Exploring the rise of think tanks, this book examines their role in shaping political thought and public policy despite operating outside of government. It delves into concepts such as policy networks, epistemic communities, and the dynamics of policy learning, highlighting how these research institutes impact decision-making processes and contribute to the broader political landscape.
The book explores the influential role of think tanks in shaping political thought and public policy, focusing on their interactions with decision-makers rather than their direct impact on policy implementation. Diane Stone analyzes the informal processes of agenda setting and policy entrepreneurship, highlighting differences between British and American think tanks. The American context, with its greater financial support and fragmented political landscape, facilitates more interaction with power holders. The work also includes a comprehensive listing of major think tanks in both countries.
Diane Stone’s work has been published in literary journals and anthologies such as The Comstock Review, The Main Street Rag, Minerva Rising, Chautauqua, and elsewhere. In 2015, she won the Bacopa Literary Review Poetry Prize. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Diane retired after many years as a technical editor at a national research laboratory. She and her husband now live on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, among five acres of forest, vegetable gardens, and native plants.
This Element goes beyond traditional texts which focus on public policy as an activity of states to outline how global policy making has driven many global and regional transformations over the past quarter-century. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.