Think-Tanks: A Market Place of Ideas? CLASS-MEETING NOVEMBER 4 MAKING OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

U.S. Think Tanks  content/uploads/2014/01/GoToReport2013.pdf content/uploads/2014/01/GoToReport2013.pdf   cheat-sheet.html cheat-sheet.html  penn-s-2013-global-think-tank-index penn-s-2013-global-think-tank-index    What Should Think Tanks Do?   How Think Tanks Advice Institutions?

The Role of Think Tanks  Think Tanks defined :  During the Second World War: a secure room or environment in which military planners and policy-makers met to discuss wartime strategy  Contemporary discourse : non-profit, tax-exempt, “non-partisan” institution engaged in research and analysis on one or more issues related to foreign or domestic policy  Largest concentration of think tanks in the United States and Europe  Lack of consensus on how to define think-tanks  Use of typologies that differentiate between institutions focusing primarily on policy research (Brookings Institution) and those focusing on policy-advocacy (ex: Heritage Foundation, Center for American Progress).

Common Perception of Think Tanks  U.S. Observers : “Think-tanks should be ‘watched’ so that the American public has a better sense of who and what are the driving forces behind major policy initiatives”.  “The impression shared by many political commentators in North America is that an elite group of think-tanks in Washington DC and on America’s west coast have, to put it mildly, assumed too much power and influence (Abelson: 128)”.

“ A Marketplace of Ideas ”  “…while the priorities and orientations of think-tanks may have shifted since the latter half of the twentieth century, their desire to investigate a range of policy problems and to advocate solutions has remained intact. What has changed over the past few decades is how deeply invested think-tanks have become in the marketplace of ideas (Abelson: 129)”.  “Think –tanks occupy a unique space and plays a unique role for policy-makers and other key stakeholders: they generate research that might be timely and relevant for members of Congress and the Executive” (Abelson).  They can help to validate and reinforce policy prescriptions recommended by policy-makers, business leaders and other opinion-formers.

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Think-Tank Strategies  Sharing of ideas with the media through different dissemination strategies (electronic and paper form) and testifying before legislative committees.  Can help to advance the mandate of specific policymakers by encouraging their staff to accept positions in government.  Can become more relevant to policy-makers and to other power- brokers by providing them with information and expertise  Negative result: can be perceived to compromise their independence  Prize to pay in exchange for securing political power?

Think Tanks: A Cozy relationship with Power?  Mounting concern that well-financed think-tanks, interest groups and lobbyists will come to play a more ominous role in public policy.  Access to key policy-makers on Capitol Hill, in the White House and throughout the bureaucracy gives them ample opportunity to shape the parameters of policy discussions and to leave their mark on presidential directives and government legislation.  “The cosy relationships that have been cultivated between a handful of think-tanks and several recent presidential administrations provide further evidence that policy experts from many of these organizations operate in close proximity to high-level decision- makers (Abelson: 130).

Incestuous Relationship between the Media and Think Tanks?  “Skepticism surrounding the rise of think-tanks, and their impact on domestic and foreign policy, is encouraged by consideration of two other factors: the incestuous relationship that has developed between think-tanks and the media, which provides the former with greater public visibility and prominence; and the considerable financial backing the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the Center for New American Security and several of their competitors receive from philanthropic foundations and corporate donors (Abelson:130)”.

The USA: a fertile ground for Think tanks?  Fragmented and decentralized U.S. political system conducive to think-tanking since it offers multiple channels to policy-makers  Other key factors: Weak political parties and a social culture that encourages philanthropy and policy entrepreneurship  ‘revolving door’ in the civil administration facilitates the movement of think-tank scholars in and out of government departments and agencies.  When a new administration comes to power, the president handpicks his inner circle of policy advisers and must find thousands of qualified experts to occupy positions throughout the bureaucracy  A think serves as a “holding tank” for presumptive policy experts hoping to get hired in an Administration.

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STROBE TALBOT T BROOKINGS PRESIDENT EXPERIENCE Current Positions: Chair, Foreign Affairs Policy Board, U.S. Department of State Past Positions Director, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Yale University Deputy Secretary of State (1994–2001) Ambassador-at-Large and Special Adviser to the Secretary of State on the New Independent States (1993– 94) Editor-at-Large and Foreign Affairs Columnist (1989–92), Washington Bureau Chief (1984–89), Diplomatic Correspondent (1977–84), White House Correspondent (1975–76), State Department Correspondent (1974–75), and Eastern Europe Correspondent (1971–73), Time Magazine

Think Tan Orientation: Policy Research or Policy Advocacy?  Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, think-tanks have tended to place a higher premium on political advocacy than on policy research.  When advocacy think-tanks such as the Heritage Foundation began to emerge during the final years of the Vietnam War, the priorities of think-tanks changed.  Institutional interest versus national interest (Abelson:135)?  Shape public opinion and policy

Dissemination of Ideas  Competitive environment: need for efficient and targeted research products (books, journals, op-eds, policy-briefs, social media, newsletters)  Seek to raise the salience of key issues to frame the parameters of the debate  Target audience: “recognizing that members of the US Congress and their staff have a finite amount of time each day to sift through dozens of reports, think-tanks are more likely to provide them with concise policy briefs rather than full-length monographs (Abelson: 137)”.  Important to be “timely” and “relevant” : “quick-response policy research”

Quality. Independence. Impact. “The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations that advance three broad goals: Strengthen American democracy; Foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans; and Secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system. Brookings is proud to be consistently ranked as the most influential, most quoted and most trusted think tank”.

Dissemination Techniques  In order to attract media exposure: think-tanks rely on many channels to convey their ideas:  op-eds in major US and international newspapers (NYT, IHT, Le Monde, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, El PAIS )  Commentaries on radio and television talk shows and newscasts, maintain  Blogs on their institute’s website, and, when invited, testify before congressional  Congress Committees and subcommittees  Sponsor lectures, conferences, seminars and workshops at which policy- makers, academics, journalists and leaders of commerce and industry exchange ideas

Dissemination Techniques  These more public avenues of communication are often followed by private meetings with policy-makers on Capitol Hill, in the White House and throughout the bureaucracy  “Revolving door system” key to the functioning of think tanks: it allows think-tank scholars to take advantage of the connections that they have established throughout government to advance their policy preferences.  Why do policy-makers rely on think tanks?  What incentive do elected officials have to listen to them?

Influence on Policy  “In December 2006, two AEI scholars met with Vice-President Cheney to discuss their plans for a so-called ‘surge’ in Iraq. After presenting the results of months of work that they had conducted at the AEI, Retired General Jack Keane, a former vice-chief of staff of the US Army and a member of the advisory Defense Policy Review Board, and Fred Kagan, a military historian, found an ally in Cheney and another in Senator John McCain, who played a key role in selling the idea to President Bush (Abelson: 140)”.

Conclusion  Think Tanks as Corporations?  Performance indicators: impact factor  Grooming of Media Profile  Tweets and Downloads