Think Tanks, Foundations and Policy Discourse: Ebbs and Flows, Investments and Responsibilities

The first part of the paper puts the recent surge in the number and media presence of conservative thinkers and commentators in historical perspective by reminding readers of the origins of think tanks in North America and longer waves and cycles of influence. [...] The third part will encourage those seeking to strengthen the quality of public debate with data, research and policy analysis to carefully assess the sources of their consternation, to align future investments and strategies with those diagnoses, and to develop realistic views on the nature and likely impact of expanding research and dialogue capabilities in a more global, media-saturated and flu [...] It is often forgotten that the rise of early think tanks in the United States were contemporaneous with the Progressive Era and early social reforms, a growing interest in competent and non-partisan public service institutions for municipal and later higher orders of government, and the arrival of the first social science disciplines in universities, precursors to the first national think tanks, a [...] The mobilization and aftermath of World War II led to the proliferation and institutionalization of social science disciplines predicated on curiosity-driven research, and yet expertise and planning advice was in demand, accelerated by the growth of government budgets and the willingness to experiment with large-scale investments in social and science programs. [...] The proliferation of think tanks has been driven in part by wealth, the high-stakes nature of politics, and the lower barriers-to-entry due to modern information and Web-based technologies, which allow leaders the prospect of instant recognition with a good communicator as leader or a signature study due to the voracious needs of the media.