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{{Short description|American think tank}}{{Primary|date=February 2023}}{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}

factoids

| founder = Robert S. Brookings| leader_title = President| leader_name = Cecilia Rouse| budget = PUBLISHER=NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY BUSINESS OFFICERS AND TIAA ACCESS-DATE=FEBRUARY 20, 2021, | revenue = $86.28 million| revenue_year = 2020| expenses = $93.372 million| expenses_year = 2020www.brookings.edu/|brookings.edu}}}}The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings,WEB, Brookings,www.brookings.edu/, 2022-05-06, Brookings, en-US, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global economy, and economic development.ENCYCLOPEDIA,www.britannica.com/topic/Brookings-Institution, Brookings Institution, Encyclopædia Britannica, February 11, 2017, WEB,www.brookings.edu/about/RobertSBrookings_bio.aspx, Robert Somers Brookings, Brookings Institution, April 29, 2010, dead,www.brookings.edu/about/RobertSBrookings_bio.aspx," title="archive.today/20121212145724www.brookings.edu/about/RobertSBrookings_bio.aspx,">archive.today/20121212145724www.brookings.edu/about/RobertSBrookings_bio.aspx, December 12, 2012, Brookings has five research programs: Economic Studies,WEB,www.brookings.edu/about/programs/economics, Economic Studies, Brookings.edu, Brookings Institution, February 11, 2017, Foreign Policy,WEB,www.brookings.edu/about/programs/foreign-policy, Foreign Policy, Brookings.edu, Brookings Institution, February 11, 2017, Governance Studies,WEB,www.brookings.edu/about/programs/governance, Governance Studies, Brookings.edu, Brookings Institution, February 11, 2017, Global Economy and Development,WEB,www.brookings.edu/about/programs/global, Global Economy and Development, Brookings.edu, Brookings Institution, February 11, 2017, and Brookings Metro.WEB, Brookings Metro,www.brookings.edu/programs/brookings-metro/, July 27, 2023, Brookings Institution, It also operated three international centers: in Doha, Qatar (Brookings Doha Center);WEB, Brookings Doha Center,www.brookings.edu/about/centers/doha, live, February 11, 2017, Brookings Institution,www.brookings.edu/about/centers/doha," title="web.archive.org/web/20121021135949www.brookings.edu/about/centers/doha,">web.archive.org/web/20121021135949www.brookings.edu/about/centers/doha, October 21, 2012, Beijing, China (Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy);WEB,www.brookings.edu/about/centers/brookings-tsinghua, Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy, Brookings Institution, February 11, 2017, and New Delhi, India (Brookings India).WEB, Brookings India,www.brookings.edu/about/centers/india, Brookings Institution, February 11, 2017, In 2020 and 2021, the Institution announced it was separating entirely from its centers in Doha and New Delhi, and transitioning its center in Beijing to an informal partnership with Tsinghua University, known as Brookings-Tsinghua China.PRESS RELEASE, The Brookings Institution transitions from foreign centers to focus on digital and global engagement,www.brookings.edu/news-releases/brookings-institution-transitions-from-foreign-centers-to-focus-on-digital-and-global-engagement/, The Brookings Institution, September 29, 2021, 12 June 2022, The University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go To Think Tank Index Report has named Brookings “Think Tank of the Year” and “Top Think Tank in the World” every year since 2008.WEB, 2021-01-28, TTCSP GLOBAL GO TO THINK TANK INDEX REPORTS,repository.upenn.edu/think_tanks/, live, 2017-02-03, University of Pennsylvania,repository.upenn.edu:80/think_tanks/," title="web.archive.org/web/20110524154528repository.upenn.edu:80/think_tanks/,">web.archive.org/web/20110524154528repository.upenn.edu:80/think_tanks/, May 24, 2011, The Economist described Brookings as “perhaps America’s most prestigious think-tank.“NEWS, The New America Foundation falls into a familiar trap,www.economist.com/news/united-states/21728669-americas-think-tanks-produce-lots-fine-work-their-business-model-suspect-new, The Economist, September 7, 2017, Brookings states that its staff “represent diverse points of view” and describes itself as nonpartisan.WEB, 2003-06-25, Brookings Research,www.brookings.edu/about/Research.aspx, 2020-06-24, Brookings Institution, Media outlets have variously described Brookings as centrist, conservative,WEB, Sam, Husseini,fair.org/extra/brookings-the-establishments-think-tank/, Brookings: The Establishment’s Think Tank, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), November–December 1998, February 11, 2017, liberal,WEB,www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/03/03/think-tank-employees-tend-to-support-democrats, Think Tank Employees Tend to Support Democrats, U.S. News & World Report, March 3, 2011, February 14, 2016, Kurtzleben, Danielle, center-right,WEB, Lawrence, Soley,fair.org/extra-online-articles/Brookings:-Stand-In-for-the-Left, Brookings: Stand-In for the Left, Extra!, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), 1991, and center-left.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sanders-to-propose-canceling-entire-16-trillion-in-us-student-loan-debt-escalating-democratic-policy-battle/2019/06/23/1eed053a-9561-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html, Sanders proposes canceling entire $1.6 trillion in U.S. student loan debt, escalating Democratic policy battle, en-US, Stein, Jeff, The Washington Post, June 24, 2019, November 18, 2022, An academic analysis of congressional records from 1993 to 2002 found that Brookings was cited by conservative politicians almost as often as by liberal politicians, earning a score of 53 on a 1–100 scale, with 100 representing the most liberal score.JOURNAL, Groseclose, Tim, Milyo, Jeffrey, November 2005, A Measure of Media Bias, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 120, 4, 1191–1237, 10.1162/003355305775097542, 54066953, The same study found Brookings to be the most frequently cited think tank by U.S. media and politicians.

History

1916–1979

File:Robert S. Brookings.jpg|thumb|Founder Robert S. BrookingsRobert S. BrookingsBrookings was founded in 1916 as the Institute for Government Research (IGR), with the mission of becoming “the first private organization devoted to analyzing public policy issues at the national level.“WEB,www.brookings.edu/about/history, Brookings Institution History, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, February 11, 2017, 2001-11-30, The organization was founded on 13 March 1916 and began operations on 1 October 1916.JOURNAL, Willoughby, W. F., 1918, The Institute for Government Research,www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0003055400013605/type/journal_article, American Political Science Review, en, 12, 1, 49–62, 10.2307/1946341, 1946341, 147043158, 0003-0554, Its stated mission is to “provide innovative and practical recommendations that advance three broad goals: strengthen American democracy; foster the economic and social welfare, security, and opportunity of all Americans; and secure a more open, safe, prosperous, and cooperative international system.“WEB, About Brookings,www.brookings.edu/about.aspx, dead,www.brookings.edu/about.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20100430053631www.brookings.edu/about.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20100430053631www.brookings.edu/about.aspx, 2010-04-30, 2010-04-29, Brookings.edu, Brookings Institution, The Institution’s founder, philanthropist Robert S. Brookings (1850–1932), originally created three organizations: the Institute for Government Research, the Institute of Economics (with funds from the Carnegie Corporation), and the Robert Brookings Graduate School affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis. The three were merged into the Brookings Institution on December 8, 1927.BOOK, Critchlow, Donald T., The Brookings Institution, 1916–1952: Expertise and the Public Interest in a Democratic Society,archive.org/details/brookingsinstitu00crit, registration, DeKalb, Illinois, Northern Illinois University Press, 1985, 9780875801032, During the Great Depression, economists at Brookings embarked on a large-scale study commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to understand its underlying causes. Brookings’s first president, Harold G. Moulton, and other Brookings scholars later led an effort to oppose Roosevelt’s National Recovery Administration because they thought it impeded economic recovery.WEB,www.brookings.edu/lib/depression.htm, Brookings History: The Depression, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, February 11, 2017,www.brookings.edu/lib/depression.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070712105512www.brookings.edu/lib/depression.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20070712105512www.brookings.edu/lib/depression.htm, July 12, 2007, With the U.S. entry into World War II in 1941, Brookings researchers turned their attention to aiding the administration with a series of studies on mobilization. In 1948, Brookings was asked to submit a plan for administering the European Recovery Program. The resulting organization scheme assured that the Marshall Plan was run carefully and on a businesslike basis.WEB,www.brookings.edu/lib/war.htm, Brookings History: War and Readjustment,www.brookings.edu/lib/war.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070712105725www.brookings.edu/lib/war.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20070712105725www.brookings.edu/lib/war.htm, July 12, 2007, In 1952, Robert Calkins succeeded Moulton as Brookings’ president. He secured grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation and reorganized Brookings around the Economic Studies, Government Studies, and Foreign Policy Programs. In 1957, Brookings moved from Jackson Avenue to a new research center near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.WEB,www.brookings.edu/lib/academic.htm, Brookings History: Academic Prestige,www.brookings.edu/lib/academic.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070814201129www.brookings.edu/lib/academic.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20070814201129www.brookings.edu/lib/academic.htm, August 14, 2007, Kermit Gordon assumed Brookings’ presidency in 1967. He began a series of studies of program choices for the federal budget in 1969 titled “Setting National Priorities”.NEWS, 1976-09-16, Leonard Silk, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1976/09/16/archives/leonard-silk-setting-better-priorities-setting-better-priorities-on.html, 2023-05-21, 0362-4331, He also expanded the Foreign Policy Studies Program to include research about national security and defense. After Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968, the relationship between Brookings and the White House deteriorated; at one point Nixon’s aide Charles Colson proposed a firebombing of the institution.BOOK, Woodward, Bob, Bernstein, Carl, June 1974, All the President’s Men,archive.org/details/allpresidentsme00bern, registration, Simon & Schuster, 324, G. Gordon Liddy and the White House Plumbers actually made a plan to firebomb the headquarters and steal classified files, but it was canceled because the Nixon administration refused to pay for a fire engine as a getaway vehicle.BOOK, Dobbs, Michael, King Richard : Nixon and Watergate : an American tragedy, New York, 2021, 978-0-385-35009-9, 1176325912, Yet throughout the 1970s, Brookings was offered more federal research contracts than it could handle.WEB,www.brookings.edu/lib/doubts.htm, Brookings History: National Doubts and Confusion,www.brookings.edu/lib/doubts.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070814201228www.brookings.edu/lib/doubts.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20070814201228www.brookings.edu/lib/doubts.htm, August 14, 2007, After Gordon died in 1976, Gilbert Y. Steiner, director of the governmental studies program, was appointed the fourth president of the Brookings Institution by the board of trustees.JOURNAL, Derthick, Martha, Nivola, Pietro S., July 2006, Gilbert Yale Steiner, PS: Political Science & Politics, en, 39, 3, 551–554, 10.1017/S1049096506210813, 1537-5935, free, WEB, Dews, Fred, November 6, 2017, Profiles of Brookings’s leaders since 1927,www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2017/11/06/profiles-of-brookings-leaders-since-1927/, July 6, 2021, Brookings Institution, As director of the governmental studies program, Steiner brought in numerous scholars whose research ranges from administrative reform to urban policy, not only enhancing the program’s visibility and influence in Washington and nationally, but also producing works that have arguably survived as classics in the field of political science.NEWS, March 11, 2021, Gilbert Steiner,www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2006/03/11/gilbert-steiner/870c45b3-13c7-4514-bf91-feed3858534e/, July 6, 2021, The Washington Post,

1980–2022

File:Dmitry Medvedev in the United States 14 April 2010-10.jpeg|thumb|Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at Brookings on 14 April 2010 while on a visit to the United States for the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit2010 Nuclear Security SummitFile:José María Figueres speaking at Brookings Institution.jpg|thumb|José María FigueresJosé María FigueresBy the 1980s, Brookings faced an increasingly competitive and ideologically charged intellectual environment.WEB,www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/politics/polibig/eastidea.htm, Ideas Move Nations, Easterbrook, Gregg, 1986-01-01, The Atlantic, 2017-12-30, The need to reduce the federal budget deficit became a major research theme, as did problems with national security and government inefficiency. Bruce MacLaury,WEB,www.federalreservehistory.org/People/DetailView/179, Bruce K. MacLaury, federalreservehistory.org, February 11, 2017, January 20, 2017,www.federalreservehistory.org/People/DetailView/179," title="web.archive.org/web/20170120151509www.federalreservehistory.org/People/DetailView/179,">web.archive.org/web/20170120151509www.federalreservehistory.org/People/DetailView/179, dead, Brookings’s fifth president, also established the Center for Public Policy Education to develop workshop conferences and public forums to broaden the audience for research programs.WEB,www.brookings.edu/lib/agendas.htm, Brookings History: Setting New Agendas,www.brookings.edu/lib/agendas.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070712105446www.brookings.edu/lib/agendas.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20070712105446www.brookings.edu/lib/agendas.htm, July 12, 2007, In 1995, Michael Armacost became the sixth president of the Brookings Institution and led an effort to refocus its mission heading into the 21st century.WEB,apps.carleton.edu/media_relations/press_releases/?story_id=684273, Former U.S. Ambassador and Veteran Diplomat to Deliver Convocation, 2010-11-01, Carleton, 2018-07-16, Under his direction, Brookings created several interdisciplinary research centers, such as the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy (now the Metropolitan Policy Program, led by Bruce J. Katz),WEB,www.brookings.edu/center/centennial-scholar-initiative/, Centennial Scholar Initiative, Brookings Institution, 2017-12-30, which brought attention to the strengths of cities and metropolitan areas; and the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, which brings together specialists from different Asian countries to examine regional problems.WEB,theconversation.com/profiles/bates-gill-408202, Bates Gill, 2017-09-14, The Conversation (website), The Conversation, 2018-07-09, Strobe Talbott became president of Brookings in 2002.WEB,news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/october/strobe-talbott-first-distinguished-visitor-buffett-institute/, Strobe Talbott to be first distinguished visitor at Buffett Institute, 2017-10-13, Northwestern University, 2018-07-16, Shortly thereafter, Brookings launched the Saban Center for Middle East Policy and the John L. Thornton China Center. In 2006, Brookings announced the establishment of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center in Beijing. In July 2007, Brookings announced the creation of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform to be directed by senior fellow Mark McClellan,NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/16/fda-reverses-course-on-a-4-2-million-no-bid-grant-to-a-former-commissioner/, FDA reserves course on a 4.2 Million no-bid grant to a former commissioner, 2018-05-16, The Washington Post, 2018-06-16, and in October 2007 the creation of the Brookings Doha Center directed by fellow Hady Amr in Qatar.WEB,berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/interviews/a-second-discussion-with-hady-amr-director-brookings-institute-doha-center-qatar, A Second Discussion with Hady Amr, Director, Brookings Institute Doha Center, Qatar, 2007-10-15, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, 2018-07-09, During this period the funding of Brookings by foreign governments and corporations came under public scrutiny (see Funding controversies below).In 2011, Talbott inaugurated the Brookings India Office.NEWS,www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/tea-with-bs-strobe-talbott-president-brookings-institution-113042600957_1.html, Tea with BS: Strobe Talbott, Datta, Kanika, 2013-04-26, Business Standard India, 2017-11-15, WEB,www.brookings.in/, Brookings India, Brookings India, en-US, 2017-11-15, November 15, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20171115184109/https://www.brookings.in/, dead, In October 2017, former general John R. Allen became the eighth president of Brookings.WEB,www.brookings.edu/news-releases/john-r-allen-named-next-brookings-institution-president/, Brookings Institution, John R. Allen named next Brookings Institution president, October 4, 2017, Allen resigned on June 12, 2022, amid an FBI foreign lobbying investigation.WEB,www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/brookings-president-resigns-amid-fbi-foreign-lobbying-probe/ar-AAYnl1s, MSN, Brookings president resigns amid FBI foreign lobbying probe, June 12, 2022, As of June 30, 2019, Brookings had an endowment of $377.2 million.WEB,www.nacubo.org/-/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2019-NTSE-Endowment-Market-Values--FINAL-January-30-2020.ashx, U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2018 to FY 2019, National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA, February 28, 2020,

Publications

Brookings as an institution produces an Annual Report.WEB, Brookings Annual Report,www.brookings.edu/about-us/annual-report, live, 2021-09-10, Brookings.edu, July 22, 2016, Brookings Institution,web.archive.org/web/20160814092820/https://www.brookings.edu/about-us/annual-report/, August 14, 2016, The Brookings Institution Press publishes books and journals from the institution’s own research as well as authors outside the organization.WEB,www.brookings.edu/press.aspx, Brookings Institution Press, Brookings.edu, 2010-04-29, The books and journals it publishes include Brookings Papers on Economic Activity,WEB,www.brookings.edu/about-bpea, About BPEA, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, January 27, 2017, 2016-08-15, Brookings Review (1982–2003, {{ISSN|0745-1253}}),WEB,www.researchgate.net/journal/0745-1253_The_Brookings_review, The Brookings review Journal, March 13, 2017, WEB,www.jstor.org/journal/brookrev, The Brookings Review on JSTOR, JSTOR, March 13, 2017, America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy, Globalphobia: Confronting Fears about Open Trade, India: Emerging Power, Through Their Eyes, Taking the High Road, Masses in Flight, US Public Policy Regarding Sovereign Wealth Fund Investment in the United StatesWEB,www.richardakimballjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Richard_A_-Kimball_Jr_Brookings_Rebuilding_America_Governance.pdf, Rebuilding America: The Role of Foreign Capital and Global Public Investors, Darrell M., West, Rick, Kimball, Raffiq, Nathoo, Daniel, Zwirnlast5=Ramatlast6=Goldsteinlast7=Moserwork=RichardAKimballJr.compublisher=Governance Studies, Brookings Institutionarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520115540www.richardakimballjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Richard_A_-Kimball_Jr_Brookings_Rebuilding_America_Governance.pdfStalemate. In addition, books, papers, articles, reports, policy briefs and opinion pieces are produced by Brookings research programs, centers, projects and, for the most part, by experts.HTTP://BROOKINGSPRESS.TYPEPAD.COM/BIPBLOG PUBLISHER= BROOKINGSPRESS.TYPEPAD.COM URL-STATUS= DEADARCHIVE-DATE=OCTOBER 13, 2007, HTTP://WWW.BROOKINGS.EDU/PRESS/BOOKS.ASPX>TITLE=BROOKINGS INSTITUTION PRESS: BOOKSWEBSITE=BROOKINGS.EDULawfare (website)>Lawfare.LAWFARE: HARD NATIONAL SECURITY CHOICES>URL=HTTPS://WWW.LAWFAREMEDIA.ORG/, July 5, 2020,

Policy influence

Brookings traces its history to 1916 and has contributed to the creation of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan, and the Congressional Budget Office, as well as to the development of influential policies for deregulation, broad-based tax reform, welfare reform, and foreign aid.WEB,www.brookings.edu/about/History.aspx, Brookings Institution History, dead,www.brookings.edu/about/History.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20100213071830www.brookings.edu/about/History.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20100213071830www.brookings.edu/about/History.aspx, 2010-02-13, The annual think tank index published by Foreign Policy ranks it the number one think tank in the U.S.WEB,foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4598&page=1, Foreign Policy: The Think Tank Index,www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4598&page=1," title="web.archive.org/web/20090520061336www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4598&page=1,">web.archive.org/web/20090520061336www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4598&page=1, May 20, 2009, and the Global Go To Think Tank Index believes it is the number one such tank in the world.WEB,www.gotothinktank.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2011GlobalGoToThinkTanksReport-UNEditionWITHOUTLETTER.pdf, Global Go To Think Tank Index, 2011, January 23, 2012, October 10, 2012, dead,www.gotothinktank.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2011GlobalGoToThinkTanksReport-UNEditionWITHOUTLETTER.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20130506171629www.gotothinktank.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2011GlobalGoToThinkTanksReport-UNEditionWITHOUTLETTER.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20130506171629www.gotothinktank.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2011GlobalGoToThinkTanksReport-UNEditionWITHOUTLETTER.pdf, May 6, 2013, Moreover, in spite of an overall decline in the number of times information or opinions developed by think tanks are cited by U.S. media, of the 200 most prominent think tanks in the U.S., the Brookings Institution’s research remains the most frequently cited.WEB,fair.org/extra/study-finds-first-drop-in-think-tank-cites/, Study Finds First Drop in Think Tank Cites, Michael, Dolny, Extra!, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), May–June 2006, WEB,www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm, A Measure of Media Bias,www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20081122230358www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20081122230358www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm, November 22, 2008, Tim, Groseclose, Jeff, Milyo, dead, December 2004, In a 1997 survey of congressional staff and journalists, Brookings ranked as the most influential and first in credibility among 27 think tanks considered.JOURNAL,www.ssireview.org/pdf/2005SP_feature_rich.pdf, War of Ideas: Why Mainstream and Liberal Foundations and the Think Tanks they Support are Losing in the War of Ideas in American Politics, Andrew, Rich, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Stanford University, Spring 2006, Yet “Brookings and its researchers are not so concerned, in their work, in affecting the ideological direction of the nation” and rather tend “to be staffed by researchers with strong academic credentials”. Along with the Council on Foreign Relations and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Brookings is generally considered one of the most influential policy institutes in the U.S.WEB, Michael, Dolny,www.gotothinktank.com/2011-global-tank-index, The Incredible Shrinking Think Tank, gotothinktank.com, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), April 2008,www.gotothinktank.com/2011-global-tank-index," title="web.archive.org/web/20120122090517www.gotothinktank.com/2011-global-tank-index,">web.archive.org/web/20120122090517www.gotothinktank.com/2011-global-tank-index, January 22, 2012,

Political stance

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Brookings describes itself as independent and nonpartisan. A 2005 UCLA study concluded it was “centrist” because it was referenced as an authority almost equally by both conservative and liberal politicians in congressional records from 1993 to 2002. The New York Times has called Brookings liberal, liberal-centrist, and centrist.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/world/americas/16iht-gitmo.1.17859399.html, The New York Times, Closing Guantánamo may not be easy, William, Glaberson, November 16, 2008, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2005/06/14/politics/14heritage.html, Next Generation of Conservatives (By the Dormful), Jason, DeParle, The New York Times, June 14, 2005, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2000/09/24/business/economic-view-friedman-and-keynes-trading-pedestals.html, ECONOMIC VIEW; Friedman And Keynes, Trading Pedestals, Tom, Redburn, The New York Times, September 24, 2000, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2006/01/13/nyregion/13ROBINSON.html, Marshall A. Robinson, 83, Former Foundation Chief, Dies, Wolfgang, Saxon, The New York Times, January 13, 2006, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/1999/09/08/us/air-force-s-newest-jet-fighter-is-in-fierce-fight-in-capitol.html, Air Force’s Newest Jet Fighter Is in Fierce Fight, in Capitol, Elizabeth, Becker, The New York Times, September 8, 1999, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2006/02/20/opinion/20mon2.html, The Way to Save, The New York Times, February 20, 2006, The Washington Post has called Brookings centrist, liberal, and center-left.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/08/AR2009120803928.html, Mr. Obama’s Jobs Plan, The Washington Post, December 9, 2009, NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/20/AR2007062002342_pf.html, Stumping for Attention To Deficit Disorder, Lori, Montgomery, The Washington Post, June 21, 2007, NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/11/13/BL2006111300496_pf.html, The Unbelievable Karl Rove, Dan, Froomkin, The Washington Post, November 13, 2006, NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/04/15/2003-budget-completes-big-jump-in-spending/6e0ea5bc-be85-44a9-acb4-809c5b03299c, 2003 Budget Completes Big Jump in Spending, Glenn, Kessler, The Washington Post, April 15, 2002, The Los Angeles Times called Brookings liberal-leaning and centrist before opining that it did not believe such labels mattered.WEB,latimesblogs.latimes.com/readers/2008/05/left-leaning-or.html, Los Angeles Times, Left-leaning’ or ‘Nonpartisan’?, May 13, 2008, January 27, 2017, NEWS,www.latimes.com/business/la-na-stimulus17jan17,0,2412219.story?page=1, Parties Suggest They’d Yield for Stimulus Pact, Maura, Reynolds, Richard, Simon, Los Angeles Times, January 17, 2008, January 27, 2017, NEWS,articles.latimes.com/2008/02/02/news/fg-alqaeda2, U.S. Won’t Say Who Killed Militant, Josh, Meyer, Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2008, NEWS,www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jul-24-oe-goldberg24-story.html, A green light to genocide, Goldberg, Jonah, Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2007, January 27, 2017, In 1977, Time magazine called Brookings the “nation’s pre-eminent liberal think tank”.MAGAZINE,content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,915490,00.html, The Other Think Tank, Time (magazine), Time, September 19, 1977, Newsweek has called it centristNEWS,www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/05/25/economists-agree-unemployment-will-stay-high-through-november.html, Economists Agree: Unemployment Will Stay High Through November, Newsweek, May 25, 2010, and Politico has used the term “center-left”.NEWS, Reid J., Epstein,www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68366.html, Jon Huntsman veers campaign to Brookings, Politico, November 14, 2011, The media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, which describes itself as “progressive”,WEB,fair.org/about/, What’s FAIR?, 2017-04-28, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, 14 December 2018, January 9, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190109050115/https://fair.org/about/, dead, has called Brookings “centrist”,WEB, Michael, Dolny,fair.org/extra/think-tanks-in-a-time-of-crisis/, Think Tanks in a Time of Crisis, Extra!, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), March–April 2002, “conservative”, and “center-right”.Journalists at The Atlantic and Salon have argued that Brookings foreign policy scholars were overly supportive of Bush administration policies abroad.NEWS,www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2007/08/very-serious-indeed/45957, Very Serious Indeed, Matthew, Yglesias, The Atlantic, August 24, 2007, WEB, Greenwald, Glenn, Glenn Greenwald, August 12, 2007, The Truth Behind the Pollack-O’Hanlon Trip to Iraq,www.salon.com/2007/08/12/ohanlon_2, Salon, January 27, 2017, Brookings scholars have served in Republican and Democratic administrations, including Mark McClellan,WEB,www.brookings.edu/experts/mcclellanm.aspx, Mark B. McClellan, dead,www.brookings.edu/experts/mcclellanm.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20120314090442www.brookings.edu/experts/mcclellanm.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20120314090442www.brookings.edu/experts/mcclellanm.aspx, March 14, 2012, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, 2013-08-27, Ron HaskinsWEB,www.brookings.edu/experts/haskinsr.aspx, Ron Haskins, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, 2013-08-27, and Martin Indyk.WEB,www.brookings.edu/experts/indykm.aspx, Martin S. Indyk, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, 2013-08-27, dead,www.brookings.edu/experts/indykm.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20130826025531www.brookings.edu/experts/indykm.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20130826025531www.brookings.edu/experts/indykm.aspx, August 26, 2013, WEB,www.brookings.edu/experts.aspx, The Brookings Institution Experts, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, August 27, 2013, Brookings’s board of trustees is composed of 53 trustees and more than three dozen honorary trustees, including Kenneth Duberstein, a former chief of staff to Ronald Reagan. Aside from political figures, the board of trustees includes leaders in business and industry, including Haim Saban, Robert Bass, Hanzade DoÄŸan Boyner, Paul L. Cejas, W. Edmund Clark, Abby Joseph Cohen, Betsy Cohen, Susan Crown, Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., Jason Cummins, Paul Desmarais Jr., Kenneth M. Duberstein, Glenn Hutchins, and Philip H. Knight (chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc).WEB,www.brookings.edu/about-us/board-of-trustees/, Board Of Trustees, Brookings.edu, April 25, 2017, July 22, 2016,

Presidents

Since its incorporation as the Brookings Institution in 1927, it has been led by accomplished academics and public servants. Brookings has had eleven presidents, including three in acting capacity.WEB, Dews, Fred, November 6, 2017, Profiles of Brookings’s leaders since 1927,www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2017/11/06/profiles-of-brookings-leaders-since-1927/, live, July 6, 2021, Brookings Institution,web.archive.org/web/20210304141929/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2017/11/06/profiles-of-brookings-leaders-since-1927/, March 4, 2021, The current president is Cecilia Rouse, who replaced acting President Amy Liu, who began serving in January, 2024.WEB, Brookings Institution Announces Dr. Cecilia Rouse as President,www.brookings.edu/news/brookings-institution-announces-dr-cecilia-rouse-as-president/, 2024-04-06, Brookings,

• Harold G. Moulton, 1927–1952
• Robert D. Calkins, 1952–1967
• Kermit Gordon, 1967–1976
• Gilbert Y. Steiner (acting), 1976–1977
• Bruce K. MacLaury, 1977–1995
• Michael Armacost, 1995–2002
• Strobe Talbott, 2002–2017
• John R. Allen, 2017–2022NEWS, Mazzetti, Mark, Brookings Institution Puts President on Leave Amid Lobbying Inquiry,www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/us/politics/john-allen-brookings-institution.html, The New York Times, 8 June 2022,
• Ted Gayer (acting), 2022–2022WEB, Risotto, Andrea, June 12, 2022, News Release Brookings Leadership Update,www.brookings.edu/news-releases/brookings-leadership-update/, June 16, 2022, www.brookings.edu,
• Amy Liu (acting), 2022–2023WEB, 2022-07-05, Amy Liu appointed interim president of Brookings,www.brookings.edu/news-releases/amy-liu-appointed-interim-president-of-brookings/, 2022-07-05, Brookings, en-US,
• Cecilia Rouse, 2023–presentWEB, Dr. Cecilia Rouse talks about being appointed Brookings’s ninth President,www.brookings.edu/articles/dr-cecilia-rouse-talks-about-being-appointed-brookings-ninth-president/, 2023-07-05, Brookings, en-US,

Research programs

Center for Middle East Policy

In 2002, the Brookings Institution established the Center for Middle East Policy “to promote a better understanding of the policy choices facing American decision-makers in the Middle East”.BOOK, Pollack, Kenneth M.,books.google.com/books?id=Pz2Vjjq5IGwC, A Switch in Time: A New Strategy for America in Iraq, 2007-02-01, Rowman & Littlefield, 978-0-8157-7150-0, 123, en,

Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy

factoids

In 2006, the Brookings Institution established the Brookings-Tsinghua Center (BTC) for Public Policy as a partnership between the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC and Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management in Beijing, China. The Center seeks to produce research in areas of fundamental importance for China’s development and for US-China relations.WEB, About the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy,www.brookings.edu/about/centers/brookings-tsinghua/about, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, 2015-12-11, The BTC was directed by Qi Ye until 2019.WEB, Brookings-Tsinghua Center,www.brookings.edu/about/centers/brookings-tsinghua, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, 2015-12-11,

21st Century Defense Initiative

File:US Navy 070403-N-0696M-015 Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Mullen speaks at the Brookings Institution on the Navy’s effort to formulate a new maritime strategy.jpg|thumb|Adm. Michael MullenMichael MullenThe 21st Century Defense Initiative (21CDI) is aimed at producing research, analysis, and outreach that address three core issues: the future of war, the future of U.S. defense needs and priorities, and the future of the US defense system.WEB,www.brookings.edu/projects/21defense.aspx, 21st Century Defense Initiative, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, 2010-04-29, The Initiative draws on the knowledge from regional centers, including the Center on the United States and Europe, the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, the Thornton China Center, and the Center for Middle East Policy, allowing the integration of regional knowledge.WEB,www.brookings.edu/projects/21defense/about.aspx, About the 21st Century Defense Initiative at Brookings, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, November 1, 2011, P. W. Singer, author of Wired for War, serves as Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative, and Michael O’Hanlon serves as Director of Research. Senior Fellow Stephen P. Cohen and Vanda Felbab-BrownWEB,www.brookings.edu/experts/felbabbrownv.aspx, Vanda Felbab-Brown, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, 2013-08-27, are also affiliated with 21CDI.WEB,www.brookings.edu/projects/21defense/experts.aspx, 21st Century Defense Initiative: Experts, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, November 1, 2011,

WashU at Brookings

Under MacLaury’s leadership in the 1980s, the Center for Public Policy Education (CPPE) was formed to develop workshop conferences and public forums to broaden the audience for research programs. In 2005, the center was renamed the Brookings Center for Executive Education (BCEE), which was shortened to Brookings Executive Education (BEE) with the launch of a partnership with the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. The academic partnership is now known as “WashU at Brookings”.WEB,www.brookings.edu/aboutexeced/, About WashU at Brookings, May 13, 2016, Brookings, en-US, August 19, 2019,

Notable centers

• Center for Middle East Policy
• Center for Universal Education
• Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

Funders

Funding details

As of 2017 the Brookings Institution had assets of $524.2 million.WEB,www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2017-annual-report.pdf, Annual Report 2017, Brookings Institution, Brookings.edu, June 1, 2018, Its largest contributors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Hutchins Family Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, the LEGO Foundation, David Rubenstein, State of Qatar, and John L. Thornton.{{col-begin|width=auto}}{{col-break}}Funding details as of 2017:{{col-break}}{{Pie chart }}{{col-break|gap=2em}}{{Pie chart }}{{col-end}}

Funding controversies

A 2014 investigation by The New York Times found Brookings to be among more than a dozen Washington research groups and think tanks to have received payments from foreign governments while encouraging American government officials to support policies aligned with those foreign governments’ agendas.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/us/politics/foreign-powers-buy-influence-at-think-tanks.html, Foreign Powers Buy Influence at Think Tanks, Lipton, Eric, Eric Lipton, September 6, 2014, The New York Times, September 17, 2014, The Times published documents showing that Brookings accepted grants from Norway with specific policy requests and helped it gain access to U.S. government officials, as well as other “deliverables”.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/07/us/07thinktank-docs5.html, Longstanding Partners: Norway and Brookings, September 6, 2014, The New York Times, September 17, 2014, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/07/us/07thinktank-docs6.html, The High North, Climate Change and Norway, September 6, 2014, The New York Times, September 17, 2014, In June 2014, Norway agreed to make an additional $4 million donation to Brookings. Several legal specialists who examined the documents told the paper that the language of the transactions “appeared to necessitate Brookings filing as a foreign agent” under the Foreign Agent Registration Act.The Qatari government, named by The New York Times as “the single biggest foreign donor to Brookings”, reportedly made a $14.8 million, four-year contribution in 2013. A former visiting fellow at a Brookings affiliate in Qatar reportedly said that “he had been told during his job interview that he could not take positions critical of the Qatar government in papers”. Brookings officials denied any connection between the views of their funders and their scholars’ work, citing reports that questioned the Qatari government’s education reform efforts and criticized its support of militants in Syria. But Brookings officials reportedly acknowledged that they meet with Qatari government officials regularly.In 2018, The Washington Post reported that Brookings accepted funding from Huawei from 2012 to 2018.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/08/chinese-companys-surprising-ties-brookings-institution/, Huawei’s surprising ties to the Brookings Institution, Stone Fish, Isaac, December 7, 2018, The Washington Post, August 4, 2019, A report by the Center for International Policy’s Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative of the top 50 think tanks on the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go-To Think Tanks rating index found that between 2014 and 2018, Brookings received the third-highest amount of funding from outside the United States compared to other think tanks, with a total of more than $27 million.REPORT, Freeman, Ben, January 2020, Foreign Funding of Think Tanks in America, Center for International Policy, 12,static.wixstatic.com/ugd/3ba8a1_4f06e99f35d4485b801f8dbfe33b6a3f.pdf, September 6, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200901175135/https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/3ba8a1_4f06e99f35d4485b801f8dbfe33b6a3f.pdf, September 1, 2020, mdy-all, In 2022, Brookings president John R. Allen resigned amid an FBI probe into lobbying on behalf of Qatar.WEB, Suderman, Alan, Mustian, Jim, Brookings president resigns amid FBI foreign lobbying probe,apnews.com/article/nato-qatar-middle-east-persian-gulf-tensions-government-and-politics-2675f368b31728030f0770d71cbe80c6, AP, 13 June 2022,

Buildings

The main building of the Institution was erected in 1959 on 1775 Massachusetts Avenue. In 2009, Brookings acquired a building across the street, a former mansion built by the Ingalls family in 1922 on a design by Jules Henri de Sibour.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?destination=%2farchive%2frealestate%2f1979%2f11%2f24%2ftrusting-in-preservation%2ff2ca6c36-5cff-4812-aeb5-4cbd0fc0c460%2f%3f, Trusting in Preservation, November 24, 1979, The Washington Post, July 9, 2018, This extension now houses the office of the President of the Brookings Institution.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

See also

• List of think tanks in the United States

References

Citations

{{Reflist}}

Sources

• Abelson, Donald E. Do Think Tanks Matter?: Assessing the Impact of Public Policy Institutes (2009).
• Weidenbaum, Murray L. The Competition of Ideas: The World of the Washington Think Tanks (2011).
• Boyd, Paxton F.Do Think Tanks Matter?: Assessing the Impact of Public Policy Institutes (2009).
• Shpilsky, Benjamin E. “Do Think Tanks Matter: Assessing the Impact of Public Policy Institutes’’ (2009).

External links

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• {{official websitewww.brookings.edu/}}
• {{Curlie|Regional/North_America/United_States/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Policy_Institutes/Brookings_Institution}}

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