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Page
 
1
 
of 
 
4
 
April
 
12,
 
2010
 
21
 
Reasons
 
Why
 
Free
‐
Market
 
Think
 
Tanks
 
Are
 
More
 
Effective
 
than
 
Anyone
 
Else
 
in
 
Changing
 
Public
 
Policy
 
(and
 
one
 
reason
 
why
 
they
 
are
 
not)
 
By 
 
 Jeff 
 
 Judson
 
1.
 
Source
 
of 
 
leading
 
ideas
.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
are
 
the
 
source
 
of 
 
many
 
of 
 
the
 
ideas
 
and
 
facts
 
that
 
appear
 
in
 
countless
 
editorials,
 
news
 
articles,
 
and
 
syndicated
 
columns.
 
They
 
are
 
the
 
first
 
place
 
many
 
lawmakers
 
turn
 
to
 
for
 
ideas
 
and
 
help
 
when
 
proposing
 
legislation.
 
The
 
best
 
and
 
brightest
 
 journalists
 
and
 
lawmakers
 
consume
 
think
 
tank
 
work
 
voraciously
 
and
 
rely
 
on
 
it.
 
2.
 
Most
 
highly
 
skilled.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
have
 
the
 
complete
 
package
 
of 
 
skills
 
needed
 
to
 
influence
 
public
 
opinion
 
and
 
the
 
opinions
 
of 
 
lawmakers
 
and
 
the
 
media.
 
They
 
know
 
how
 
to
 
communicate,
 
whether
 
in
 
writing,
 
public
 
speaking,
 
electronic
 
media,
 
talk
 
radio,
 
mail
 
and
 
email,
 
editorial
 
board
 
meetings,
 
testimony,
 
or
 
research.
 
3.
 
Less
 
expensive.
 
A
 
good
 
think
 
tank
 
has
 
the
 
skills
 
of 
 
a
 
top
‐
notch
 
PR
 
firm,
 
a
 
university
 
faculty,
 
a
 
“rainmaker”
 
lobbyist,
 
and
 
a
 
new
‐
media
 
firm,
 
but
 
produces
 
comparable
 
outputs
 
at
 
a
 
fraction
 
of 
 
the
 
cost.
 
4.
 
Powerful
 
friends.
 
Think
 
tank
 
directors
 
and
 
large
 
donors
 
often
 
have
 
their
 
own
 
considerable
 
influence
 
and
 
close
 
personal
 
relationships
 
with
 
elected
 
officials.
 
Politicians
 
often
 
are
 
encouraged 
 
to
 
contact
 
a
 
think
 
tank
 
or
 
to
 
embrace
 
its
 
ideas
 
by
 
the
 
think
 
tank’s
 
donors
 
and
 
directors.
 
5.
 
Earn
 
media
 
better
 
than
 
anyone.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
get
 
their
 
op
 
eds
 
and
 
letters
 
to
 
the
 
editor
 
placed
 
frequently
 
in
 
major
 
dailies,
 
small
 
weeklies,
 
trade
 
publications,
 
and
 
magazines.
 
The
 
media
 
ask
 
them
 
for
 
quotes.
 
Some
 
think
 
tanks
 
have
 
staff 
 
who
 
write
 
regular
 
columns
 
for
 
newspapers.
 
 
Page
 
2
 
of 
 
4
 
6.
 
Politicians
 
trust
 
them.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
are
 
third
‐
parties
 
to
 
most
 
public
 
policy
 
debates
 
 –
 
they
 
don’t
 
have
 
a
 
material
 
or
 
financial
 
stake
 
in
 
the
 
outcome.
 
Elected
 
officials
 
consequently
 
trust
 
them
 
more
 
than
 
they
 
trust
 
spokespersons
 
for
 
businesses
 
or
 
trade
 
associations.
 
7.
 
Work
 
harder.
 
Thank
 
tank
 
activists
 
don’t
 
punch
 
a
 
clock.
 
They
 
put
 
their
 
hearts
 
and
 
souls
 
into
 
their
 
work
 
because
 
they
 
believe
 
in
 
what
 
they
 
are
 
doing.
 
They
 
are
 
cause
‐
driven.
 
Their
 
psychic
 
income
 
promoting
 
liberty
 
exceeds
 
their
 
monetary
 
income
 
working
 
for
 
a
 
non
‐
profit.
 
8.
 
National
 
and
 
international
 
influence
.
 
There
 
is
 
now
 
at
 
least
 
one
 
state
 
think
 
tank
 
in
 
all
 
50
 
states
 
and
 
a
 
growing
 
number
 
throughout
 
the
 
developed
 
and
 
developing
 
world
 
in
 
foreign
 
countries.
 
They
 
consume
 
each
 
other’s
 
work,
 
support
 
and
 
encourage
 
one
 
another,
 
echo
 
and
 
amplify
 
their
 
messages,
 
and
 
can
 
pull
 
together
 
state,
 
national,
 
or
 
global
 
coalitions
 
on
 
the
 
most
 
important
 
public
 
policy
 
issues.
 
9.
 
Powerful
 
research.
 
Think
 
tank
 
research
 
is
 
applied 
 
to
 
a
 
current
 
public
 
policy
 
controversy,
 
often
 
by
 
starting
 
with
 
academic
 
research
 
and
 
adding
 
local
 
or
 
current
 
facts,
 
citing
 
recognized
 
authorities,
 
and
 
getting
 
right
 
to
 
the
 
point.
 
It’s
 
research
 
produced
 
for
 
a
 
purpose,
 
to
 
answer
 
a
 
question:
 
What
 
should
 
policymakers
 
do?
 
10.
 
Stellar
 
reputations.
 
Most
 
think
 
tanks
 
have
 
been
 
around
 
for
 
decades
 
and
 
have
 
long
 
track
 
records
 
of 
 
productive
 
activism.
 
They
 
are
 
not
 
fronts
 
or
 
Astroturf 
 
groups,
 
which
 
appear
 
overnight
 
covered
 
with
 
the
 
fingerprints
 
of 
 
an
 
industry
 
lobbying
 
campaign
 
and
 
which
 
are
 
easily
 
discredited
 
or
 
ignored.
 
11.
 
Impervious
 
to
 
attack.
 
Lobbyists
 
often
 
work
 
for
 
specific
 
clients
 
who
 
operate
 
at
 
the
 
mercy
 
of 
 
a
 
regulator
 
or
 
lawmaker,
 
making
 
them
 
vulnerable
 
to
 
retribution
 
for
 
daring
 
to
 
criticize
 
or
 
speak
 
out.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
are
 
virtually
 
immune
 
to
 
retribution.
 
In
 
fact,
 
when
 
public
 
officials
 
single
 
out
 
think
 
tanks
 
for
 
criticism,
 
their
 
credibility
 
generally
 
goes
 
up,
 
not
 
down.
 
12.
 
Long
‐
term
 
allies.
 
The
 
influence
 
of 
 
lobbyists
 
often
 
is
 
based
 
on
 
personal
 
relationships
 
with
 
politicians
 
and
 
political
 
appointees,
 
and
 
therefore
 
their
 
 
Page
 
3
 
of 
 
4
 
influence
 
lapses
 
when
 
personnel
 
changes.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
and
 
their
 
experts
 
outlast
 
politicians,
 
appointees,
 
and
 
lobbyists,
 
making
 
them
 
long
‐
term
 
allies.
 
13.
 
Donors
 
are
 
confidential
.
 
The
 
identity
 
of 
 
donors
 
to
 
think
 
tanks
 
is
 
protected
 
from
 
involuntary
 
disclosure.
 
Most
 
think
 
tank
 
contributions
 
come
 
from
 
concerned
 
individuals
 
or
 
private
 
foundations,
 
and
 
only
 
thirdly
 
from
 
corporations.
 
14.
 
Messaging
 
experts.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
know
 
more
 
about
 
public
 
policy
 
issues
 
than
 
public
 
relations
 
firms,
 
but
 
unlike
 
academics,
 
they
 
don’t
 
get
 
lost
 
in
 
the
 
tall
 
weeds
 
of 
 
academic
 
theory
 
and
 
double
‐
talk.
 
This
 
gives
 
them
 
a
 
unique
 
ability
 
to
 
formulate
 
messages
 
that
 
are
 
true
 
and
 
can
 
survive
 
criticism
 
and
 
questioning
 
during
 
a
 
hearing.
 
15.
 
Lower
 
overhead.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
typically
 
operate
 
more
 
efficiently
 
than
 
much
 
of 
 
the
 
private
 
sector.
 
Few,
 
if 
 
any,
 
rent
 
Class
 
A
 
office
 
space,
 
have
 
lots
 
of 
 
assistants,
 
or
 
buy
 
anything
 
that
 
doesn’t
 
demonstrably
 
support
 
their
 
public
 
policy
 
mission.
 
They
 
rely
 
on
 
charity,
 
so
 
they
 
pinch
 
pennies.
 
16.
 
Singular
 
focus.
 
Unlike
 
university
 
academics
 
or
 
consultants,
 
think
 
tank
 
experts
 
have
 
no
 
distractions
‐‐
no
 
clients
 
as
 
such,
 
no
 
classes
 
to
 
teach,
 
and
 
no
 
articles
 
to
 
publish
 
in
 
obscure
 
academic
 
 journals.
 
As
 
a
 
result,
 
they
 
can
 
doggedly
 
follow
 
an
 
issue,
 
and
 
all
 
its
 
daily
 
developments,
 
on
 
an
 
ongoing
 
basis.
 
17.
 
Great
 
in
 
coalitions.
 
Think
 
tank
 
experts
 
are
 
open
 
and
 
eager
 
to
 
cooperate
 
with
 
 just
 
about
 
anyone
 
to
 
win
‐‐
others
 
in
 
the
 
free
‐
market
 
movement
 
or
 
people
 
from
 
another
 
political
 
or
 
policy
 
perspective.
 
They
 
don’t
 
worry
 
about
 
protecting
 
their
 
turf 
 
or
 
their
 
intellectual
 
property.
 
They
 
have
 
no
 
clients
 
to
 
gain
 
or
 
lose
 
to
 
another
 
consultant
 
or
 
trade
 
association.
 
They
 
 just
 
want
 
to
 
win.
 
18.
 
Pre
‐
partisan.
 
Most
 
think
 
tanks
 
are
 
not
 
Republican,
 
Democrat,
 
or
 
even
 
bi
‐
partisan.
 
They
 
are
 
 pre
‐
 partisan.
 
Think
 
tanks
 
originate
 
ideas
 
before
 
the
 
parties
 
have
 
ever
 
heard
 
of 
 
them,
 
and
 
they
 
are
 
delighted
 
for
 
either
 
party
 
to
 
promote
 
their
 
ideas.
 
They
 
often
 
have
 
more
 
across
‐
the
‐
aisle
 
appeal
 
than
 
business
 
groups.
 
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