Approaching think tanks as society’s providers of information and analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22325/fes/res.2018.27Keywords:
Thin Tanks, university, research, institutional reputation, corporate social responsibility, public decision-makingAbstract
The term thin tank is generally used to designate non-profit private organizations dedicated to transferring data and analysis about public issues to society, with the aim of improving the information and knowledge conditions under which policy-makers and citizens make decisions. From the point of view of knowledge production and diffusion, think tanks are closely linked to the university world. In fact, think tank reports and surveys are often written by university professors who approach this work with a high level of intellectual responsibility and scientific vigor. However, a think tank’s production differs from academic production in its approach and format. Instead of competing with social science departments and faculties, think tanks frequently echo and elaborate findings and results from university research, thus reinforcing their social and political impact.
References
Barberá, P., Arregui, J. (2011). Naturaleza e influen- cia de los think tanks en el proceso político en España. ICPS Working Papers (Institut de Cièn- cies Polítiques y Socials), 292.
Claudín, C., Smilova, R. (2013). Think tanks in Spain: Crisis as an opportunity for increased relevance? Country report for “Think tanks at a cross-road: Shifting paradigms and policy dilemmas in Southern and Eastern Europe”. Bulgaria: Center for Liberal Strategies.
McGann, J. G. (2017). 2016 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report. TTCSP Global Go To Think Tank Index Reports, 12 (en línea). http://repository. upenn.edu/think_tanks/12, acceso 1 de julio de 2017.
McGann, J. G. (2017) (2016). The Fifth Estate. Think tanks, public policy and governance. Washing- ton: Brookings Institution Press.
Medvetz, T. (2012). Murky power: ‘Think tanks’ as boundary organizations. En D. Courpasson et al., Rethinking power in organizations, insti- tutions, and markets (pp. 113-133). Bingley: Emerald.
Saunders, P. (2011). Academic sociology and social policy think tanks in Britain and Australia: A personal reflection. Sociological Research On- line, 16 (3).
Vaitlingam, R. (2017). Why and how should we com- municate Economics? Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (en línea). http://www.lindau-nobel.org/blog-communicating-economics/, acceso 1 de julio de 2018.
Weaver, R. K. (1989). The changing world of think tanks, PS: Political Science and Politics, Sep- tember, 563-578.
Xifra, J. (2005). Los think tank y advocacy tank como actores de la comunicación política. Anàlisi, 32, 73-91.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
• The transfer of the copyright of the article to Revista Española de Sociología.
• The assignment to the Revista Española de Sociología of the rights of commercial exploitation of the article to third parties both in the offset and digital formats, as well as to the search engines and platforms that may serve as intermediaries for the sale or knowledge of the article.
