Think tank

This article is about a type of organisation. For The decision production by special knowledge or specialist, see Think tank (disambiguation).

Brookings Institution, founded in 1916 in Washington, D.C.
The Heritage Foundation, founded in 1973 in Washington, D.C.
Stanford University's Hoover Institution, founded in 1919 by U.S. President Herbert Hoover

A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental organizations, but some are semi-autonomous agencies within government, and some are associated with particular political parties, businesses or the military.[1] Think tanks are often funded by individual donations, with many also accepting government grants.[2]

Think tanks publish articles and studies, and sometimes draft legislation on particular matters of policy or society. This information is then used by governments, businesses, media organizations, social movements or other interest groups.[3][4] Think tanks range from those associated with highly academic or scholarly activities to those that are overtly ideological and pushing for particular policies, with a wide range among them in terms of the quality of their research. Later generations of think tanks have tended to be more ideologically oriented.[3]

Modern think tanks began as a phenomenon in the United Kingdom in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with most of the rest being established in other English-speaking countries.[3][5] Prior to 1945, they tended to focus on the economic issues associated with industrialization and urbanization. During the Cold War, many more American and other Western think tanks were established, which often guided government Cold War policy.[3][6][4] Since 1991, more think tanks have been established in non-Western parts of the world. More than half of all think tanks that exist today were established after 1980.[5] As of 2023, there are more than 11,000 think tanks around the world.[7]

  1. ^ Fang, Lee (15 September 2021). "Intelligence Contract Funneled to Pro-War Think Tank Establishment". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  2. ^ McGann, James G.; Weaver, Robert Kent (1 January 2002). Think Tanks and Civil Societies: Catalysts for Ideas and Action. Transaction Publishers. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4128-3989-1.
  3. ^ a b c d Fischer, Frank; Miller, Gerald J. (21 December 2006). "Public Policy Analysis and Think Tanks, by Diane Stone". Handbook of Public Policy Analysis: Theory, Politics, and Methods. CRC Press. pp. 149–157. ISBN 978-1-4200-1700-7.
  4. ^ a b Selee, Andrew Dan (31 July 2013). What Should Think Tanks Do?: A Strategic Guide to Policy Impact. Stanford University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-8047-8929-5.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference McGann was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Roberts, Priscilla (1 December 2015). "A century of international affairs think tanks in historical perspective". International Journal. 70 (4): 535–555. doi:10.1177/0020702015590591. hdl:10722/210910. ISSN 0020-7020. S2CID 155138921.
  7. ^ "Spotlight on think tanks: what is the picture in the US?". blog.overton.io. Retrieved 24 October 2024.