Think Tanks 101: What is a Think Tank?

When Bruce Bartlett eulogized think tanks in his Forbes column in April, I thought about how that was antithetical to the growing numbers of think tanks over the last 20 years and certainly at odds with the mass amounts of materials produced by think tanks each year.

It quickly became apparent that Bartlett lamented the role think tanks have taken on, so I decided to ask six think tanks a simple question: What is a think tank?

And here is what they had to say...

Andrew Exum, Fellow, Center for a New American Security and blogger Abu Muqawama:

A think tank is most accurately described as a not-for-profit policy-oriented research center.

Walter Olson, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute:

A think tank is a place that nurtures and assembles multiple scholars/writers who have or will develop independent reputations for saying novel, compelling or authoritative things across multiple areas of public concern.

Danielle Pletka, Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute:

A “think tank” – or at least, a think tank in Washington D.C., is generally a public policy research institution.  It is a home for scholars, an incubator for ideas, a place to consider, to explicate and to drive better policies for our government in our nation’s best interests.  At least, that is the American Enterprise Institute.

Matt Bennett, Vice President for Public Affairs, Third Way:

“Think tank” is a broad term, sweeping up everything from quasi-academic institutions like Brookings to politically engaged organizations like Third Way and the Center for American Progress on the left and the Heritage Foundation on the right. The scholarly think tanks are essentially universities without students – they have senior academics producing scholarly materials. The more action-oriented places do products that are intended to have an impact on actual legislative and political debates.

Judith Bell, President, PolicyLink:

A think-tank can be many things – but the best think tanks are ones that don’t just think. They are places where the solutions to America’s challenges are seen through the eyes of the people facing those challenges. They are places where making the idea real is just as important as having the idea in the first place. They are places that don’t assume they have all the answers – and listen to the voices and ideas of regular people in crafting strong, workable solutions.

Matthew Rojansky, Deputy Director of Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace:

Think tanks come in all shapes and sizes, from an elite handful of national or global brand name institutions, with hundreds of scholars and staff, multimillion dollar endowments, and substantial alumni networks in government, to a profusion of much smaller, usually single issue- or region-oriented groups. Some are chartered and funded by government, while others are affiliated with colleges and universities, and still others are entirely private and independent. The stated missions of these institutions are as varied as their physiognomy, however most share a basic aim to produce expert analysis of public policy issues that is relevant for--and therefore likely to influence--those who make policy decisions in government.

Come back tomorrow when these same think tankers answer the question: What do think tanks do? Check it out here.

Comments

[twitter.com/CrookdRiverWmn]

I love Judith Bell's answer. I wish more think tanks operated like this. There can be a huge disconnect between academic study and the realities of everyday people. More think tanks need to get out of their bubbles and strengthen their work with a grassroots connection.

[Prime Mover]

Think tanks are independent research institutions required to clear the obfuscation caused by university research institutions.

[john randolph]

Think tanks are places where people write op-eds and go on TV to be pundits. Duh. No joke.

[Patriot Henry]

Think tanks are weapons of war, usually wielded by the state, used to wage war on innocent people using the weapons of papers, research, proposals, etc. There are some defensive think tanks used by the people to defend themselves but those are the exception to the rule.