Think Tank Diary: Our Strategy for Success

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 week we learn about the several projects that helped The Globalization Institute establish itself in Poland and other successful programs over the course of their four years of existence.

In the beginning stages of The Globalization Institute  we were deciding about best how to “sell” free-markets to the public. Poland has changed; nearly everyone these days  knows that freedom works, but only a few  understand how. We decided to explain market economics to people through real-life examples. We chose to launch a few projects at the same time in order to show how free-markets work in different arenas.
The first project explained the importance of protecting intellectual property in the information age. The next project brought attention to the point that “global warming”was an ideological tool for increased market regulation. The final project suggested how to make modern medicines  more readily available to Polish patients.  This strategy  was an excellent first step for our organization it brought media attention, and started good discussions among the public.

Several other programs over the last four years helped further establish the organization as a respected voice in Poland. Our biggest early success was the campaign: “Freedom for Dreams, Freedom for Choice.” The government in Poland wanted to forbid offering mortgage loans in foreign currencies. The plan had its  sources in a cartel made up of the  five biggest Polish banks, who sought to monopolized mortgage loans in Polish Zloty. For many clients, mainly young people, credit in Swiss Francs was more easily available and cheaper. After our research and reports showed that the new ban meant 10 fewer square meters in a new flat  for young consumers, the government backed down from this plan.

We were ahead of the curve regarding the financial crisis- another campaign, “Responsibility or Bankruptcy is Your Choice” in 2007,  appealed to consumers to be responsible while  taking out  mortgage loans. We also suggested limited access to  individual bankruptcy options, which acts as a social aid.

The next project of the Globalization Institute: “Enterpreneurship is the Vocation” showed how people understand the vocation of the businessmen. We realized that the common stereotype, “The first million dollars is usually stolen” is a myth and Poles no longer believe this way, the reputation  of entrepreneurs is now much higher.

Other successes include a  Globalization Institute Breakfast Roundtable organized in the  prestigious National Opera building in Warsaw. These debates gather top media, decision-makers, politicians and experts. We have also  published several books and reports, which have  influenced Polish and European public opinion. Our best-sellers are Libertarianism –a Polish book on libertarian philosophy from a Catholic perspective and The Mythology of Global Warming on the false-prophecy of climate change. Both books are currently in their second edition.

You can read the first installment of The Globalization Institute’s Diary here. Join us next Monday to learn more about the the Globalization Institute. If you are interested in becoming the next  Think Tank Diarist please contact Cindy Cerquitella.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 11:25 AM. It is filed under Europe, Think Tank Diary and tagged with credit crises, free markets, global warming, Globalization Institute, intellectual property, mortgage loans, National Opera, Poland, Think Tank Diary, Tomasz Teluk, Warsaw. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.