Susanne Langsdorf (Ecologic Institut)

Environmental Think Tanks – Function and Daily Work Through the Example of Ecologic Institute

Presentation: Speech
Date: 20 November 2014
Location: Berlin, Germany
Speech: Susanne Langsdorf

When and why were environmental think tanks founded in Germany? How is the system for environmental consulting organized in Germany today? What is the daily work of an environmental think tank?

Susanne Langsdorf, researcher at Ecologic Institute, presented the system in which environmental research and consultancy is organised in Germany and the daily work of an environmental think tank to students.

Science-based policy advice for environmental policy is organised in a complex system and by a multitude of actors in Germany. Independent environmental think tanks that have no state funding, have established themselves as one important actor to provide environmental policy advice. How can these institutes survive, whom do they work for and what kind of projects do they undertake? Taking the Ecologic Institute as an example the daily work and "typical projects" of environmental think tanks were presented.

The visit was part of a course at New York University Berlin on "Environmental Social Movements".

Organizer: New York University (NYU), United States
Speech: Susanne Langsdorf
Date: 20 November 2014
Location: Berlin, Germany
Language: English
Project: From "The Blue Sky above the Ruhr" to the "Energiewende"

Presentation: Environmental Think Tanks [pdf, 467 KB, English]

Presentation slides

langsdorf_ecologic_institut_thinktanks_nyu.pdf (467.23 KB)

Further Links

NYU Website: NYU Berlin

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Duration: Dec 2012 - Jun 2014
Funding: Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), Germany