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 https://twitter.com/AEI/status/755874971193311232 It’s an ugly compound word with a cloying, antiseptic chill: Think Tank. They provide the research apparatus for policy-makers across the political spectrum, serve the interests of donors and affiliated organizations, lend or deny legitimacy to policy considerations, and insulate academic researchers from teaching in return for a veneer of gravitas. From what I can tell, the “Go To Think Tank Index Report” from the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program is the most long-running and comprehensive research into the prestige and influence of the various institutions in this space. The most recent report is available for download at that link – it’s a .pdf so I won’t link directly, it’s easy to find. As usual, the Brookings Institute comes out on top as the most influential think tank worldwide. In this thread, we Debate & Discuss the merits of the organizations in question, report on any significant new industry investments, post about personnel changes / revolving doors, and share relevant press articles. If you work at a think tank, provide gossip and insight.  ************************************************************************************************************************************************* I started putting this OP together early last week then put off finishing it. Then, like a manna from heaven, the New York Times published this perfectly relevant report: Researchers or Corporate Allies? Think Tanks Blur the Line. quote:Think tanks, which position themselves as “universities without students,” have power in government policy debates because they are seen as researchers independent of moneyed interests. But in the chase for funds, think tanks are pushing agendas important to corporate donors, at times blurring the line between researchers and lobbyists. And they are doing so while reaping the benefits of their tax-exempt status, sometimes without disclosing their connections to corporate interests. Matt Stroller had some interesting thoughts expounding on the situation on Twitter. Basically, the Gingrich Republicans defunded a ton of public policy research like the Office of Technology Assessment and the Democratic Study Group. Thus, research functions got mostly outsourced to the private sector. The political scientist Lee Drutman (Twitter account, personal site) has also written about this effect, I heard him speak about it at the New America Foundation a couple of years ago – with no in-house Congressional research centers, and staff budgets consistently slashed, independent legislative research is impossible and lawmakers rely on industry lobbyists or corporate-funded Think Tank reports. There will be another piece to that New York Times article forthcoming – I will link to it in this thread when it is released and later add it to the OP. ************************************************************************************************************************************************* Below, I’ve compiled a list of a few organizations with relevant links. Brookings Institute Official Website Twitter - Generally considered the most prestigious of them all. Centrist research house and an endless font of sober establishment thinking. https://twitter.com/BrookingsInst/status/439559393407823872 The Heritage Foundation Official Website Twitter Still probably the most prominent and respected conservative research foundation despite a slip in esteem in recent years. They are a effectively a policy shop for the RNC. CAP - The Center for American Progress Official Website Twitter More or less a Democratic policy shop. The head of CAP, Neera Tanden, is widely seen as likely to serve an official function under a Clinton presidency. Their Report of the Committee on Inclusive Prosperity, co-written by Larry Summers (lol) and Ed Balls, prefigured a lot of the rhetoric and policy proposals coming from the Clinton campaign. American Enterprise Institute Official Website Twitter - Hard right "pro-business" group with a penchant for climate change denial. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Official Website Twitter - Prestigious international relations fellowship program and probably the most influential foreign policy think tank in the world. The former head of the organization, Jessica T. Matthews, publishes frequently in the New York Review of Books. Council on Foreign Relations Official Website Twitter - Ron Paul explains the Council on Foreign Relations and the New World Order. Fodder for conspiracy theorists for many years, the CFR is the steward of Responsible Thinking in NYC and DC foreign policy circles. They fund and produce Foreign Affairs magazine and employ tons of former + future diplomats. b]The Wilson Center[/b] Official Website Twitter DC-based "living memorial" to Woodrow Wilson - particularly his vision for liberal internationalism rather than his penchant for denying rights to black Americans. John Kerry is on the board of directors, among with other mostly Democratic foreign policy luminaries. CSIS - Center for Strategic and International Studies Official Website Twitter - Another powerful international relations think tank, directly affiliated with Georgetown University. Economic Policy Institute Official Website Twitter - Lefty research operation with a focus on organized labor and international trade. Associated with Robert Reich, Larry Mishel, and the AFL-CIO. New America Foundation Official Website Twitter - Liberal think tank with ties to Google. Anne-Marie Slaughter, the foreign policy scholar, is president and CEO as well as probably the biggest name associate with the organization (her Twitter. They focus on urban policy, education, and technology. Roosevelt Institute Official Website Twitter - Along with Demos and the Century Foundation, part of a cluster of New York-based think tanks with a left-liberal bent. Joseph Stiglitz is the chief economist. Their work and influence was highlighted here - Could Hillary Clinton Become the Champion of the 99 Percent? Demos Official Website Twitter Small leftwing outfit that's done some admirable work on voting rights and gerrymandering. Their policy analyst Sean McElwee runs a Twitter account popular with left-liberal users. The Century Foundation Official Website Twitter - Formerly known as The Twentieth Century Foundation, founded in 1919, HQ'd in New York. John Kenneth Galbraith was involved in the mid-century years and their policy mix reflects his style of American liberalism. Third Way Official Website Twitter - Exactly what the name sounds like. Their main focus is on making a "progressive" case for entitlement cuts, winning them the undying love of David Brooks. Cato Institute Official Website Twitter - Formerly known as the Charles Koch Foundation. Their motto is "Individual Liberty, Free Markets, and Peace." It's the primary clearinghouse for intellectual libertarianism - a slightly literate Reddit. Washington Center for Equitable Growth Official Website Twitter - Newer organization focused entirely on the causes and effects of inconome inequality. Founded by John Podesta, the Democratic fundraiser and Clinton adviser. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Official Website Twitter - Center-left research analyzing State and Federal budget policies. Truman Project Official Website Twitter - Foreign-policy focused organization promoting, basically, liberal interventionism, and associated with young, liberal military veterans in Congress. Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Official Website Twitter Hard left advocacy group affiliated with a larger German counterpart. Peterson Institute for International Economics Official Website Twitter Research branch of the Peterson Foundation, which promotes "fiscal responsibility" - the same group funds the Fiscal Times. Bruegel Official Website Twitter - Relatively new, an attempt to create a European Brookings. Heavy focus on the economic effects of the European single market. Center for Economic and Policy Research Official Website Twitter Progressive economist Dean Baker (Twitter) is the most prominent figure in this left-leaning organization studying the effects of international trade. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  There's literally thousands more of these loving things. I don't have any particular knowledge about the industry or specific organizations, but it's something I'm interested in and they play a big enough role in shaping our policies and public opinion that it seemed worth dedicating a thread. A lot of the relevant news could probably be cross-posted to USPol, but that thread tends to be dominated by the news cycle without as much space for drawn out policy analysis or space for more minor news (Think Tank X has a new president, Think Tank Y is folding, etc). There's a lot of research to be done on funding and the main foundations behind most policy research projects. Now there's a thread for that. 
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Aug 8, 2016 06:20
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From my own anecdotal and minimal experience with think tanks, I have a pretty negative view towards them. Much like lobbyists, I can't help but feel they are a good idea that lost the plot and then just became jousting lances for political parties. That said, if anyone has a different view, lay it on me.
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Aug 8, 2016 06:27
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let's say I wanted to get a job at a think tank where I didn't have to do anything and got paid a lot, what should I do?
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Aug 8, 2016 07:06
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Zas posted:let's say I wanted to get a job at a think tank where I didn't have to do anything and got paid a lot, what should I do? Become a Chicago-school economist and go to work for AEI, Cato, or any of the other libertarian/pro-business think tanks. Big business is always willing to fork over money to produce reams of serious-looking documentation that externalities don't exist and if they do then they're always positive. Study Resources: Penn & Teller's Bullshit, Atlas Shrugged, Laveyan Satanism You might also consider becoming a white nationalist and going to work for the Center for Immigration Studies. The tough thing there is being able to prove your white nationalist bona fides while keeping up kayfabe that you're not actually a white nationalist. Politicians are always looking for serious-looking documentation that can be used to otherize minorities and turn out the vote through demagoguery. Study Resources: FBI Minority Crime Statisticis, Mein Kampf ErIog fucked around with this message at 08:17 on Aug 8, 2016 |
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Aug 8, 2016 08:11
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Zas posted:let's say I wanted to get a job at a think tank where I didn't have to do anything and got paid a lot, what should I do? Take a look at yourself and the people who share your identity, then think of a way to betray them in print
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Aug 8, 2016 09:47
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Ezra Klein did an interview of Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute mentioned in the OP, for the Weeds podcast that you can listen to if you want to hear
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Aug 8, 2016 10:03
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Zas posted:let's say I wanted to get a job at a think tank where I didn't have to do anything and got paid a lot, what should I do? Be an elected official. Pretty much every think tank farms 90% of the work out to their interns for the former senators/reps/governors and PHDs on staff to take credit for.
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Aug 8, 2016 15:29
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Oh god the Heritage Foundation  Clearing house for Intelligent Design freaks, Climate Change Deniers, and Libertarian bullshit,
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Aug 8, 2016 15:50
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CommieGIR posted:Oh god the Heritage Foundation Yeah they're the worst. That Atlantic essay I linked to about them in the OP takes a steaming poo poo on them.
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Aug 8, 2016 16:28
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SSNeoman posted:From my own anecdotal and minimal experience with think tanks, I have a pretty negative view towards them. Much like lobbyists, I can't help but feel they are a good idea that lost the plot and then just became jousting lances for political parties. I have a tiny bit of experience but a much more positive view. At strategy/defense-oriented places at least, there are a lot of brilliant people doing great research. Think tanks help them travel/work with other researchers and policy makers, then provide their white papers to the public, for free. That's a great thing. There are also plenty of empty suits and shills. Find the good ones and follow their careers. The name "think tank" implies collaboration- in reality sharing membership may just mean you see your "colleagues" twice a year and get paid by the same people (researchers and admin interact a lot though). That's not how most places operate but keep it in mind when you listen to talks- be critical of why combinations of speakers are selected and what relationship they have to each other. Also, there is no way I can say that "self-described libertarian and conservative think tanks are not serious" without sounding like a hack, so I won't say it. Dilkington fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Aug 8, 2016 |
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Aug 8, 2016 22:08
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Whatever else, it's hilarious that Brookings is literally shilling for random construction companies in exchange for $100 million checks
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Aug 8, 2016 23:37
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I would like to drive a think tank
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Aug 9, 2016 00:08
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nothing about RAND corporation? They do some fantastic research wrt defence related policy.
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Aug 9, 2016 04:46
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Cat Army 
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The Iron Rose posted:nothing about RAND corporation? They do some fantastic research wrt defence related policy. God drat it, thanks. Fully intended to include them and completely forgot to add them to my OP doc. Will update tomorrow when I'm soberer.
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Aug 9, 2016 05:52
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NYT released a new installment in their series on think tanks: Think Tank Scholar or Corporate Consultant? It Depends on the Day
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Aug 9, 2016 08:31
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Weren't think tanks basically invented by the right to counter what they saw as the left's stronghold in academia? I recall that SCOTUS justice Lewis Powell was very influential in getting the right-wing think tank movement started. I see no mention of my favorite think tank, the paleolibertarian Ron Paul-loving bastion of kill-your-parents crazy that is the Ludwig von Mises Institute. Where else can I go to get articles defending blackmail?
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Aug 9, 2016 08:48
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Donkwich posted:I see no mention of my favorite think tank, the paleolibertarian Ron Paul-loving bastion of kill-your-parents crazy that is the Ludwig von Mises Institute. Where else can I go to get articles defending blackmail? Or Defending Somalia as the true Libertarian Paradise. Or defending the Confederacy.
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Aug 9, 2016 13:53
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I'm not sure where this would fit, but some of the national labs have think tank like sections. This may be too classified to be of general interest. Ie, https://www-gs.llnl.gov
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Aug 9, 2016 14:17
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Spazzle posted:I'm not sure where this would fit, but some of the national labs have think tank like sections. This may be too classified to be of general interest. Ie, https://www-gs.llnl.gov If we're doing national labs, we also have the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies
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Aug 9, 2016 14:19
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Back when I was flirting with getting a journalism degree, our studies of public relations just outright said think tanks are a known form of media manipulation. Parties with interests they want to defend from hostile public opinion (rightfully earned or not) often use think tank personnel in order to target on some specific weaknesses in the production schedule of news media. More unbiased researchers from academia cannot be 100% available to the needs of media companies. Said researchers usually have actual jobs with other workloads they need to meet, and doing media appearances doesn't always count towards that. If a media producer puts a request in for them to come talk in a round-table or for an interview requesting analysis on something, they usually have to decline if it is too short-notice and cannot be rescheduled for a later time. The same goes for other business professionals, who can really only do media appearances whenever they have the moment to spare or when their job specifically demands it of them. This leaves a large void of needed broadcast time that has to filled with something else when even the best laid of plans fail, or a news situation develops too quickly to even support planning ahead. As far as the media is concerned, think tanks offer themselves in solution to that problem. The fact that many of them are often media-savvy and easy to work with is often a plus too, compared to the others who often might need some additional coaching to know how to act on broadcast. It's amazingly helpful in the moment when you need them, but like most Faustian bargains, you just have to ignore the incredibly obvious shadows always lurking nearby. Another issue that dwells in the same space as think tanks was gender representation in the selection of media experts. If a news show needs to book guests for an after-3PM recording, it will usually leave out any media guests who often have family obligations, such as picking up their children from school. Thus, a news show with an incredibly disorganized producer who only makes it to air by the skin of their teeth would often have a higher representation of men compared against their representation of women. This is the same structural weakness in media systems that think tanks try to take advantage of in order to make sure their spokespersons can match the amount of airtime as their political opponents. (Or, in the case of the leadup to the Iraq War, completely overwhelm.) From what I recall of my courseware, the first think tank created for a sole purpose of manipulating news media was the American Petroleum Institute in 1919, under the aegis of Ivy Lee. The idea of the commercial front group was created by Ivy Lee, but like most things he did I get the impression that it was done on a whim and nobody knew if it would really work or not. (At least when compared to the work of Edward Bernays, who had "manipulative bastard" written all over everything he ever did.) That's what think tanks look like from the media relations angle, though I'm less sure of what their effect is on actual policy. Really, the one thing I'd like most is some sort of distinction between think tanks that only exist to manipulate media, versus other think tanks that at least try to produce new research which might not have made it at other institutions who didn't have the extra resources. (Universities are great, but there can only be so many people with tenure.) I know it would never work though; the moment such a distinction did occur, the think tanks who only operate for media work would just try to ride on the cachet of the other. Such is the purpose of those front groups in the first place. Morroque fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Aug 9, 2016 |
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Aug 9, 2016 19:53
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Think toilets.
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Aug 10, 2016 06:16
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Donald Trump just added two people from an organization called the Texas Public Policy Foundation to his board of economic advisors. They're essentially a propaganda arm of the oil & gas industries, described at length here. (Another fossil fuel front group is the Heartland Institute). Also here is Brookings attempting to rebut the New York Times pieces. Lol.
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Aug 11, 2016 23:00
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This is probably a dumb question but when goons talk about thirdway they mean the ideology, not the think-tank right? Also, which think tank is in the driver's seat with a Trump presidency, Heritage? e: and did any of the left leaning ones predict the current tragicomedy taking place with Trump winning and dems in chaos etc?
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Nov 17, 2016 12:41
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Kekekela posted:This is probably a dumb question but when goons talk about thirdway they mean the ideology, not the think-tank right? Probably Heritage, but it depends on who schedules his meetings. Roll some dice. He advocates for whoever he last talked to, but like.. probably going to mainly end up being Heritage and Chamber of Commerce.
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Nov 17, 2016 12:45
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Oh man, I was totally looking for this thread. I keep seeing ads for the "XQ Institute" on PBS, nominally about school reform. I've tried looking for info about them, but my searches weren't very successful. Anyone know anything about them? Are they just for charter schools or something else entirely?
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Nov 17, 2016 14:39
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The Iron Rose posted:nothing about RAND corporation? They do some fantastic research wrt defence related policy. RAND is basically the think tank of think tanks and I have this feeling everyone else after RAND is basically trying to be as influential and brilliant as RAND, but failing.
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Nov 17, 2016 15:36
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Kekekela posted:This is probably a dumb question but when goons talk about thirdway they mean the ideology, not the think-tank right? 1) Yep, the ideology is older and more well-known than the think tank 2) Maybe the National Policy Institute  In actuality it will be the American Enterprise Institute and Heritage. 3) I don't think anyone made a specific prediction, but the lefty ones (EPI, CEPR, Demos, Roosevelt Institute) were critical of Obama's decision to push TPP.
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Nov 17, 2016 16:59
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ErIog posted:Probably Heritage, but it depends on who schedules his meetings. Roll some dice. He advocates for whoever he last talked to, but like.. probably going to mainly end up being Heritage and Chamber of Commerce. GalacticAcid posted:1) Yep, the ideology is older and more well-known than the think tank Thanks, especially for the lefty organizations. I'm starting to realize that for the kind of information that I'm actually interested in, I'd be better off following think-tanks than news organizations.
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Nov 17, 2016 19:55
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Kekekela posted:e: and did any of the left leaning ones predict the current tragicomedy taking place with Trump winning and dems in chaos etc? Joseph Stiglitz is the Chief Economist at the Roosevelt Institute (and formerly the World Bank) and has an essay in Vanity Fair today that will interest you - How the Democrats can Fix Themselves". Stiglitz posted:I can’t claim to have foreseen the rise of Donald Trump, much less the fact that he would prevail, but in 2011, I published an article in Vanity Fair, titled “Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%,” that warned of conditions already existing, and steadily becoming worse, which were unjust in themselves and could easily lead to political instability. The article described the growth of inequality in America and argued that—leaving basic morality aside, as some are perfectly happy to do—it was in the interests of the people at the top of the wealth pyramid to create a more egalitarian society.
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Nov 18, 2016 22:43
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Brookings and the Atlantic Council have both put out some excellent pieces on the middle east. You have to sort of read between the lines in places though. Shadi Hamid and Faysal Itani are probably my two favorite middle eastern analysts.
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Nov 20, 2016 13:01
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The Heritage Foundation's department-by-department blueprint is definitely worth checking out, as it seems to be the current playbook. e: the direct link doesn't work, should be able to go here: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/11/blueprint-for-a-new-administration and click on the "Part II, Blueprint for Reform: A Comprehensive Policy Agenda for a New Administration" link. Kekekela fucked around with this message at 06:23 on Jan 22, 2017 |
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Jan 22, 2017 04:22
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Wired has a post up about "fake think tanks" today. It focuses on the fringe weirdo poo poo like the National Policy Institute but I think Kekekela is correct - better to focus on analyzing the bullshit coming out of Heritage since they're gonna be running this show.
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Jan 24, 2017 16:09
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GalacticAcid posted:Wired has a post up about "fake think tanks" today. "We don’t live in the age of post-truth. We live in the age of internet-enabled bullshit.” Pretty much.
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Jan 25, 2017 15:37
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ErIog posted:Probably Heritage, but it depends on who schedules his meetings. Roll some dice. He advocates for whoever he last talked to, but like.. probably going to mainly end up being Heritage and Chamber of Commerce. AEI and Cato probably has some influence as well.
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Jan 25, 2017 15:57
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Report From Iron Mountain says everything you need to know about Think Tanks. Especially "Defense" related one
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Jan 26, 2017 04:12
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I've never read it, how well does it hold up? There's just so many more than there used to be, have to imagine the game has changed a bit Also some dumbass gave Third Way $20 mil to turn things around for the Dems
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Jan 26, 2017 04:21
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It's been a few years since I've read it, but I think it's still very indicative of the Sociopaths that make our "Defense" policy
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Jan 26, 2017 04:27
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Yeah. I did read American Foreign Policy and its Thinkers by Perry Anderson. It's a little more recent and traced a lot of the continuities in the foreign policy establishment and the defense think tank cabal. Good quick read if you get a chance.
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Jan 26, 2017 04:32
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GalacticAcid posted:Yeah. I did read American Foreign Policy and its Thinkers by Perry Anderson. It's a little more recent and traced a lot of the continuities in the foreign policy establishment and the defense think tank cabal. Good quick read if you get a chance. I'll look it up.
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Jan 26, 2017 04:34
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KomradeX posted:It's been a few years since I've read it, but I think it's still very indicative of the Sociopaths that make our "Defense" policy Think tanks don't "make" policy, in case you missed the last 8 years. They make recommendations. Sometimes they are ignored, sometimes they aren't. It depends on the situation and the ideology of the president.
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Jan 26, 2017 10:24
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