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for American Progress (CAP), for example, created a 501(c)(4) that acts as a more political arm
of the think tank. 58 However, as think tanks become more polarized, political stalemates can
slow innovation of ideas and prevent CSOs from implementing progressive action.
Still, independent, objective think tanks can also help reduce polarization by providing unbiased
research. Echt writes: “In polarized contexts research quality and academic rigour need to be
emphasized, especially among think tanks that have close ties to different governments. In that
way, think tanks contribute to reducing political polarization in the country by addressing
structural critical issues and providing rigorous data and analysis. Research quality and good data
are critical.” 59
In “Devaluing the Think Tank,” Tevi Troy succinctly summarizes this politicization: “lose an
election, gain a think tank.” 60 He argues that though think tanks have become more and more
influential in policy advocacy, they have concurrently evolved away from their original model as
a “university without students.” These “do tanks” – namely those becoming “intellectual echo
chambers” rather than “sources of policy analysis and intellectual innovation” – pose challenges
and even dangers to our time, in which reliable research and original thinking are needed. 61
As Andrew Rich, author of “Think Tanks, Public Policy, and the Politics of Expertise,” has
written, “the known ideological proclivities of many, especially newer think tanks, and their
aggressive efforts to obtain high profiles have come to undermine the credibility with which
experts and expertise are generally viewed by public officials.” 62 It is a pervasive worry that
serious and original thinking has largely been lost, and while think tanks can continue to play a
useful role, the proliferation of more – and more political – organizations, threaten the ability of
think tanks to in fact fulfill such roles. 63 In several interviews, Tevi has expressed concern that
the propagation of politicized think tanks has discounted the credibility of the think tank
community as a whole. “To the extent to which people are picking up on that – that certain think
tanks have partisan coloring to their approach or they are trying to help partisan efforts,” he
observes, people will “discount the work of other think tanks.” 64
Although pessimistic, many scholars find it difficult to see a way out of this problem. According
to Hoover’s director, John Raisian, “If you’re lucky, 20 percent of the time you’re looking at the
analysis of the situation and 80 percent […] at the politics of the situation. […] This can be
discouraging for those of us that are scholars because in the end, raw politics is going to
58 Ibid.
59 Echt, Leandro. "A role for think tanks in polarized societies." Politics and Ideas. Last modified March
09, 2013. Accessed January 7, 2014.
60 Troy, Tevi. "Devaluing the Think Tank." National Affairs 2012 (2012): 75-90.
61 Ibid.
62 Tevi Troy, Think Tank Politics. Washington Post, March 15, 2012
).
63 Robert Joustra, Have Think Tanks stopped Thinking Cardus.ca. Jan. 10, 2012.
).
64 Elahe Izadi, The Political War Over Think Tanks, NationalJournal.com. May 9, 2013.
).
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