OTT Podcast

In this episode of OTT Talks, Enrique Mendizabal hosts David Watson, former Director of Communications at Chatham House and seasoned UK policymaker, in a conversation exploring David’s extensive background in government and think tanks.
David reflects on his experiences within the UK government, emphasising the role of evidence in policy-making and the impact of think tanks. He discusses the differences between political roles and civil service roles and the importance of people’s lived experiences.
The conversation also delves into the disconnection between think tank research and real-time policy-making. David shares his efforts to make think tanks more outward-looking and strategic with their interventions to influence policy processes. He talks about his work at ODI Global and Chatham House, emphasising the significance of strategic communications to cut through the noise and achieve corporate objectives.
Finally, David addresses the evolving landscape of think tanks, the importance of being purposeful, and the challenges of producing diverse content to remain relevant in today’s fast-paced information environment.
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OTT Talks is a platform to share learning among think tanks, funders and other policy actors on a range of topics from think tank governance to communicating research. 
Learn more: https://onthinktanks.org/podcast/
Support us: https://onthinktanks.org/support/

OTT Talks: Think tanks in a changing Europe is back for season 4.
In the opening episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski speak with 
Petra Reszkető, Co-Director and Senior Researcher at the Budapest Institute, about leading an independent, project-based economic think tank in Hungary’s “illiberal democracy.”
Petra outlines the challenges faced by the Budapest Institute, including limited and opaque government engagement, the emergence of quasi-governmental bodies and conflicting narratives, deteriorating access to and quality of public data, and the political risks associated with public participation.
The conversation details the Institute's strategic pivot toward selective domestic engagement, collaboration with local actors, and an explicit regional focus. This regional work is supported by partnerships and projects with organisations such as the European Commission, the OECD, and the ILO.
Key discussion points also cover the Institute's tender-driven business model, the difficulty of implementing post-evaluation changes, staff retention issues, and the critical importance of integrity, consistency, and robust contingency planning.
This episode is part of a series, Think tanks in a changing Europe, supported by the Open Society Foundations. You can listen to the whole series here.
Learn more about the Budapest Institute and the information discussed during this podcast.
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About OTT Talks:
OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more.
About On Think Tanks: 
On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

What does it feel like to become a funder when you've spent your career as a researcher? And what does it reveal about philanthropy when the person holding the chequebook doesn't look the part?
In this special episode of OTT Talks, host Enrique Mendizabal speaks with Christopher Chibwana (Hewlett Foundation) and Savior Mwambwa (Open Society Foundations) — two African-born former thinktankers now leading programmes at major US-based foundations.
Chris reflects on being read through visual and cultural cues inside institutions that weren't built with him in mind — and on being positioned as an explainer of the Global South rather than a shaper of how foundations engage with it. Savior contrasts OSF's history of regional hiring with a predominantly white US office culture, and examines how program officer authority quietly determines who gets funded, how much risk a portfolio can absorb, and whether smaller or less formal actors ever get a look in.
Why do foundations find it so hard to shift resources toward proximate organisations, even when the case is widely accepted? How are geopolitical pressures reshaping what funders can say, fund, and stand behind? And what does contested language around "the global" reveal about where power actually sits in international philanthropy? Tune in to find out  — from two people who have now seen both sides of the table.
Read more in Chris Chibwana's Substack.
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About OTT Talks:
OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. Learn more.
About On Think Tanks: 
On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all. Learn more & support us.

In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Samar Verma speak with Ngu Wah Win, Research Director at the Knowledge Circle Foundation and an alumna of the School for Thinktankers, about how Myanmar’s think tank and evidence-informed policy landscape has changed before and after 2021.
The conversation covers how think tanks have shifted toward survival, advocacy, documenting human rights abuses, safeguarding displaced researchers, countering misinformation, and using digital platforms to amplify marginalised voices, while also facing unstable and short-term project-based donor funding that limits long-term capacity building and succession planning.
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About the guest:
Ngu Wah Win is a Research Director at the Knowledge Circle Foundation, a non-profit organisation focusing on inclusive development in Southeast Asia. Before joining KCF in 2022, she worked as a senior consultant for multilateral organisations, bilateral aid agencies, and international NGOs, contributing to reform initiatives in Myanmar, including public financial management, agricultural value chains, and migration governance. She also served on the National Statistical Committee, Agriculture Policy Unit, and inter-ministerial task forces, conducting policy research until 2020. Ngu Wah Win holds a Master of Public Administration in Economic Policy Management from Columbia University, specialising in finance and banking, and degrees in economics and statistics from Chiang Mai University and Yangon University of Economics. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Economics at Chiang Mai University regarding labour migration, remittances, and political economy. She is also a Fellow at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
About the podcast:
OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. 
Learn more.
This episode is part of On Think Tanks’ broader collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar-II (K4DM-II) initiative, which aims to strengthen Myanmar’s policy research ecosystem and support think tank leaders operating in complex and high-risk environments. As part of this project, IDRC supports Myanmar think tank professionals' participation in the School for Thinktankers, On Think Tanks’ flagship leadership and capacity development programme. Their engagement contributes to a longer-term effort to preserve leadership capacity and institutional knowledge, and to ensure that Myanmar’s think tank community is prepared to contribute to future policy and development opportunities as conditions evolve.
About On Think Tanks: 
On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all.
Learn more & support us.

In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Samar Verma speak with Min Zar Ni, a PhD student at the University of Southern Denmark and former Deputy Director of Research at Myanmar’s Centre for Economic and Social Development, about how Myanmar’s political upheaval has reshaped the country’s think tank and policy research landscape.
The discussion explores how think tanks have shifted from direct policy influence and stakeholder engagement toward documenting realities and providing analysis with limited outreach, alongside challenges such as safety risks, polarisation, constrained dialogue, weakened long-term donor support, and the loss of talent as researchers leave the country.
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About the guest:
Min Zar Ni Lin is a doctoral student in the Global Sustainable Production section at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Until early 2024, he served as the Myanmar Team Leader for the Efficient and Sustainable Apparel Myanmar (ESAM) project of SDU. This hands-on initiative aimed to support garment factories and their workers in Myanmar by enhancing productivity and improving occupational health and safety (OHS) conditions in the workplace. Prior to this, he worked as the Deputy Director of Research at the Centre for Economic and Social Development (CESD) in Myanmar.
About the podcast:
OTT Talks is a platform for sharing learning among think tanks, funders, and other policy actors on a range of topics, from think tank governance to communicating research. 
Learn more.
This episode is part of On Think Tanks’ broader collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar-II (K4DM-II) initiative, which aims to strengthen Myanmar’s policy research ecosystem and support think tank leaders operating in complex and high-risk environments. As part of this project, IDRC supports Myanmar think tank professionals' participation in the School for Thinktankers, On Think Tanks’ flagship leadership and capacity development programme. Their engagement contributes to a longer-term effort to preserve leadership capacity and institutional knowledge, and to ensure that Myanmar’s think tank community is prepared to contribute to future policy and development opportunities as conditions evolve.
About On Think Tanks: 
On Think Tanks focuses on a range of issues relevant to think tanks, their staff, and supporters. We hope that our initiatives and the articles and resources we publish will support think tanks in making short- and long-term decisions more strategically, resulting in better policy advice and policy outcomes for all.
Learn more & support us.