Think Tanks, Public Policy, and the Politics of Expertise

This chapter reviews the role of think tanks in policy making. Like most modern democracies, Ireland relies on a range of sources to influence the choices and designs of public policy. Apart from political and administrative influences, a broad variety of civil society, academic and private sector actors seek to access, influence, advise, inform and sometimes embarrass those in power. The chapter focuses on ‘think tanks’, defining them, reviewing international experience, examining different types and considering the complex issue of assessing think tank influence. It maps out Ireland’s limited think tank landscape and examines recent developments. Think tanks’ influence on Irish policymaking is assessed across a number of indicators.

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Economics and policy analysis: ‘from state to market’?

Policy Analysis in France ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447324218.003.0016 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Benamouzig ◽

Frédéric Lebaron

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Public Policy ◽

Decision Making ◽

Welfare State ◽

Think Tanks ◽

Historical Process ◽

Economic Discourse ◽

Academic Knowledge ◽

Historical Viewpoint ◽

And Diffusion

This chapter describes and analyses the progressive spread of economic "expertise" in the sphere of public policy. It sketches the historical process of the expansion of economic expertise in France, and discusses the way it involves a reshaping of the relations between the State, markets, universities, and other relevant institutional entities (e.g., political parties, unions, etc.), as well as society in general. Considered from this socio-historical viewpoint, economic expertise seems to have contributed to the opening of State-centered regulation to more pluralistic and market-driven public policies in a number of sectors. The analysis draws more specifically on the case of health care, which has been engaged in a clear transformation from a traditional (welfare) State-centered regulation to more open and economically-driven policy. Various components of economic expertise and its concrete uses are under scrutiny, such as classic macroeconomic/econometric forecasting and conjunctural analysis; sectorial expertise; think tanks and organization-related expertise or counter-expertise; academic knowledge in the sphere of policy advice and decision-making; and the production and diffusion of economic discourse through newspapers, magazines, books, etc.

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Political parties and think tanks: policy analysis oriented toward office-seeking

Policy Analysis in France ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447324218.003.0012 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Camilo Argibay ◽

Rafaël Cos ◽

Anne-Cécile Douillet

Keyword(s):

Public Policy ◽

Political Parties ◽

Policy Analysis ◽

Marked Effect ◽

Think Tanks ◽

Party Competition ◽

Party Membership ◽

Policy Issues ◽

Internal Production

This chapter examines the role played by political parties and think tanks in the development of policy analysis in France. It shows how party-based policy analysis is interwoven with inter and intra-party competition related to the objective of seeking office. Indeed, even though policy seeking activities do not look central in the functioning of French political parties, developments in party rationales, like those in the profile of governing parties’ elites, are favourable to intensifying interest in policy issues. Political parties’ professionalization nonetheless appears to have a marked effect on their internal production of public policy expertise: party membership is marginalised while the electoral issues and internal competition have a structuring impact. Lastly, analysis of public policy expertise production shows that it is mainly done in the vicinity of party organisations, due to the significant recourse to experts outside of parties and the role of think tanks.

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