This book provides an innovative theoretical and analytical framework for studying the role and impact of specialized research organizations and consultancies on decision making in climate politics. It includes advanced empirical analysis of the case of Germany, compared with the situation in the USA. The book improves the understanding of the role and impact of ‘scientific’ advice in coping with the challenge of anthropogenic climate change.

Investigating think tanks on both sides of the political divide, the author defines these groups in the context of British politics, explores their impact on the climate of opinion, and calculates how effective they have been in influencing government in general and key policy areas in particular. Think tanks have rarely come under the spotlight and the author offers a probing but balanced overview of a political phenomenon.; This book should prove to be valuable reading for students of political science, public administration and contemporary British history.

At a moment when both think tanks and experts are being questioned, significant policy and technology disruptions have called into question the value and efficacy of policy advice. Within that context, Dr. McGann launched this book to examine the future of think tanks and policy advice around the world with a series of authoritative reflections written by the presidents of some of the leading think tanks in the United States. The book explores the challenges think tanks face today in an information rich and highly competitive operating environment that includes: the impact of technology, big data and artificial intelligence, competition from advocacy groups and public relations firms, increased polarization of politics and major changes in how think tanks are funded.

This innovative book explores think tanks from the perspective of critical policy studies, showcasing how knowledge, power and politics intersect with the ways in which think tanks intervene in public policy.

This important Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the role, function and perceived impact of policy research-oriented institutions in North America, Europe and beyond. Over 20 international scholars explore the diverse and eclectic world of think tanks to reveal their structure, governance and unique position in occupying a critical space on the public-policy landscape.

Think tank traditions is a follow up to the critically acclaimed monograph Think Tanks across Nations (Manchester University Press, 1998), edited by the same authors, which was widely acknowledged as a ground-breaking work in the comparative study of think tanks. The book looks at the historical role and contemporary significance of think tanks in the West, including Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as considering their activities in China, Eastern Europe and Argentina. In so doing, the book provides a broad-based and in-depth analysis of the role of think tanks in the processes of economic liberalization and democratization.

Think tanks and research organizations set out to influence policy ideas and decisions—a goal that is key to the very fabric of these organizations. And yet, the ways that they actually achieve impact or measure progress along these lines remains fuzzy and underexplored. What Should Think Tanks Do? A Strategic Guide for Policy Impact is the first practical guide that is specifically tailored to think tanks, policy research, and advocacy organizations. Author Andrew Selee draws on extensive interviews with members of leading think tanks, as well as cutting-edge thinking in business and non-profit management, to provide concrete strategies for setting policy-oriented goals and shaping public opinion. Concise and practically-minded, What Should Think Tanks Do? helps those with an interest in think tanks to envision a well-oiled machine, while giving leaders in these organizations tools and tangible metrics to drive and evaluate success.