ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of Peruvian think tanks and a special focus on Instituto APOYO. A first general distinction that is possible to make among Peruvian public policy research institutes, or think tanks, relates to the waves of formation that gave rise to them. The Instituto de Estudios Peruanos and the Center for the Study and Promotion of Development (DESCO) are representative of Peruvian think tanks that emerged in that type of environment. DESCO's projects continue to focus on the improvement of living standards and participation in civil society for marginalized sectors of Peruvian society. The Comision Andina de Juristas (CAJ) represents a very different strain of think tank. CAJ interacts with the judicial branch of the Peruvian government, mostly in a consultative capacity and receives the majority of its funding from European cooperative agencies. Peruvian think tanks operate in an environment in which, with few exceptions, public institutions face limited technical and economic resources.
