Bright Young Think-Tank
When first hearing of the Oxford Council on Good Governance (OCGG) from one of the new breed of young movers and shakers at Oxford, I was sceptical to say the least. Every political hack that has passed through this establishment has entertained ideas of setting up think-tanks, committees or research organisations, and it is the blight of those that remain here that many of those with such intentions are successful.
One need only look at the bloated roll call of any JCR or MCR committee to see how awful that truth is. Such organisations, with their boundless energy and consummate inefficiency, never fail to make me roll my eyes, and yet here I was going to meet two of the founders of another student-run organisation with aspirations of being a global player.
My first impressions were not that great. We were set to meet in Wadham MCR, a nice venue to be sure, but certainly not a suitable hub for an international organisation. To my surprise, and I have to admit slight annoyance, my initial cynicism could not have been more unjustified if it tried.
I was met by Andre Nilsen, who is studying for a DPhil in politics, and Malte Nuhn, reading PPE, who form two thirds of the founding members of OCGG. Within moments Andre was sweeping the breakfast crumbs from the table and setting up his laptop, while Malte was beginning his very polished sales patter:
"OCGG is a unique enterprise. As a non-partisan think-tank run by young researchers at the world's leading universities, we can add value to public policies by providing innovative solutions and fresh perspectives to key decision makers."
I have to admit that, against my better judgement, I found myself being impressed by the ease at which this opening gambit tripped of the tongue of the fresh-faced graduate opposite me. This indeed was the colour of the whole proceedings. It became increasingly apparent that these two, along with their team of sixty graduates and undergraduates based at universities from Cambridge to California (taking in Paris, Berlin, Bonn and New York on the way), had thoroughly thought through every aspect of their organisation. There was nothing I could bring up for which a business plan, backed up by immaculate computer presentation and glossy literature, had not been devised. This, it seems, is the secret of their success (and success they have had, but more on this below). Everything has been mapped out with typical continental efficiency.
It is no wonder, then, that Oxford Chancellor Chris Patten, who is also European Commissioner for External Relations, is Chairman of the board of advisors. And unlike most other student-run organisations, OCGG is a registered company.
As Andre explained: "We wanted to send a clear message that we were not just another group of students playing at politics. We have just started but already we have made great progress and we are determined to continue to do so."
But this is not just all the typical posturing with the addition of a little organisation that I have found with other student groups. OCGG is fulfilling its promise. Already representatives have been flown out to Paris (courtesy of the EU and the space industry no less) to advise Philippe Busquin, the Commissioner for Research, on EU space policy. Perhaps more notably they have presented documents on UN Reform to Tony Blair, Boutros Boutros Ghali and even Kofi Annan - no small feat for such a young organisation.
One of the strengths of the Oxford Council is its breadth of competency. With projects ranging from public international law regarding the situation at Camp X-Ray on Guantanamo Bay to the EU constitution and even corporate governance, there is little that they won't set their minds to. I always worry in such situations that organisations will spread themselves too thinly and I hope that the OCGG doesn't make that mistake.
Yet all is not perfect with this organisation. The OCGG is very new and new initiatives often run out of steam. I don't think there is much danger of that here as I never met two such ambitious and energetic people as Malte and Andre, but it is certainly something that one must bear in mind. Secondly, the organisation relies upon students, who inevitably will graduate and move on, and so it is hard to see how any sort of consistency will be achieved. When I put this to Andre he was characteristically cool:
"The core of the OCGG is strongly committed to the enterprise and I don't have any doubts that we will be here for some time. Many of those who are graduating this year are moving on to other universities where they will work to continue and expand what we do. In any event, a high turnover of researchers can work to our benefit as it makes deadlines more final and so increases efficiency. We thrive on new ideas and so it is always good to welcome new people into the team."
When I left Andre and Malte to their espressos, I could not stop searching for the flaw in their dream, but am yet to find anything substantial. After all, they appear to be making a positive impact on the political arena.
Perhaps I should give up trying and email my CV - I hear they are still recruiting!
5th Feb 2004