Think Tanks and Non-Traditional Security

Dr Erin Zimmerman holds the dual roles of Research Associate at the Indo-Pacific Governance Research Centre at the University of Adelaide, Australia, and Honorary Fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA.

“This book provides a very useful portrayal of the space where regional security governance is defined, and of the discursive strategies used by think tanks to increase their influence. … This book certainly contributes to highlighting the inherent potential of discourse-based work on security regionalism in Asia. Therefore, it should be read by anyone interested in the evolution of regional security governance in Asia and in the role of non-state actors in this process.” (Peter Worthing, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 90 (2), June, 2017)“Zimmerman’s book is therefore an excellent point of reference not only for experts and political scientists interested in improving their knowledge about think tanks, but also for those who wish to enhance their ability to understand how think tank networks and ideational processes are able to affect decision-making environments and political agendas at different levels of governance in the vast and multilayered arrangement within the field of non-traditional security in Asia.” (Silvia Menegazzi, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Vol. 47 (2), September, 2016)

• 1. Introduction 2. A New Focus of Analysis: Discursive Institutionalism and Institutional Change 3. Think Tanks and Non-Traditional Security 4. Association of Southeast Asian Nations -Institutes of Strategic and International Studies 5. Expanding Beyond ASEAN - The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific 6. The International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Shangri-La Dialogue 7. The MacArthur Foundation's Asia Security Initiative 8. Conclusion - From Think Tanks to Governance Entrepreneurs