OTT Podcast

In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski speak with Dr Rosa Balfour, Director of Carnegie Europe, about how Europe’s successive crises since the 2008 financial crash—through the Arab Spring, Crimea, Brexit, and Trump—have reshaped the foreign policy landscape and the role of think tanks. Rosa describes Brussels as a more process-driven but increasingly closed p...

In this OTT Talks episode, Enrique Mendizabal speaks with Ivor Chipkin, co-founder and director of South Africa’s New South Institute, shortly after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Public Service Amendment Act 2025. Chipkin explains how, since 1994, political leaders have held extensive control over public service appointments and operations as a workaround for governing under inherited apart...

Recorded live at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, this special edition of OTT Talks brings you the keynote speeches from the 10th edition of the conference. In an era marked by democratic uncertainty, technological disruption and geopolitical instability, do think tanks still matter? In this keynote from the OTT Conference 2026, Rosa Balfour reflects on the growing pressures facing think...

Recorded live at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, this special edition of OTT Talks brings you the keynote speeches from the 10th edition of the conference. How can think tanks remain trustworthy institutions in increasingly polarised political environments? In this keynote from the OTT Conference 2026, Héctor Cárdenas reflects on the relationship between evidence, storytelling and trust...

Recorded live at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, this special edition of OTT Talks brings you the keynote speeches from the 10th edition of the conference. Who are think tanks ultimately accountable to? In this keynote from the OTT Conference 2026, Denis Foretia examines the complex relationship between legitimacy, independence and trust in African policy research organisations. Drawing...

Recorded live at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, this special edition of OTT Talks brings you the keynote speeches from the 10th edition of the conference. What happens to think tanks when artificial intelligence can produce analysis in seconds? In this keynote from the OTT Conference 2026, Erica explores how AI is reshaping the production of knowledge and what this means for policy res...

Recorded live at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, this special edition of OTT Talks brings you the keynote speeches from the 10th edition of the conference. In his welcoming remarks at the OTT Conference 2026 in Rabat, Karim El Aynaoui, Executive Director of the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), reflected on the role think tanks can play in addressing global imbalances and strength...

In this OTT Talks episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski interview Scarlett Varga, Secretary General of Bruegel, about how an economic think tank navigates Europe’s shifting political and economic context. Scarlett argues that “neutrality” is contested: Bruegel defines neutrality as openness to engage across the spectrum while disclosing biases and values, and she discusses the c...

In this episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski interview Mario Holzner, Executive Director of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), about conducting economic research on Central, East and Southeast Europe from Vienna amid shifting geopolitical and media environments. Mario describes the region’s historical heterogeneity and wiiw’s pragmatic, plural intel...

In this episode, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski interview Richard Durana, co-founder and director of INESS (Institute of Economic and Social Studies) in Slovakia. Richard describes his move from chemistry to economics and how INESS has operated for two decades in a largely hostile, left-leaning political environment, emphasising both policy advocacy and public education. He compar...

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 diffe...

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...

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 thinktanke...

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...

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 sh...

In this episode of OTT Talks, co-hosts Enrique Mendizabal and Samar Verma speak with Napas Thain, inaugural research fellow at the Myanmar Policy and Community Knowledge Hub (MYPAC) at the University of Toronto, about Myanmar’s political crisis since 2021 and how it has reshaped the country’s think tank and research landscape. The conversation examines the evolution of think tanks from limited inf...

How has the role of think tanks in Germany and Europe evolved in an era of polarisation, disinformation, and shifting funding models? In this episode, we speak with Dr Daniela Schwarzer , Executive Board Member at the Bertelsmann Foundation , former Director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), and founder of the Europe programme at the German Marshall Fund. With more than a...

What does it take to maintain independence while navigating the turbulence of national crisis and European transformation? In this episode, we speak with Loukas Tsoukalis, President of the Board at ELIAMEP, Greece’s most prominent think tank on European and foreign policy. Drawing on over two decades of leadership, Loukas reflects on what it meant to lead a think tank during one of the most diffic...

In this bonus episode, we continue our conversation with Mathieu Lefèvre , Co-Founder and CEO of More in Common , to explore some of the critical forces shaping civic life and political discourse in Europe today. We begin with a look at the current imbalance in funding within the market of ideas, where emerging players on the far right are gaining ground, and what this means for the future of demo...

What does it take to lead a people-centred policy organisation in today’s polarised and fast-changing Europe? In this episode, we speak with Mathieu Lefèvre, co-founder and CEO of More in Common, a non-profit that uses evidence and social psychology to understand what brings societies together and what drives them apart. Mathieu reflects on the political fatigue spreading across Europe, and how ri...

After seven candid conversations with think tank leaders across Europe, hosts Goran Buldioski and Enrique Mendizabal come together to reflect on the insights shared in these two seasons of Running think tanks in a changing Europe. What has surprised them the most? What are the common threads and the striking differences between how leaders from across the region understand their role, their impact...

What happens when a think tank operates at the intersection of European, Mediterranean, and global affairs, while based in a city far from the capital? In this episode, we speak with Pol Morillas, Director of CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs), one of Spain’s leading foreign policy think tanks. Drawing on his experience in EU institutions and the Spanish foreign policy landscape, P...

Every think tank has a unique journey—shaped by its context, mission, and the people driving its vision. But how do think tanks emerge and establish themselves in regions undergoing political and economic transitions? What role do they play in fostering evidence-based policymaking? In this episode, we speak with Simonida Kacarska, Director of the European Policy Institute (EPI) in North Macedonia...

In times of fundamental change, recognising the moment and acting accordingly is crucial. But how can think tanks remain resilient in an increasingly challenging environment? How can they collaborate to navigate uncertainty and strengthen their collective impact? In this episode, we speak with Fabian Zuleeg , Chief Executive and Chief Economist at the European Policy Centre (EPC) . With over 15 ye...

In a rapidly shifting political landscape, how can think tanks continue to provide independent, evidence-based policy advice? What happens when international funding declines, domestic support remains uncertain, and democratic pressures intensify? In this episode, we speak with  Karolina Wigura , co-founder and board member of  Kultura Liberalna , one of Poland’s leading think tanks. Drawing from...