ECON 110: Principles of Microeconomics

Thinking About Think Tanks

What are Think Tanks?

A think tank is "an organization, institute, corporation, or group that conducts research and engages in advocacy in public policy" (Sourcewatch.org).

You will often come across think tanks content as you perform general Google searches for information. Your professor may not allow the use of think tank materials, so it is important that you can recognize them. This tip sheet from The Journalist's Resource is a great place to start.

Remember that think tanks are producing information to support an industry or policy position and their work is not held to the rigorous standards of a process like academic peer review. At this point in your economics education, it may be hard to determine the if their findings are economically sound. It can be helpful to ask yourself these questions as you evaluate think tank reports:

  • Is this article relying solely on projections?
  • Is this article confounding correlation with causation?

Prof.s Chao and Vellekoop do not allow the use of think tank research in Econ 110.

Tips for Using Think Tanks

When considering using information from a think tank:

  • Consider the biases that think tanks may be bringing to the discussion. 
  • Learn about the think tank by looking at the major contributors and the staff. 
  • Use evaluative sites to better understand the point of view the think tank may have. 
  • Ideally, contrast policy statements from two think tanks with vastly different perspectives on the issue.

Some Influential and Well-Known Think Tanks

Evaluating Think Tanks

Think Tank Search

Think Tank Search is a custom Google search of more than 450 think tank websites selected by The Harvard Kennedy School of Government Library. See their website for information on the inclusion policy and links to U.S. and international think tank websites.