Brookings Institution

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The Brookings Institution is a center-left think tank, based in Washington, D.C., in the United States.

Brookings is devoted to public service through research and education in the social sciences, particularly in economics, government, and foreign policy."^[1] Its stated principal purpose is "to aid in the development of sound public policies and to promote public understanding of issues of national importance."

The organization is currently headed by Strobe Talbott, a former Clinton administration appointee in the U.S. State Department. Carlos Pascual, the former Ambassador to Ukraine, serves as Vice President of Brookings and as the Director of the Foreign Policy Studies program.

Contents 1 Publications 2 Policy influence 3 History 3.1 Named to Nixon's "Enemies List" 4 Organization 4.1 Members 4.2 Funders 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Publications

The institution publishes the Brookings Bulletin (quarterly), the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (twice a year), and an Annual Report. Its scholars also publish their extensive research in books, reprints, journal articles, and OpEds.

[edit] Policy influence

Of the 200 most prominent think tanks in the U.S., the Brookings Institution studies are the third most-cited of all public policy institutes by Members of Congress, behind only the Heritage Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union.^[2]

Along with the American Enterprise Institute and Heritage Foundation, Brookings is generally considered one of the three most influential policy institutes in the US. Brookings has traditionally been considered as a center-left organization, while the American Enterprise Institute is considered conservative/free market and Heritage Foundation considered more right-wing. All three organizations are officially non-partisan, as required by their non-profit organizational status.

[edit] History

Brookings was founded in 1916, when a group of reformers founded the Institute for Government Research (IGR), the first private organization devoted to analyzing public policy issues at the national level.^[3]

The institution's founder, philanthropist Robert S. Brookings (1850-1932), originally financed the formation of three organizations: the Institute for Government Research, the Institute of Economics, and the Robert Brookings Graduate School. The three were merged into the Brookings Institution in 1927.

[edit] Named to Nixon's "Enemies List"

During the administration of Richard M. Nixon, Brookings was named to Nixon's famous enemies list, due to its criticism of Nixon domestic and foreign policies. Nixon ordered a burglary of Brookings in 1971, looking for leaked government information about the Vietnam War. Nixon-administration advisor Charles Colson even proposed firebombing the Brookings Institution and stealing politically damaging documents while firefighters put the fire out.^[4][5][6][7]

[edit] Organization

Brookings focuses on five main areas of research: Economic Studies, Foreign Policy, Governance, Global Economy and Development, and Metropolitan Policy.

The five main programs include the following:

• Economic Studies Program
• Governance Studies Program
• Foreign Policy Studies Program
• Global Economy and Development Program
• Metropolitan Policy Program

Policy centers include the following:

• American Enterprise Institute-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies
• Brown Center on Education Policy
• Center for Children and Families
• Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies
• Center on Social and Economic Dynamics
• Center on the United States and Europe
• John L. Thornton China Center
• Saban Center for Middle East Policy
• Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center
• The Wolfensohn Center

The Saban Center for Middle East Policy was founded by a grant from Mr. Haim Saban in 2002.^[8] The Saban Center has helped the Brookings Institution to dramatically expand its research and analysis of Middle East policy issues.

In September 2006, Brookings announced the founding of The John L. Thornton China Center, a major new center focused on the study of Chinese politics and policy, with support from former President and COO of Goldman-Sachs John L. Thornton. In November 2006, Brookings announced the opening of its first-ever overseas center, the Brookings-Tsinghua Center at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Brookings-Tsinghua Center

[edit] Members

Brookings currently has over 140 resident and nonresident scholars.^[9] Some of Brookings' notable resident scholars:

• Ivo H. Daalder, Foreign Policy Studies
• Kenneth Dam, Economic Studies
• E.J. Dionne, Governance Studies
• Gregg Easterbrook, Economic Studies, Governance Studies
• William G. Gale, Economic Studies, Tax Policy
• Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Policy Studies
• Ron Haskins, Economic Studies
• Stephen Hess, Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
• Bruce Katz, Metropolitan policy
• Muqtedar Khan, Islam and Global Politics
• Michael O'Hanlon, expert on terrorism and foreign affairs
• Peter R. Orszag, Social Security
• Carlos Pascual, Foreign Policy Studies
• Jonathan Rauch, Governance Studies
• Alice Rivlin, United States budget process
• Peter Rodman, Foreign Policy Studies

Previous scholars include Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Political Affairs at the UN Ibrahim Gambari. Stéphane Dion, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition also served as a senior research fellow.

[edit] Funders

At the end of 2004 the Brookings Institution had assets of $258 million. It spent $39.7 million in that year. According to its annual report^[10], the largest contributors in that year included the Pew Charitable Trusts, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation; the governments of the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Others can be found listed at mediatransparency.org.

[edit] See also

• List of Brookings Institution scholars
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Heritage Foundation
• Tax Foundation
• Urban Institute

[edit] References

1. ^ Brookings Institution Encyclopedia Britannica
2. ^ A Measure of Media Bias by Tim Groseclose and Jeff Milyo, September 2003
3. ^ Brookings Institution History Brookings Institute
4. ^ Democracy Now! interview with John Dean and Daniel Ellsberg
5. ^ 'Insanity' in Nixon's White House Los Angeles Times, February 18, 2003
6. ^ LA Times Archives - Insanity' in Nixon's White House Presidential scholars hear about 1971 plan to firebomb a think tank, from John Dean.
7. ^ Dean, John. Blind Ambition, 1976, ISBN 0-671-81248-3. p 35-39
8. ^ Brookings Announces New Saban Center for Middle East Policy Brookings Institute, May 9, 2002
9. ^ List of Brooking's scholars Brooking Institute
10. ^ Brooking's annual report Brookings Institute

[edit] External links

• Brookings.edu Brookings Institution Official Web Site.
• Brookings Institution Press
• Brookings' Tax Policy Center
• "Brookings: The Establishment's Think Tank", Extra!, FAIR, November/December 1998
• "The Brookings Institution: a Think Tank of Good Feelings", Voltaire Network, June 30, 2004 (Critic of Brookings).
• Brookings Institution at SourceWatch