In this blog post, we will examine the roles of representative American think tanks and how they influence politics.

The reality of think tanks that drive the United States

What is a “think tank”? As the literal translation suggests, it can be understood as a group of brains that produce ideas and policies. Today, we will take a look at some of the leading think tanks in the United States.
In the news and media reports, we often see American experts giving interviews. They belong to organizations such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where Professor Victor Cha works, the RAND Corporation, where Dr. Bruce Bennett works, and the Heritage Foundation, where Bruce Klingner works. The organizations they belong to, namely CSIS, RAND, and the Heritage Foundation, are what are referred to as “think tanks.”
Although think tanks also exist in Korea, the United States has an overwhelming number of them. So why are there so many think tanks in the United States?

The origin and development of think tanks

The term “think tank” appeared in the mid-20th century as a metaphor for the human mind and thinking ability. During World War II, it came to refer to places where military operations and strategies were discussed in secret. After the war, in the 1960s, it became established as a term for private, non-profit policy research institutes.
The University of Pennsylvania publishes an annual report listing and ranking think tanks around the world. As of 2020, there are more than 11,000 think tanks worldwide, and more than 90% of them were established in 1951, after the start of the Cold War. In other words, think tanks are a relatively recent phenomenon.
About 47% of these are concentrated in North America and Europe, and it is known that there are about 2,200 think tanks in the United States alone. Although there are think tanks in Asia and other regions, most of them are government-supported national research institutions, while in the United States, private-sector independent research institutions play a central role.

The background of the development of think tanks in the United States

There are several structural and historical reasons for the existence of so many think tanks in the United States.
First, the political system of the United States is designed to require the role of think tanks. The United States has a federal system, with the federal government and state governments separated, and a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. This means that there is a wide range of policy demands, which is directly linked to the demand for think tanks.
Second is the historical background. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, rapid industrialization and urbanization in the United States led to social problems such as inequality, collusion between politics and business, and corruption. In response, the Progressive Movement arose, and think tanks began to emerge to research and propose practical and effective policies.
In 1910, steel magnate Andrew Carnegie established the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to commemorate his 75th birthday, and in 1916, the Brookings Institution, considered one of the world’s leading think tanks, was founded.
After World War II, as the US emerged as the world’s superpower, the need for diplomatic and security strategies increased, and various think tanks began to be established. Since the 1970s, research institutes with clearer political leanings have also appeared.
Another important factor is the culture of philanthropy in the US.
Operating a think tank requires considerable financial resources to pay experts’ salaries, create a research environment, and publish reports. The United States has a large wealthy population and a well-established culture of philanthropy, which has enabled private funding to provide relatively stable support.
In fact, the Brookings Institution was founded with a donation from businessman Robert Brookings, and the Heritage Foundation was founded with funds from Joseph Coors, owner of the Coors Brewing Company. As such, think tanks in the United States have grown based on private donations and sponsorship.

Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C.

In the United States, there is an area in Washington, D.C. called Think Tank Row.
The northwest area of Massachusetts Avenue is home to major think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). These think tanks have different political leanings, and in recent years, their political colors have become more distinct. Even when experts speak, their comments often reflect the ideology and position of the think tank to which they belong. Of course, in the case of large think tanks, experts with diverse ideological backgrounds work together, making it difficult to define their orientation with certainty. For example, the Brookings Institution is considered to be moderate to progressive, with a tendency toward international cooperation and multilateralism.
This is sometimes seen as contrary to the views of the Trump administration.
On the other hand, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace pursues bipartisan and practical policies, while RAND is known as a conservative think tank with strengths in quantitative research in the fields of defense and security.
In addition, the CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) is an institution where experts in diplomacy, security, and technology collaborate to produce nonpartisan policy reports, and Professor Victor Cha is a member of the CSIS.

Think tanks with strong political leanings

A representative conservative think tank is the Heritage Foundation. This foundation advocates free markets, small government, and strong national defense, and is known as a product of the conservative movement that began in the early 1970s as a reaction against leftist trends.
In particular, the memorandum titled “On American Free Enterprise System” written by Lewis Powell, who was nominated as a Supreme Court Justice in 1971, is considered to be the catalyst for the establishment of the Heritage Foundation. In this document, he pointed out that the leftist tendencies spreading throughout American society were restricting corporate activities and argued that conservative forces needed to respond in an organized manner.
After President Reagan was elected, the Heritage Foundation established itself as a think tank for conservative policies. In 1981, a policy paper titled Mandate for Leadership was published, and President Reagan distributed it to his cabinet members and instructed them to refer to it. In fact, about 60% of the policies contained in this book are known to have been implemented during Reagan’s first term.
In addition, AEI was a research institute where neoconservative figures were active, and its members included Irving Kristol, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, and John Bolton, who were leading neoconservative figures. However, President Trump does not favor the neoconservative approach, and AEI’s influence has weakened somewhat.

Progressive think tanks and new trends

One progressive think tank is the Center for American Progress. It was founded in 2003 by John Podesta, former senior advisor to President Clinton, and many members of the Obama and Biden administrations are affiliated with it.
A think tank that has been gaining attention recently is the America First Policy Institute, established in 2021. Founded to promote and implement former President Trump’s policy agenda, this institute is led by former Trump administration officials and currently maintains close ties with the Trump camp.
As such, think tanks that used to conduct neutral, policy-oriented research are now increasingly revealing their political leanings. When experts appear in the media to explain policies, looking at which think tanks they belong to can help us better understand the context and intent behind their statements.