| Description |
1 online resource (xii, 258 pages) |
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data file |
| Physical Medium |
polychrome |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-251) and index. |
| Summary |
While the number of think tanks active in American politics has more than quadrupled since the 1970s, their influence has not expanded proportionally. Instead, the known ideological proclivities of many, especially newer think tanks with their aggressive efforts to obtain high profiles, have come to undermine the credibility with which experts and expertise are generally viewed by public officials. This book explains this paradox. The analysis is based on 135 in-depth interviews with officials at think tanks and those in the policy making and funding organizations that draw upon and support their work. The book reports on results from an original survey of congressional staff and journalists and detailed case studies of the role of experts in health care and telecommunications reform debates in the 1990s and tax reduction in 2001. |
| Contents |
Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Tables -- Figures -- Acknowledgments -- 1 The Political Demography of Think Tanks -- The Study of Think Tanks -- What Defines Think Tanks? -- Think Tanks in a Period of Growth -- Scope and Diversity of Research Missions -- Identifiable Ideologies -- The Influence of Experts -- 2 The Evolution of Think Tanks -- Existing Views on Developments among Think Tanks -- The First Think Tanks: Reflections of a Progressive Ideal -- The Middle of the Century -- The Beginnings of Change. |
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A Note on Methodology -- Agenda Setting on Health Care Reform -- Think Tanks During Health Care Agenda Setting -- Lessons from Agenda Setting on Health Care -- Policy Deliberation on Telecommunications -- Lessons from Deliberation in Telecommunications Reform -- Policy Enactment on the Tax Cut -- Concluding Thoughts -- 6 Think Tanks, Experts, and American Politics -- The Evolution of Think Tanks as Political Institutions -- Experts, Policy Making, and Political Science -- The Practical Politics of Think Tanks -- The Reputation of Experts -- Expert-Saturated Politics and the Future of Think Tanks. |
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Shifting Currents: Ideological and Organizational Change in the 1960s -- A New Wave of Ideological and Organizational Change: The Conservative Swing -- Political Mobilization of Corporate Interests -- A New Cadre of Neoconservatives -- Political Mobilization of Fundamentalist Christians -- The Appeal of a New Economics -- The Origins of Conservative Think Tanks -- The Heritage Foundation -- The Cato Institute -- The Roots of Organizational Imbalance -- The Tax Reform Act of 1969 -- Shifting Priorities at the Ford Foundation -- Decline in Research and Development Dollars. |
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The Debate Over Health Care Reform -- Setting the Agenda -- Policy Deliberation -- Failure to Enact Reform -- The Debate Over Telecommunications Reform -- Setting the Agenda -- Policy Deliberation -- Moving Toward Enactment -- The Debate Over the Tax Cut -- Setting the Agenda -- Policy Deliberation -- Final Enactment -- Opportunities for Experts in Policy Making -- The Substance of Expertise -- The Political Origins of Issues -- Speed in Policy Making -- Interest Group Dominance -- Lessons for Experts about the Opportunities of Different Issues -- 5 Policy Influence: Making Research Matter. |
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The Emphasis on Marketing Expertise -- Conclusion -- 3 Political Credibility -- Perceptions of Think Tanks -- Perceptions of Think Tanks, Collectively -- Perceptions of Think Tanks, Individually -- Visibility with Congress and Journalists -- Assessing Visibility -- Results on the Frequency of the Use of Expertise -- Congressional Testimony -- Newspaper Citations -- Discussion of Regression Results -- The Uses of Expertise from Think Tanks -- Congressional Testimony -- Newspaper Citations -- Accounting for Visibility -- 4 The Policy Roles of Experts -- Issues That Can Use Experts. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
University of South Alabama. |
|
Policy sciences -- Research -- United States.
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Policy sciences -- Research. |
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United States. |
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Policy scientists -- United States.
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Policy scientists. |
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Research institutes -- United States.
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Research institutes. |
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Nonprofit organizations -- United States.
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Nonprofit organizations. |
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Expertise -- Political aspects -- United States.
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Expertise -- Political aspects. |
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Expertise. |
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Political planning -- United States.
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Political planning. |
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Legislative hearings -- United States.
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Legislative hearings. |
| Indexed Term |
Think tanks |
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Policy process |
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United States |
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Nonprofit organisations |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
|
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Electronic books.
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Electronic books.
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| Other Form: |
Print version: Rich, Andrew. Think tanks, public policy, and the politics of expertise. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2004 (DLC) 2003065392 |
| ISBN |
9780511193835 |
|
0511193831 |
|
9780521830294 (hardback) |
|
052183029X (hardback) |
|
0511195249 (electronic book) |
|
9780511195242 (electronic book) |
|
0521673941 (paperback) |
|
9780521673945 (paperback) |
|
0511195907 (electronic book) |
|
9780511195907 (electronic book) |
|
9780511509889 (ebook) |
|
051150988X (ebook) |
|
128047761X |
|
9781280477614 |
|
9786610477616 |
|
6610477612 |
|
0511193831 |
|
052183029X (hardback) |
