As of March 2026, this website is no longer being updated. I now work mainly on climate issues, especially in Brighton and Hove, and new work can be found on the website of Climate:Change, our independent think-tank on socially inclusive action in the City: www.climatechangebh.org.uk.
Meanwhile, however, this website has over 850 entries, mostly representing my work on international development from 2010-2025. Among much else, there are over 50 book reviews, more than 20 papers and training cases on bridging research and policy and on managing think-tanks, nearly 100 articles on climate change, and many papers on other topics, including aid, food security and nutrition, and the future of international development. See ‘Topics and Themes’ for more details. I can be reached at sm@simonmaxwell.net.
Think Tanks
Think Tanks’ in Does Evidence Matter? An ODIOverseas Development Institute (London) Meeting Series. 2004
This event, the fifth in the 'Does Evidence Matter?' series, examined think tanks as policy actors. Questions for discussion included:
- What role do think tanks play in policy processes?
- Are they a force for good?
- Does it matter whether they are independent or not?
- What's the ideal balance between research and communication?
- How important is reputation?