The Fifth Estate: Think Tanks, Public Policy, and Governance

by James G. McGann

Overview

The Fifth Estate: Think Tanks, Public Policy, and Governance is a comprehensive look at think tanks and the important role they play in shaping public policy and public discourse in the United States. Author James G. McGann illustrates the lasting impact of think tanks in today’s civil society.

A survey that McGann conducted among all the leading think tanks in the United States highlights the progress that think tanks in the United States have made and the challenges they have yet to face. McGann clarifies the correlation between think tank research and the policies enacted by the past three presidential administrations by looking at case studies in both foreign and domestic policy. He also describes a phenomenon known as “the revolving door,” where think tanks provide former government officials an opportunity to share insights from public service, remain involved in policy debates, and continue to provide advice and commentary.

Based on the history and the level of involvement seen today, the influence of think tanks is unlikely to diminish in the coming years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815728313
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

James G. McGann is an FPRI Senior Fellow and Director of its Think Tanks and Foreign Policy Program. He is also Assistant Director of the International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania and President of McGann Associates, a program and management consulting firm specializing in the challenges facing think tanks, policymakers, international organizations and philanthropic institutions.

Dr. McGann has served as a consultant and advisor to the World Bank, United Nations, United States Agency for International Development, Soros, Hewlett and Gates Foundations and foreign governments on the role of nongovernmental, public policy and public engagement organizations in civil society. He has served as the Senior Vice-President for the Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats, the public policy program officer for The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Assistant Director of the Institute of Politics, John F. Kennedy School of Government, at Harvard University, and a Senior Advisor to the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs and the Society for International Development.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 Think Tanks and Governance in the United States 5

2 The Revolving Door 62

3 Think Tanks in Action: Domestic Policy Case Studies 79

4 Think Tanks in Action: Foreign Policy Case Studies 114

5 New Challenges and Trends Facing U.S. Think Tanks 149

Appendixes

A The United States Think Tank Field Guide 175

B Categories of Think Tank Affiliations 177

C Profiles of Leading U.S. Think Tanks, 2010-11 179

Notes 189

Index 219

Editorial Reviews

James McGann has written the most comprehensive study available of the role of thinks tanks in shaping recent U.S. domestic and foreign policy. He also understands, perhaps better than anyone, the opportunities and challenges facing think tanks in the new era of social media, anti-globalism, and unprecedented intellectual partisanship.—Richard Weitz, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

From the Publisher