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Think Tanks in America Illustrated Edition

by Thomas Medvetz (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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Over the past half-century, think tanks have become fixtures of American politics, supplying advice to presidents and policy makers, expert testimony on Capitol Hill, and convenient facts and figures to journalists and media specialists. But what are think tanks? Who funds them? What kind of “research” do they produce? Where does their authority come from? And how influential have they become?

 

In Think Tanks in America, Thomas Medvetz argues that the unsettling ambiguity of the think tank is less an accidental feature of its existence than the very key to its impact. By combining elements of more established sources of public knowledge―universities, government agencies, businesses, and the media―think tanks exert a tremendous amount of influence on the way citizens and lawmakers perceive the world, unbound by the more clearly defined roles of those other institutions. In the process, they transform the government of this country, the press, and the political role of intellectuals. Timely, succinct, and instructive, this provocative book will force us to rethink our understanding of the drivers of political debate in the United States.
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  1. ISBN-10
    022614366X
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0226143668
  3. Edition
    Illustrated
  4. Publisher
    University of Chicago Press
  5. Publication date
    March 3, 2014
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  8. Print length
    344 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Over the past half century, few developments in the US political system have influenced the content of actual legislation more than the rise of think tanks. But until now, information and analysis of this phenomenon have been mostly anecdotal and known only within the Washington Beltway. Thomas Medvetz provides a much needed and thoughtful analysis of the history and relevance of these important institutions. Think Tanks in America is an invaluable resource.” -- Kenneth Dam ― Brookings Institution

“Think tanks have become hugely important actors in the Washington policy process, but have also become increasingly political in recent years. Thomas Medvetz's well-researched book will teach you almost everything you ever wanted to know about these ever-changing institutions.”

-- Tevi Troy ― Hudson Institute

“Thomas Medvetz does us a huge service by analyzing the development of policy expertise, its shifting institutional locations, and the impact of both on academic social science and public affairs. This is an important book on an important issue.”—Craig Calhoun, London School of Economics

-- Craig Calhoun, Director ― London School of Economics and Political Science

“Succinct, thorough, and masterfully researched—Thomas Medvetz has written a subtle and timely history of these fixtures of public debate in the United States. In the realms of culture studies, policy, and policy formation, there is no book quite like Think Tanks in America. Plus which, no one has understood, interpreted, then used Pierre Bourdieu's ideas better—so well that Bourdieu himself would have been pleased.”
-- Charles Lemert ― author of Why Niebuhr Now?

About the Author

Thomas Medvetz is assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, San Diego.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; Illustrated edition (March 3, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 022614366X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226143668
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

About the author

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Thomas Medvetz

Thomas Medvetz

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Thomas Medvetz is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. His research focuses on the role of experts, professionals, and intellectuals in modern societies.

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Joshua Page
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2013
    This is the most insightful and exciting book I've read on think tanks. Medvetz provides a whole new way of understanding this incredibly important topic. The book is well-written and very clear. It convincingly demonstrates why think tanks are so influential today. Think Tanks in America should be required reading for all policymakers.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • jim jouppi
    4.0 out of 5 stars Innovative mapping system for think tanks
    Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book is an scholarly primer for readers who want to understand what a think tank is, how they came about, and the "space" they occupy. I came upon it after reading such books as The Pentagon's Brain by Annie Jacobs which has much to say about RAND, perhaps the first American Think Tank (from which Daniel Ellsberg secreted out the Pentagon Papers and whose projects have traditionally been funded by the Department of Defense through a research arm called DARPA) and Anthropology at War by Eric Wakin, who puts a 1960s DARPA research project manned by academics, including a young Charles Murray, on his book's map. After a long career of social science and think tank employment, Murray, by Medvetz' assessment, has become the quintessential think tank policy expert. While Think Tanks in America provides a map for think tanks which didn't existed before--Medvetz', throughout his book, defines it as a "space"--and while I was impressed by the thoroughness of his research into the evolution of think tanks, including the development of policy manuals which now, according to Medvetz, are routinely provided to presidential transition teams, Think Tanks in America offers little in the way of case studies which demonstrate the ramifications of the biases he says are inherent in the think tank system. Such case studies are a major theme of Jacobs' book, but only in regards to RAND. I would also have liked to see some discussion and/or comparison of the "space" the think tanks have and that which American Intelligence has. Are they mutually exclusive? Are they symbiotic? Are the think tanks now taking turf from American Intelligence agencies?. .
    .
    6 people found this helpful
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  • PoliSciJunkie
    4.0 out of 5 stars Think Tank History
    Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Good overview of the think tanks that drive so much D.C. policy, and even Wall Street policy. The book goes through giants such as the left-leaning Brookings , the right-leaning AEI and Heritage, and hits the many smaller think tanks.
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  • John Reamer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Rough read
    Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I am sure this is a very informative book. But it is a 300 page college essay. It is a rough Read.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gift
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Gift for my son
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