Past Event
What Role Do Think Tanks Play in Shaping Public Policy and Public Discourse in the United States?
Please join the Wilson Center, author and senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, James McGann, and a panel of leading experts to discuss the role think tanks play in shaping public policy and discourse.
In his latest book, The Fifth Estate: Think Tanks, Public Policy, and Governance, James G. McGann illustrates how policymakers have come to value the independent analysis and advice provided by think tanks and why it has become one of the defining characteristics of the American political system. Drawing on case studies in both foreign and domestic policy, McGann clarifies the correlation between think tank research and the policies enacted by the past three presidential administrations.
Speakers
Lee Edwards
Distinguished Fellow, Heritage Foundation
Bridget Lowell
Chief Communications Officer, Urban Institute
James McGann
Director, Think Tank and Civil Societies Program, University of Pennsylvania and Author of The Fifth Estate
Spencer Overton
President, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (United States)
Richard Weitz
Director, Center for Political-Military Analysis, Hudson Institute