a key component to the vision for the resilient society, and of the work of the Think To DO Institute.
Alberto Romero, Board President, states that he is excited to champion the Think To DO institute because it offers the possibility to THINK and DO things differently, relying on best practice research about good governance, resiliency and thriving economies.
As a board member, Lisbeth Hoefdraad states, “It is my sincerest hope that the endeavors of this non-political think tank will be met by positivism from all sides. The country we as Curaçaoens all love truly is in need of a positive boost to reverse the downward spiral that we have been in far too long already.”