Conservative Think Tanks and Public Politics

Abstract

The privileged position occupied by think tanks in public debate is reflected in their access to mainstream media and their political commentary frequently accepted as independent expert opinion. However, behind the carefully constructed and closely guarded fac¸ade of intellectual autonomy is a network of interests drawn together in a campaign to reshape political values. By tracing the intellectual antecedents and the historical origins of think tanks and their role in fostering neoliberalism, we assess the emerging neoconservatism and the implications for public debate.

Think tanks and strategic policy-making: the contribution of think tanks to policy advisory systems

“…This finding challenges earlier arguments that think tanks function as ''interstitial points at which powerful networks of interest intersect'' (Smith and Marden 2008). While it might be accurate that high-profile think tanks (in particular conservative ones) gather membership, financial support and intellectual stimuli from a similar pool of resources, these powerful and expansive networks seem foremost of an informal nature and surely not typical of the average think tank.…”

Are Governments Really Interested in Fixing the Housing Problem? Policy Capture and Busy Work in Australia

“…(Caplin et al, 2003, p. 18) As summarised in Table 2, the proposition that faster land and housing approvals could stimulate private investment in low cost housing, obviating the need for government Housing Policy Capture and Busy Work in Australia 9 (Smith & Marden, 2008). Led by Bob Day, then Liberal party candidate and former president of the Housing Industry of Australia (a 'peak' lobby group to represent the interests of housing developers and builders), the IPA's campaign was spearheaded by two key information strategies.…”

“…Led by Bob Day, then Liberal party candidate and former president of the Housing Industry of Australia (a 'peak' lobby group to represent the interests of housing developers and builders), the IPA's campaign was spearheaded by two key information strategies. A monograph by the IPA's Alan Moran, titled The Tragedy of Planning: Losing the Great Australian Dream, launched in Parliament House by Federal Treasurer Peter Costello in August 2006 (Smith & Marden, 2008), purported to chart the ways in which urban consolidation policies had caused a shortage of land and housing, pricing young Australians out of home ownership. Second, the IPA sponsored a speaking tour by US-based consultant Wendall Cox, whose annual 'International Housing Affordability Survey' reports claim to show that housing affordability pressures are caused by land use planning restrictions.…”

“…Writing particularly in relation to Australia, Smith & Marden (2008) show how a small number of conservative think tanks have cultivated the image of independent research institutes and used this to secure a privileged position in public discourse:…”

“…A key strategy employed by think tanks and lobby groups is to construct policy problems, so the solution furthers the desired cause. In Australia, the 'regulatory burden' has been a major target for conservative think tanks, which have advocated privatisation and deregulation since the mid-1970s, borrowing heavily from strategies used by counterparts in the UK and USA (Smith & Marden, 2008).…”