SNEC aims to become a world class think-tank on socioeconomic policy including governance by providing timely and pragmatic recommendations of the highest quality to the PM and government through developing capacity to conduct policy research in areas which are of high priority to the nation.

SNEC’s organizational structure as a think tank is unique. While SNEC’s membership includes the key policymakers in the government, its policy advice is expected to be based on a rigorous analysis of issues provided by the SNEC Secretariat; it does not rely only on the wisdom accumulated by its members through years of their personal professional experience. After receiving the Secretariat’s report analyzing a selected policy issue, the SNEC Management is in a position to weigh the various implications of the recommendations prepared by the Secretariat before making a final recommendation to the PM on the further course of action. The SNEC model is based on a systematic approach to policymaking as it ensures objectivity and allows for a full consideration of various options and the merits and demerits of a recommended course of policy action leaving the final decision to the SNEC Management. The capacity building of SNEC in practical terms means the capacity building of the SNEC Secretariat which is tasked with the responsibility of conducting policy research.

Since 2001, considerable resources have been invested in building up the analytical capability of the SNEC Secretariat. Through a series of TAs provided by ADB and support provided by other multilateral institutions including WB and UNDP, SNEC has been able to develop basic capacity to conduct policy research. However this level of expertise is not adequate for SNEC to respond to emerging challenges. There is an urgent need to upgrade this capacity so that SNEC is able to provide high quality advice to the PM on a variety of complex issues in a timely manner.

Several considerations are relevant while preparing the capacity building plan of SNEC. First, SNEC will have to be selective in developing institutional capacity for policy research. Adopting a wide ranging policy research agenda will blunt the efficacy of the institution as a policy advisor. Second, SNEC Secretariat can not also develop as a full fledged research institution which normally conducts scholarly studies on subjects where reliable data are available. On the contrary, the research agenda facing SNEC is dynamic. In view of the emergent nature of the issues, data to carry out a scholarly study may not be available to SNEC. Generally SNEC has to prepare quick but rigorous studies based on the best available data. Also, the decision making process in the government will not tolerate the long gestation period associated with academic research. Third, SNEC may also have to reallocate resources to meet emergent issues. A key challenge for SNEC is to provide flexibility in the organizational structure so that it can respond to emerging issues in a timely, rigorous and cost effective manner.