External Review of the World Resources Institute (WRI) – Looking Back, Looking Forward: the current Strategic Plan (2008- 2012), building on a 30 year legacy, and the next Strategic Plan

The external review assesses WRI's transition toward a more global presence, specifically its expansion into China, India, and Brazil, and its shift toward a 'do-tank' model. While praising WRI's analytical excellence, reputation, and successful engagement with the business sector, the review identifies needs for better program focus, increased attention to poverty and gender, and a more systematic approach to partnership management. It recommends that WRI refine its balance between strategic research and tactical implementation to maintain its comparative advantage as a high-impact global think tank.

• WRI has successfully expanded its global footprint by establishing in-country presences in China, India, and Brazil, which the review describes as a "pivoting of WRI’s view of itself and its place in the world".
• The EMBARQ program is highlighted as a major success, having influenced more than 50 cities and reaching a milestone where the "billionth passenger quietly boarded an EMBARQ project".
• WRI's engagement with the business community, including the Corporate Consultative Group, is cited as a far-reaching innovation that has improved fundraising and shifted the organization's worldview.
• The review notes a trend where WRI is moving away from original primary research toward synthesizing and delivering research, which may risk its institutional culture of scholarly excellence.
• WRI's internal 'Managing for Results' (MFR) system is praised as a major accomplishment that puts the organization ahead of many other NGOs in terms of documentation and rationale for decisions.
• The review identifies a lack of formal external program evaluation over the last 30 years, suggesting a need for more periodic, formal self-assessment and external reviews.
• While WRI has a vast network of over 522 partners, the review finds a lack of systematic mapping, typology, or operational guidance for managing these partnerships.
• The review recommends that WRI re-center 'development' in its identity and focus more proactively on cross-cutting themes such as poverty, gender, and indigenous voices, which were found to be under-represented in the Strategic Plan.
• The review suggests that WRI should shift its geographic priority toward Africa, not through individual country programs but by engaging with the continent as a whole.
• The review advises WRI to carefully balance its 'Think Tank' and 'Do Tank' roles, warning against 'doing simply for doing’s sake' and urging that tactical activities be rigorously linked back to strategic thinking.

APA

II, G. F. T., Sayer, J. A., & Hudson, J. M. (2012). External Review of the World Resources Institute (WRI) – Looking Back, Looking Forward: the current Strategic Plan (2008- 2012), building on a 30 year legacy, and the next Strategic Plan. World Resources Institute. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/pss-wri-external-review-report.pdf

Chicago

II, George F. Taylor, Jeffrey A. Sayer, and John M. Hudson. External Review of the World Resources Institute (WRI) – Looking Back, Looking Forward: the current Strategic Plan (2008- 2012), building on a 30 year legacy, and the next Strategic Plan. World Resources Institute, 2012. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/pss-wri-external-review-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=II |first1=George F. Taylor |last2=Sayer |first2=Jeffrey A. |last3=Hudson |first3=John M. |title=External Review of the World Resources Institute (WRI) – Looking Back, Looking Forward: the current Strategic Plan (2008- 2012), building on a 30 year legacy, and the next Strategic Plan |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=30 March 2012 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/pss-wri-external-review-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ii2012external, author = {II, George F. Taylor and Sayer, Jeffrey A. and Hudson, John M.}, title = {{External Review of the World Resources Institute (WRI) – Looking Back, Looking Forward: the current Strategic Plan (2008- 2012), building on a 30 year legacy, and the next Strategic Plan}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2012}, month = mar, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/pss-wri-external-review-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }