In light of the challenges facing Iraqi think tanks and research centres, there is an urgent and immediate need for a regulatory framework that contributes to enhancing their independence, ensuring their transparency, and increasing their influence in decision-making. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive vision on how to develop this sector through a voluntary code of conduct that works to establish professional and ethical standards governing the work of these centres, while maintaining their academic and administrative independence.
This paper addresses the challenges facing Iraqi think tanks, as these institutions suffer from weak funding, the absence of a clear legal framework, limits the influence on public policies, while on the other hand we also get political interventions. In addition, the culture of scientific research and rational decision-making based on evidence and effectiveness is still limited, which makes the role of these centres less effective compared to their counterparts in other countries (both democratic or non-democratic).
