What Are Think Tanks?

Think Tanks

This course explores the role of think tanks in UK Politics and is oriented around the UK Politics section of the Government and Politics A-Level specifications. We begin in the first lecture with a brief overview of what think tanks are, noting the role of think tanks as research organisations and the relationship between think tanks and public policy. Then, in the second lecture, we ask what think tanks do. Here we pay particular attention to two key claims made by think tanks: first, that they possess specialist knowledge and expertise, and second, that they are independent. In the third lecture, we turn to the role of think tanks in UK Politics, before in the fourth lecture exploring some case studies of how think tanks have recently influenced UK public policy. In the fifth lecture, we explore evidence of various attitudes towards think tanks, including party and ideological differences, before in the sixth lecture turning to Professor Arshed’s own research into think tanks and her study entitled “The origins of policy ideas: The important of think tanks in the enterprise policy process in the UK”.

What Are Think Tanks?

In this module, we ask what think tanks are, focusing in particular on: (i) difficulties in defining think tanks; (ii) academic definitions offered by James (1993) and McGann and Weaver (2000); (iii) different categories of think tanks; (iv) the role of think tanks as research organisations and the relationship between think tanks and public policy.