Making decisions that can affect many human lives – in politics, economics, culture, sociology, and other spheres requires a foundation formed by research and analysis. To provide the necessary knowledge, facts and forecasts, think tanks, also known as policy institutes, or brains trusts were created. Employees of such analytical centers collect and analyze information, conduct expert assessments, and create fundamental theoretical work. Works created in brain trusts are distinguished from academic research by a focus on the desired result. Some think tanks work on issues of a global scale, some deal with narrower areas, but they all have a complex structure and require coherent teamwork.
Working in a group always has a beneficial effect on the result, since one can fill in the gaps in the other’s knowledge. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (“Ecclesiastes,” n.d.). The creation of an analytical center includes several stages that require specialists in various fields. For example, managers should organize and monitor the work process, find other specialists to work with, provide sponsor’s support. Scientists and experts are essential elements of the think tank’s work but they still should count on the reliability of such staff as software programmers. In order for the activity to be productive, all staff members need to cooperate with each other, and share responsibilities.
Although think tanks are mainly known for their work in the political sphere, they also significantly influence sociology. They can perform research and advocacy concerns pertaining to marginalized communities. These communities are represented by people who are separated from society for various reasons – physical disabilities, economic status, living in a poor area, limited mental abilities and others. Often marginalized groups can be artificially excluded from society because of the contradiction of their interests, features, or cultures to the accepted ones in a particular community. Examples of such groups are homeless people, people without identity documents, and others. They require protection and attention of think tanks, and thus there is a need to develop strategies for working with representatives of such communities.
The marginalized communities’ vulnerability makes it more challenging to work with them and, accordingly, research this part of society. Thus, the best way to cooperate will be to prepare for the problems arising from this fragility and quickly respond to them (Potnis & Gala, 2020). When communicating with such people, it is crucial to adapt to their cultural values and generate more trust. For example, when working with Muslim women, one should not dress too revealing, and when working with poor people – should not show wealth. Another critical factor in the work may be the involvement of partners in the study – the local population, leaders, and other stakeholders. Nevertheless, the most crucial task is to establish a trusting relationship so that communication is comfortable. Effective ways of promoting marginalized societies’ interests are to inform people through social media and to attract attention in this way (Al’Uqdah et al., 2019). Protecting their rights requires long, careful work, and cooperation between scientists and society.
Thus, think tanks are powerful research centers that work to protect and advance specific interests. Their success requires coherent teamwork both in the creation of the center and in the subsequent processes of its work. Brains trusts can perform researches in various fields, for example, in politics or sociology. In this work, some principles are identified for experts’ work with marginalized communities and the protection of their interests. This area of work demands careful preparation and study of the audience.
References
Al’Uqdah, S. N., Jenkins, K., & Ajaa, N. (2019). Empowering communities through social media. Counselling Psychology Quarterly,32(2), 137-149.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. (n.d.).
Potnis, D., & Gala, B. (2020). Best practices for conducting fieldwork with marginalized communities. Information Processing & Management, 57(3), 102-144.