From Party Tools to Symbolic Engines: Rethinking Think Tanks in Latin America and Beyond

This paper reexamines the strategic role of think tanks in Latin America, moving beyond their conventional portrayal as party instruments. Building on the empirical framework of Barreda and Ruiz Rodríguez (2022), who developed a "strategic relevance index" to measure party–think tank linkages across eight countries, the analysis acknowledges the value of comparative data while also addressing the study's limitations. Quantitative indicators, though useful, risk overlooking the symbolic, cultural, and discursive dimensions that shape legitimacy and political imagination. By engaging with Latin American intellectual traditions—such as O'Donnell's reflections on fragile democracies, Cardoso and Faletto's theory of dependency, and Castañeda's work on ideological realignments—the paper emphasizes the importance of ideas, narratives, and symbols in understanding democratic development. Think tanks, it argues, should not be understood as mere satellites of political parties but as laboratories of political imagination with the capacity to generate frameworks of democracy, legitimacy, and justice. The findings underscore the need to strengthen intellectual independence, foster regional and global networks, and situate Latin American experiences within the wider debates of the Global South.