Think tanks

Question 1

What is a think tank?

Answer 1

are groups of experts from different backgrounds who are brought together to investigate particular topics and to offer solutions

Question 2

Who are think tanks financed by?

Answer 2

Government or private sectors

Question 3

What is the problem with think tanks being funded by private sectors?

Answer 3

• We don’t know who they are, how much influence they have and therefore don’t know where the bias in the think tank comes from
• If think tanks have influence because people put money into it, then how do the think tanks defending the poor compete?

Question 4

What are benefits of think tanks?

Answer 4

• Widen political debate and add to the pluralism of uk democracy
• They offer specialist expertise to ministers which create stronger policies

Question 5

What are the drawbacks of think tanks?

Answer 5

• Not internally democratic and may project the views of their leadership rather than the organisation as a whole
• They produce work that is lower quality than universities working on the same issue
• we don’t know where they are funded and therefore don’t know where their bias is
• no backlash on think tanks

Question 6

What is the Resolution foundation - think tank?

Answer 6

• Centre left think tank
• focuses on social justice
• works on improving the lives of low-middle income
• Torston Bell is the spokesperson since 2015
• Influenced labour in gov before

Question 7

What is the CSJ think tank?

Answer 7

• Centre For Social Justice
• centre right
• focuses on the poor and the disadvantaged
• addiction, modern slavery, education failures…
• set up by MP. Ian Duncan -smith

Question 8

What is the IFS think tank?

Answer 8

• institute for fiscal studies
• engage in politics
  -‘‘only think tank in the country whose referred to as ‘highly respected’’’