IGOS
An IGO is an Intergovernmental organisation created by governments, such as the World Bank and the OECD (meaning they are directly supported by a government). They are always affiliated in some way with a nation or group of nations.
Think Tanks, NGOs and IGOs
There are many organizations, both government affiliated and non-affiliated, that influence public policy. Not only do they lobby and spend enormous amounts of time and money, they also fund research on various policy issues. They can be excellent sources of information. ***Be careful of bias in information provided by NGOs and think tanks***
NGOs
An NGO is a non-governmental organization which acts independently of any government to alleviate and bring attention to important public issues.
Think Tanks
A think tank is a privately funded group devoted to particular areas of public policy research and implementation.