On November 20, 2024, the 126th lecture of the Think Tank Construction Lecture Series of the Middle East Studies Institute (MESI) of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), which was also one of the SISU 75th Anniversary “Academic Month” Frontier Research Lecture Series, was held at Songjiang Campus. Professor Li Gang, the Director for Operations, China Think Tank Research and Evaluation Center (CTTREC) at Nanjing University was invited to give a lecture titled The Underlying Logic and Contingent Logic of China's Think Tank Evolution. The lecture was hosted by Professor Ding Long of the MESI at SISU, researchers and graduate students attended this lecture.

In this lecture, Professor Li Gang compared the differences between Chinese and Western think tanks in terms of the underlying logic of think tank evolution, institutional mechanisms, methods and tools, and knowledge accumulation. He also analyzed the contingent logic of China's new think tank construction from the fields of human resources layout, brand value, and product management. Finally, Professor Li Gang emphasized that China's new think tank construction should pay attention to research and practice, build China's own knowledge system of think tanks, give full play to the pulling function of major projects and the research function of universities and scientific research institutes, adhere to the data-driven, and build a multi-dimensional evaluation system.

After the lecture, Professor Li Gang also interacted with the students and faculty on topics such as data-driven, social science-driven, academic evaluation, social evaluation of think tanks, and U.S. strategics towards China, and answered their questions in detail.

Finally, Professor Ding Long summarized the lecture and expressed his gratitude to Professor Li Gang for his wonderful lecture and the active participation of teachers and students.