Christopher James Rastrick - Think Tanks in the US and EU: The Role of Policy Institutes in Washington and Brussels

First published 2018
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2018 Christopher J. Rastrick

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Rastrick, Christopher J., author.

Title: Think tanks in the US and EU : the role of policy institutes in
Washington and Brussels / Christopher J. Rastrick.

Other titles: Think tanks in the United States and European Union

Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. | Series:
Routledge research in comparative politics | Includes bibliographical
references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017008023 | ISBN 9781138052178 (hardback) | ISBN
9781315167961 (e-book)

Subjects: LCSH: Policy sciencesResearchUnited States. | Policy
sciencesResearchEuropean Union countries. | Research institutes
United States. | Research institutesEuropean Union countries.

Classification: LCC H97 .R38 2017 | DDC 320.6072/04dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017008023

ISBN: 978-1-138-05217-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-16796-1 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC

In many ways, the timing of this book could not be more fortuitous. In both Washington and Brussels the main epicenters of activity for American and supranational think tanks there are significant political changes taking place. In the US, the election of Donald Trump as president has undoubtedly left think tanks wondering where they fit in this new political landscape. After all, on the campaign trail then-candidate Trump vociferously rejected the old-guard establishment that has defined Washington political circles, with think tanks comprising a not-insignificant component. Yet, Trump is far from the first elected president to campaign with an outsider ethos and a promise to change the ostensibly staid Washington zeitgeist . For good reason, these outsider presidencies inevitably end up turning to think tanks as inspiration and sources of policy innovation. This has the ironic consequence of further entrenching the role of think tanks in the Beltway.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, similarly powerful changes are afoot. On 23 June 2016, a narrow majority of British voters decided to support the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union. Much like the electoral victory of Donald Trump, the results of the Brexit vote were surprising, and generally mis-aligned with the predictions of scholars, pundits, and even public polling professionals. Think tanks in both the UK and Brussels were, generally speaking, similarly inclined to reject the populist appeal of the leave campaign as a veritable possibility. Since the referendum results, and despite continuing widespread shock and confusion, work is now under way to formally initiate the withdrawal process and chart a new relationship between the UK and EU (not to mention the UKs trade relations with the rest of the world). If there is a list of organizations and industries that stand to benefit from this, we can count supranational think tanks among the most eligible. They are perfectly positioned to facilitate the difficult discussions that need to take place as industry, policymakers, EU and international governments, and the broader public attempt to make sense of how the EU moves forward despite this very public and very humbling vote of nonconfidence. If they heed this opportunity, Brussels and the rest of the world might very well owe a debt of gratitude to these organizations.