Editorial
| Published date | 01 April 2016 |
| Date | 01 April 2016 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/001955612016020v |
| Subject Matter | Article |
EDITORIAL
The opening article
in
this issue
of
the journal discusses think tanks,
their nature, complexion and role by P.K. Chaubey. The ideal type
of
modem
think tank in the ancient world was probably Plato's Academy in Athens
in Greece whose autonomy the founder, following his teacher Socrates,
sought to maintain even at the risk
of
endangering his life. Plato's most
brilliant student, Aristotle, remained part
of
the Academy until the demise
of
his teacher. Later, when after Plato's death his dim-witted disciples
sought to deify the departed soul, Aristotle, less idealistic and more
pragmatic and realistic than Plato, left the Academy and founded his own
school, the Lyceum. Medieval equivalents
of
modem think tanks, typically
characterised by considerable autonomy and independence and humongous
influence and prestige, may perhaps be seen in monasteries and universities.
Now, the term
is
most frequently associated with special units in universities
and specific research institutes.
A Forbes article, 'The End
of
the Think Tank' by Bruce Bartlett (www.
forbes.com/
...
accessed on May 29, 2016) observes: "We hear the term
'think tank' quite often, but it's doubtful that very many people know what
it means. They may not need to because the term
is
increasingly devoid
of
meaning. At least
in
Washington, think tanks are becoming so political
that they are more like lobbyists than academic institutions." He goes on
to trace the evolution
of
think tanks
in
the United States, beginning with
the Brookings Institution (Bl) that started in 1920s, supposedly as. an
independent organisation but later gradually having come to be reputed as
a moderately liberal think tank.
To
counter it, the conservative think tank,
the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), was founded by the 1970s. Both Bl
and AEI took frustratingly long time to complete their researches and publish
them in books or journals.
TI1is
was often too late and ungainful for urgent
and decisive Congressional deliberations and executive actions. In response,
the Heritage Foundation (HF) was established in 1973. Instead
of
employing
graying Ph.D.s, HF engaged Master's degree holders who summarised the
available and ongoing researches accomplished
by
conservative academic
foundations and applied them to the issues
of
the moment in Congressional
debates. This continued with greater speed through the 1980s and 1990s,
exemplified by new organisations like Lexington Institute (LI), apparently
a front for defence contractors. Hence, the pronouncement
of
the
'end
of
the think tank' thesis!
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