The Thinkers
The Rise of Partisan Think Tanks and the Polarization of American Politics
Series: Studies in Postwar American Political Development;
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Product details:
- Publisher OUP USA
- Date of Publication 22 May 2025
- ISBN 9780197759660
- Binding Paperback
- No. of pages216 pages
- Size 226x150x20 mm
- Weight 318 g
- Language English 614
Categories
Short description:
In The Thinkers, E.J. Fagan tells the story of how partisan think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and Center for American Progress displaced non-partisan experts to become the closest policy advisors to the Republican and Democratic Parties. He explores their history, how they influence policymakers, and how their influence impacts the polarization of American politics. A powerful account of the impact of partisan think tanks on American democracy, The Thinkers will reshape our understanding of the fundamental drivers of the US's polarized political system.
MoreLong description:
Increasingly, political parties have adopted not only different policies, but different sets of facts. As E.J. Fagan argues, partisan think tanks have helped create these alternate realities in their capacity as de facto formal party organizations. Through the analyses generated by aligned think tanks, political elites on both the left and right frequently offer radically different assessments of a policy's consequences, such as the effect of tax cuts on deficits or the impact of environmental regulations on economic growth.
In The Thinkers, Fagan tells the story of how partisan think tanks--such as the Heritage Foundation and Center for American Progress--displaced non-partisan experts to become the closest policy advisors to the Republican and Democratic Parties. He explores their history, how they influence policymakers, and how their influence impacts the polarization of American politics. More broadly, Fagan shows that the rise of partisan think tanks tracks closely with the increase in political polarization since the 1970s. Because they are funded and staffed by strong ideologues, partisan think tanks seek to move their party's preferences to the left or right of center. When they are successful, parties take more extreme positions than if they had only drawn information from non-partisan sources, which increases polarization. A powerful account of the impact of partisan think tanks on American democracy, The Thinkers will reshape our understanding of the fundamental drivers of the US's polarized political system.
Using a combination of case studies, data analysis, and real-life experience, this fascinating book takes us behind the scenes to show us the ways in which partisan think tanks succeed (and sometimes fail) in setting the policy agenda. The Thinkers makes a convincing case that such think tanks have played an important part in the increasingly partisan politics that have divided the United States in recent years. The role that these think tanks play makes it more difficult to base policy decisions on scientific or technical grounds—everything, even climate change, becomes partisan.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The Problem with Problem Solving
Chapter 3: The Development of Partisan Knowledge Regimes
Chapter 4: Privately Controlled Party Organizations
Chapter 5: How Partisan Think Tanks Set Their Agenda
Chapter 6: The Growth of Polarization and Partisan Think Tanks
Chapter 7: Partisan Think Tanks and Polarization Across Issues
Chapter 8: Comparative Policy Analysis
Chapter 9: Green Jobs and Climate Denial
Chapter 10: Democracy and the Information Wars
Notes
References
Index
