Stockholm Network

The Stockholm Network is a pan-European think tank and network, located in London. In addition to its own policy research, it is an umbrella organisation for market-oriented think tanks in Europe. It has over 130 member organisations.

Aims

The organisation was founded in 1997 by Helen Disney in response to the growth in market-oriented think tanks across Europe, with the aim of providing a forum for sharing, exchanging and developing pan-European public policy research. Interested in ideas which stimulate economic growth and help people to help themselves, it promotes and raises awareness of policies which create the social and economic conditions for a free society. Its stated goals include:

* Reforming European welfare states and creating a more flexible labour market.
* Updating European pension systems to empower individuals.
* Ensuring more consumer-driven healthcare, through reform of European health systems and markets.
* Encouraging an informed debate on intellectual property rights as an incentive to innovate and develop new knowledge in the future, whilst ensuring wide public access to such products in the present.
* Reforming European energy markets to ensure the most beneficial balance between economic growth and environmental quality. Emphasising the benefits of globalisation, trade and competition and creating an understanding of free market ideas and institutions.

Presentation

The Stockholm Network was founded in 1997 by Helen Disney, a former journalist and Deputy Director of the Social Market Foundation. It began with a small group of like-minded think tanks after planning meetings in London and Stockholm (from where it takes its name). It initially had staff of 3 people including Sacha Kumaria and Nicole Gray Conchar, who had previously worked as a fundraiser for numerous think tanks including the Cato Institute and the International Policy Network (IPN). The SN has received extensive corporate funding and some of its critics argue that it acts as a "lobby group" or a "corporate-funded campaigning group".

Two think tanks, out of a membership of over 130, have recently chosen to leave the voluntary membership of the Network. They are the Institute of Economic Affairs and International Policy Network.

The Stockholm Network has made efforts to be transparent regarding the sources of its funding [http://www.stockholm-network.org/downloads/publications/SN_WEB_AN_REPORT_1.pdf] , and has advocated that other think tanks should also list their funders on their websites. This would make accusations of potential conflicts of interest, or lobbying, which can be impossible to either corroborate or refute (given their often unattributed and/or unverified nature) less likely.

The Stockholm Network acts as a broad church of market-oriented think tanks with a variety of viewpoints – some of whom disagree on policy issues. The Stockholm Network has not attempted to deflect or ignore criticism of its activities, such as the recent debate over its Carbon Scenarios project, but has openly acknowledged it and sees this intellectual debate as an important part of the work of a think tank [http://www.stockholm-network.org/Conferences-and-Programmes/Energy-and-Environment/carbonscenarios/mediacoverage] ".

Programmes

Currently, the Stockholm Network has three programmes: The Health & Welfare Programme, the Intellectual Property & Competition Programme and the Energy & Environment Programme. Each was developed in order to further the objective of the Network in searching for practical market-oriented solutions to the endemic problems Europeans face today.

The Stockholm Network Intellectual Property & Competition Programme was established in January 2005 and aims to achieve four key objectives:

* First, to make the field of intellectual property more mainstream and accessible to the general public.
* Second, to increase the interaction between specialists focusing on different aspects of intellectual property rights.

* Third, to encourage discussion, as well as debates, on different burning IP issues.

* Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to promote European competitiveness.

The Stockholm Network Energy & Environment Programme was created in early 2005 in order to promote a practical market-oriented approach to environmental problems. Environmental problems are critical issues for the general public and for policy makers alike. The Stockholm Network work in this programme recognises the importance of environmental policies in safeguarding future prosperity and endeavours to produce practical solutions - solutions that recognise economic realities - to environmental policy dilemmas.

The Stockholm Network's Health & Welfare Programme was established at the end of 2005. The programme has the following key aims and objectives:

* To provide a comprehensive resource on European think tank initiatives in the field of Health and Welfare

* To promote competition and choice in healthcare, through reform of European health systems and markets;

* To promote more flexible labour markets in Europe

* To promote market oriented reform of Europe's failing pensions systems

External links

* [http://www.stockholm-network.org Stockholm Network]
* [http://www.stockholm-network.org/network/details.php Memberlist]
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Stockholm_Network Sourcewatch article]
* " [http://www.spinwatch.org/content/view/2267/9/ You want policy? In cash?] ", "The Times" (London), Paul Staines, December 20, 2005, Page 19.