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.

Contents

[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 U.S. Brookings has traditionally been considered as a center-left organization, while the American Enterprise Institute and Heritage Foundation have been considered more center-right in their analysis. 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]however, others have attributed the suggestion to another one of Nixon's associates, G. Gordon Liddy[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:

Policy centers include the following:

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

[edit] Members

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

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

[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. ^ 'Insanity' in Nixon's White House Los Angeles Times, February 18, 2003
  5. ^ LA Times Archives - Insanity' in Nixon's White House Presidential scholars hear about 1971 plan to firebomb a think tank, from John Dean.
  6. ^ Dean, John. Blind Ambition, 1976, ISBN 0-671-81248-3. p 35-39
  7. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Gordon_Liddy
  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

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