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Show Ald. The Salt Lake Tribune NATION Sunday, August 3.1997 Changing Role of Think Tanks Provides Much Food for Thought BY JOHN MIC GANNETT RVICE WASHINGTON — Big money. rising partisanship and political parties bereft of ideas are transforming America’s think-tank industry into a gaggle of idea merchants and access brokers. “The think tank is becoming just another part of the political paraphernalia,” said Harvard education professor Carol Weiss In many cases, you're just get- ting ideology decked out with a few facts and figures. It makes the category much messier.” Until recently, the think-tank industry prided itself on being akin to a university without a mpus, churning outstudiessuffusedwith the delphic auraofivy- stitution — one of the granddaddies in the think-tank industry. “But as a percentage, serious re- search certainly is shrinking.” Since they were born in the Pro- gressive era circa 1900-10, think tanks have claimeda territory of objective, nonpartisan indepen- dence. Later, they becamepartof gov- ernment: President Woodrow Wilson formulated the 1919 Versailles Treaty after World War I with the secret help of 180 ex- perts he dubbed “The Inquiry.”” Many “Inquiry” members ended up in think tanks. President Franklin Roosevelt had his own White House think tankof outside experts. He called it the “Brains Trust.” The term “think tank” comes from World War II military jargon for the secure room where staff officers mapped long-range strategy. It's an open-ended business, with no accrediting agencies. Anyone can register with the In- ternal RevenueService as a tax- exempt entity. The paperwork is not back-breaking. chipsfall where they may. Now, questions arebeing raised University of Utah genetic study. If you or a family member has been diagnosed with clinical depression, please Former Republican chairman Haley Barbour spent several hours arguing before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee that the GOP’s own thinktank, the National Policy Forum — NPF — had not acted as a laundering agent for $1.6 million from a Hong Kongfirm. In all, special interests gave $5.2 million to the NPF. Among the biggest donors: $500,000 from American Financial Corp.; $250,000 from agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland; $150,000 from drugmaker Pfizer: and $100,000 from pharmaceutical kingpin Bristol-Myers Squibb. There are similar on 16,179,112 Council on Foreign Relations American Enterprise institute Carnegie Endowmentor Intemational Peace CatoInstitute Russell Sage Foundation Resourcesfor the Future Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Committee for Economic Development Source: Study by Kent Weaver, Brookings Institution they be used for education. More political operations organize un- their start with huge government grants to study defense issues during the Cold War and social policies during the era of the Great Society. Most now keep an arm's-length distance from government, pre ferring to seek private money. But they still serve as training grounds or shelters for Cabinet Officials who are preparing ¢2reers or waiting outpolitical exile Hudsoninstitute 4,641,028 Gannett der 501¢(4), forbidding donor de- to make a comeback in the bureaucracy. Ex-think-tankers in President Clinton’s Cabinet inciude Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, HHS boss Donna Shalala, U.N AmbassadorBill Richardson and Treasury Secretary Robert Ru- bin. Thelist is long: NATO Ambassador Robert Hunter was a key ductions but freeing the receiving group to lobby. playerat the Center for Strategic Some think tanks, like RAND See Next Page FLEET FOOT BACK TO SCHOOL BLOWOUT py call u S. The research study is divided into two parts--a brief interview and a blood sample. Subjects will be paid $20.00 for the interview and blood sample. August 1-9 Only 15-40% OFF —» E 37,550,443 25,055,050 20,206,000 19,600,000 Centerfor Strategic and international Studies duct contributions and requiring Large families with several members suffering clinical depression needed to participate in a wholebarrel Amount $15,156,938 RANDCorp. Urban institute Heritage Foundation BrookingsInstitution HooverInstitution how think tanks operate. A traditional think tank is orga- GENETIC STUDY OF DEPRESSION of think tanks may beto big-money backers. Somealso see the new political “vanity” think tanks as rotten apples that could spoil the Name 501¢(3), allowing donors to de- covered academe,letting political about how beholden a newbreed Ranked by annualspending, here are the top 15 U.S. think tanks There are slight differences in nized under the tax law’s section Corp. and the Urban Institute, got Thinking Expansively... and Expensively Participation in this study is voluntary and you can withdrawat any time. Questions concerning the research project should be directed to: Sugg. Retail Laura De Mattia 581-3129 (Salt Lake Area) 1-800-444-8638 ext. 13129 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER Over 18, Pair At Low Prices CROSSROADS COTTONWOOD SOUTHTOWNE {no coupons or other discounts alicwed) ee eeeee eee ee! es the other side of the political aisle. Groups like the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) took in more than $600,000 from a dozen donors in a single year, records supplied by the DLC show The hearings on political influence-peddling show hownewversions of the once-pristine pclicy research organizations are being born under the wings of political parties, candidates and office- holders. The ease with which money moves in and out of these “nonprofit” organizations illustrates howthink tanks can provide an accessible back door to the new moneythat is eager for influence and access to the political process. eo.? life s @ journey § What's changing thepictureis simple: Money. “There's a lot more moneyout there," said Lewis Lenkowsky, president of the Indiana-based Hudson Institute for seven years, soon departing to teach. “In many cases, the donor is shopping for an outlook.” imi tate Some worry that Gresham's Law may be at work, with more ideological think tanks with short term goals driving out the traditional, independent policy-research organizations that generate books, studies, seminars and analyses “Weused to knowwhata think tank was," said Harvard's Weiss don’t Now it covers so many questionable operationsit’s hard to tell Over the past 25 years we've lost the confidence [that] we're get- ting a carefully analyzed piece of research.” “The amount of serious re- L search isn't shrinking,” said R. 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