Think Tank Diary: Instytut Globalizacji

This new series will feature guest blog posts from think tank leaders around the world. This month, we’ll learn about the work and experiences of Instytut Globalizacji in Poland, written by the institute’s founder, Tomasz Teluk. This organization is a testament to the impact and value of a a strong global free market network.

I feel like it was just yesterday, but Globalization Institute is now celebrating ts 4^th Anniversary! How has this happened?

As a student, I was interested in the free-market economy philosophy of freedom. My first contact with think-tanks, almost unknown in Poland these days, were the conferences of  the International Society for the Individual Liberty. There I met very friendly people such as Hubert van Jongen and Christian Michel from Libertarian International. I started to work as a journalist and to promote free-market ideas in my homeland. The next summer I visited Washington DC to spend weeks at the Institute for Human Studies and Young America’s Foundation seminars. I was fascinated by such speakers as Prof. James Buchanan and  journalist James Glassman.

I started my PhD at  Jagiellonian University in Cracow, writing on the libertarian theory of the state. I published a few books and hundreds of articles in the Polish press. When my name began to be was recognized two think-tanks asked me to be their Fellow. The first  was  the Adam Smith Centre – the most powerful analytical organization in Poland, the second was the  Centre for the New Europe based in Brussels. These experiences changed my life. I spent a good deal of time in Brussels, visited many international conferences and  met people from other organizations like  The Atlas Economic Research Foundation, the Heritage Foundation, the Stockholm Network and the Cato Institute. It was a fascinating world I wanted to be a part of. I was a little bit frustrated as a Fellow, so I decided to create my own think-tank. I called it the  Globalization Institute, because I was interested in the process of globalization.

The mission of the Globalization Institute is to show the positive aspects of globalization and to educate the public about  free-market economics. Not only theoretically, but through case studies: how  globalization really works. We publish books and reports, organize conferences and debates and work with decision-makers and the media. In previous years we have been quoted by media more than 1000 times (considering our very small budget this is a great success). Our fellows appear in the most important TV channels, radio and press: The Wall Street Journal Poland, TVN CNBS, Business TV, Polish TV and Radio, Forbes, Polska, The Times, Rzeczpospolita Daily, Wprost weekly, Newsweek, BBC, Radio Netherlands and many others.

In 2009, we received the Award of Financial Paper weekly for the best think-tank in Poland.This is an ideal occasion to thank all the people who gave me a hand, without themit would have been impossible to create the Globalization Institute- Marty Zupan, James Glassman, Tim Evans, Todd Kruse, Peter Mihok and Henrik Rasmussen- Thank you.

Join us next Monday to learn more about the the Globalization Institute. To be considered as a Think Tank Diarist please contact Cindy Cerquitella.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 27th, 2009 at 12:00 PM. It is filed under Europe, Think Tank Diary and tagged with Globalization Institute, Institute for Humane Studies, ISIL, Libertarian Alliance, Poland, Think Tank Diary, Young Americas Foundation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.