What Are Think Tanks  Thinking About?

And are they thinking enough about minorities and higher education?

By Eleanor Lee Yates

"C olleges would be great places to work if there were no students," or so goes the age-old joke among college
research professors. Long considered coveted respites as well as invaluable institutions for lawmakers and other information hungry organizations, the role of the nation's venerated think tanks has taken on much larger proportions —  without a student in sight.
But what type of people do think tanks attract? How does a think tank operate and how are they funded? Are they prone to compromise their research integrity? And are they focusing enough attention on the critical issue of minorities and higher education?
Consider think tanks as being halfway houses between pure research and employment in government or business, adds Dr. Paul Portnoy, president of the Washington-based Resources for the Future, a think tank dedicated to studying energy, environmental and natural resources.
 Think tanks often lure respected government officials — experts in their field — after they have had policy-making careers. And some major university professors are invited to work at think tanks, Portnoy says. 
A think tank provides an atmosphere to reflect on work experiences. Later, scholars may return to public service, often applying theories from their stints at think tanks.

The Book on Brookings
The Brookings Institution began in 1916 as the first private government research institution in Washington. In the early 1920s, two sister institutions were organized, the Institute of Economics and the Robert Brookings Graduate School. In 1927 all three merged to become the Brookings Institution, named in honor of Robert Brookings, a St. Louis businessman who helped shape the organization until his death in 1932.
At Brookings there are 75 scholars, referred to as senior fellows. Some are visiting, which means the position is temporary. Some fellows are non-residents, those who don't live in Washington.
"Scholars are among their peers. There's an exchange of ideas, some lively discussions and a lot of serious research," says Ron Nessen, vice president for communications at Brookings, who also served as press secretary for President Gerald Ford. At Brookings, researchers focus on government studies, economic studies, foreign policies, urban studies and education.
The purest think tanks are not advocates and always retain an academic approach, insists Nessen. "Some organizations call themselves think tanks but they have an ideological position. They reach a conclusion first, then do the research," he says.
But all think tanks are interested in one or another dimension of public policy, says Portnoy, who believes the work produced at respected think tanks stands up to any peer review at major universities. He also says think tanks have a stronger mission to make a difference in public policy than universities do.
Most think tanks focus on applied science. It's their mission to produce research that is used. Researchers may find themselves testifying on Capitol Hill, with their work affecting a wide range of legislation.