RECYCLING BINS, GARBAGE CANS OR THINK TANKS? THREE MYTHS REGARDING POLICY ANALYSIS INSTITUTES

Author: STONE, DIANE

Source: Public Administration, Volume 85, Number 2, June 2007 , pp. 259-278(20)

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Abstract:

The phrase `think tank' has become ubiquitous - overworked and underspecified - in the political lexicon. It is entrenched in scholarly discussions of public policy as well as in the `policy wonk' of journalists, lobbyists and spin-doctors. This does not mean that there is an agreed definition of think tank or consensual understanding of their roles and functions. Nevertheless, the majority of organizations with this label undertake policy research of some kind. The idea of think tanks as a research communication `bridge' presupposes that there are discernible boundaries between (social) science and policy. This paper will investigate some of these boundaries. The frontiers are not only organizational and legal; they also exist in how the `public interest' is conceived by these bodies and their financiers. Moreover, the social interactions and exchanges involved in `bridging', themselves muddy the conception of `boundary', allowing for analysis to go beyond the dualism imposed in seeing science on one side of the bridge, and the state on the other, to address the complex relations between experts and public policy.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2007.00649.x

Affiliations: 1: Diane Stone is Professor in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, Marie Curie Chair at the Central European University and research fellow of the UK ESRC Non-Governmental Public Action Programme.

Publication date: 2007-06-01