Presentation to the Israel Democracy Institute International Conference “What Do Think Tanks Do?”May 15, 2011Donald AbelsonThe University of Western Ontario

Scholars who study think tanks have been unable to reach a consensus on how to define these organizations. There are some identifiable characteristics: Not for profit Tax-exempt Non-partisan (not to be confused with

non-ideological) Research -oriented, with a commitment

to shaping public opinion and policy

In the absence of an agreed-upon definition, scholars in the field have established classifications to account for the diverse nature of the think tank community (McGann and Weaver, Stone, Abelson, etc…)

Universities without students –policy researchGovernment Contractors/SpecialistsAdvocacy Think TanksAlthough it is not always easy to classify think tanks, scholars generally agree that the trend since the early 1970s has been toward the creation of advocacy think tanks that combine policy research with aggressive political advocacy.

Andrew Carnegie Robert Brookings Herbert Hoover

The Brookings Institution

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

The Rand Corporation

The Urban Institute

Edwin Feulner

Paul Weyrich

The Heritage Foundation

FromPolicy Research to Political Advocacy:Combining Policy Research with aggressive marketing

Quick Response Policy Research-Timely & Policy Relevant

Emphasis on Media Exposure

It’s all about the numbers

National or Public Interest?

Institutional & Private Interests

Institution Date Founde

d

Location Number of

Staff

Budget($

Millions)

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

1910 Washington, DC

> 100 > 15-20

The Brookings Institution

1916 Washington, DC

250 > 30

Hoover Institution 1919 Stanford, CA 320 > 30

Council on Foreign Relations

1921 New York, NY > 100 > 30

American Enterprise Institute

1943 Washington, DC

190 > 20

RAND 1946 Santa Monica, CA

1,600 > 200

Hudson Institute 1961 Indianapolis, IN

125 > 10

Center for Strategic & International Studies

1962 Washington, DC

> 220 > 20

Heritage Foundation 1973 Washington, DC

> 150 > 30

Think tanks vary enormously in terms of size, financial resources, areas of specialization, and research programs, but they share in common a desire to influence public opinion and public policy.

Target Audiences/Stakeholders: Policy-Makers (Executive and Legislative Branches);

They also target bureaucratic departments and agencies responsible for foreign and defense policy (State Department, Department of Defense, National Security Council, etc…)

Media Academics Corporations The Public

Publications –Books, policy briefs, opinion magazines

Media commentariesBlogs- websitesCongressional TestimonySeminars; Conferences;

WorkshopsLiaison Offices with Congress

Think Tanks convey ideas to policy-makers at different stages of the policy-making process.

To achieve influence, think tanks often need to present the right ideas to the right people at the right time.