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Acton Institute named a top think tank in the world in new report
Acton Institute named a top think tank in the world in new report
Jan 21, 2026 7:41 AM

Acton Institute and Instituto Acton have taken top spots in a new ranking. Earlier today, the University of Pennsylvania’sThink Tank & Civil Societies Program released the 2015 Global Go-To Think Tanks Report which maintains data on almost 7,000 organizations worldwide and creates a detailed report ranking them in various categories.

Acton was named in five categories and Instituto Acton was named in one. See the highlights:

Acton Institute is 9th (out of 90) in the Top Social Policy Think Tanks ranking (9th in 2014).Acton Institute is 29th (out of 75) in the Top Think Tanks in the United States (29th in 2014).In Top Think Tanks Worldwide, Acton ranks 155th (out of 175) (previously unranked).10th in Best Advocacy Campaign (11th in 2014) for PovertyCure.17th (out of 61) in Best Think Tank Conference (17th in 2014) for Acton University.Instituto Acton was ranked 100th (out of 144) Best Independent Think Tanks.

Instituto Acton (formerly known as Instituto Acton Argentina) became a subsidiary of the Acton Institute in the spring of 2015. Led by Executive Director Cecilia G. de Vázquez Ger, this organization conducts its work primarily in Spanish and promotes a free and virtuous society in Buenos Aires. This is the first time Instituto Acton has been ranked in the report.

The Think Tank & Civil Societies Program has a rigorous ranking criteria which includes: the “quality mitment of the think tank’s leadership;” the “quality, number, and reach of its publications;” the think tank’s “reputation with policymakers;” its “media reputation;” its “ability to produce new knowledge;” “financial stewardship;” and the organization’s “impact on society.”

Read the full report here. See Acton’s press release on the report here.

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