Brookings Institution

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The Brookings Institution is one of the oldest and best known think tanks in the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., Brookings is devoted to public service through research and education in the social sciences, particularly in economics, government, and foreign policy." [link] It states as its principal purposes: "to aid in the development of sound public policies and to promote public understanding of issues of national importance."

The institution publishes the Brookings Bulletin (quarterly), the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (twice a year), and an Annual Report. It also publishes its extensive research in books and reprints.

Contents

1 History
2 Organization
3 Members
4 Funders
5 See also
6 External links

History

Brookings was founded in 1916, when a group of reformers founded the Institute for Government Research (IGR), the first private organization devoted to analyzing public policy issues at the national level.[link]

The institution's founder, philanthropist Robert Somers Brookings (1850-1932), originally financed the formation of three organizations: the Institute for Government Research, the Institute of Economics, and the Robert Brookings Graduate School. The three were merged into the Brookings Institution in 1927.

During the administration of Richard M. Nixon, Brookings was named to Nixon's famous enemies list, due to its criticism of Nixon domestic and foreign policies. Nixon ordered a burglary of Brookings in 1971, looking for leaked government information about the Vietnam War. The Nixon administration also considered firebombing the Brookings Institution. [link]

On October 2, 2004, Vice President Al Gore delivered a speech on Economic Policy at Brookings. Conservatives accused Brookings of hosting a 'campaign speech'.

Organization

Brookings focuses on four main areas of research: Economic Studies, Foreign Policy, Governance, and the Metropolitan Policy.

Policy centers include the following:

The most recent policy center was formed in 2002. The "Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings" was founded by a grant from Mr. Haim Saban of Los Angeles. [link] The Saban Center has helped the Brookings Institution to dramatically expand its research and analysis of Middle East policy issues.

Members

Brooking's President is Strobe Talbott, who has expertise in Europe, NATO, national security, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Asia, and U.S. foreign policy. He is a graduate of Oxford University and Yale University. He is a previous director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Yale University, and is a former Deputy Secretary of State and an editor at Time Magazine.

Brookings currently has over 140 resident and nonresident scholars.[List of scholars] Some of Brooking's notable resident scholars:

[William Gale], Economic Studies, Tax Policy
[Stephen Hess], Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
[E.J. Dionne], Governance Studies
[Jonathan Rauch], Governance Studies
[Michael O'Hanlon], expert on terrorism and foreign affairs
[Muqtedar Khan], Islam and Global Politics
[Bruce Katz], Metropolitan policy
[Peter R. Orszag], Social Security
[Alice Rivlin], United States budget process

Funders

At the end of 2004 the Brookings Institution had assets of $258 million. It spent $39.7 million in that year. According to its [annual report], the largest contributors in that year included the Pew Charitable Trusts, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation; the governments of the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Others can be found listed at [mediatransparency.org].

External links

[Brookings.edu] - Official web site
[Brookings Institution Press]
[Tax Policy Center]
[The Brookings Institution: a Think Tank of Good Feelings, Voltaire Network, June 30, 2004 (Critic of Brookings)]

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