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Think tanks are independent institutions organized to conduct research and produce independent, policy-relevant knowledge. They fill a critical void between the academic world, on the one hand, and the realm of government, on the other. Within universities, research is frequently driven by arcane theoretical and methodological debates only distantly related to real policy dilemmas. Within government, meanwhile, officials immersed in the concrete demands of day-to-day policy-making are often too busy to take a step back and reconsider the broader trajectory of U.S. policy. Think tanks' primary contribution, therefore, is to help bridge this gap between the worlds of ideas and action.

From the perspective of U.S. policy-makers, today's think tanks offer five principal benefits. Their greatest impact (as befits their name) is in generating "new thinking" that changes the way that U.S. decision-makers perceive and respond to the world. Original insights can alter conceptions of U.S. national interests, influence the ranking of priorities, provide roadmaps for action, mobilize political and bureaucratic coalitions, and shape the design of lasting institutions.

Besides generating new ideas for senior government officials, think tanks provide a steady stream of experts to serve in incoming administrations and on congressional staffs. This function is critical in the American political system. In other advanced democracies, like France or Japan, new governments can rely on the continuity provided by a large professional civil service. In the United States, each transition brings a turnover of hundreds of mid-level and senior executive branch personnel. Think tanks help presidents and cabinet secretaries fill this void.

In addition to supplying experts for incoming administrations, think tanks provide departing officials with institutional settings in which they can share insights gleaned from government service. They also provide policy-makers with venues in which to build shared understanding on policy options and enrich America's broader civic culture by educating U.S. citizens about the nature of the world. Finally, think tanks provide third-party mediation for parties in conflict.

• Congress.org: Issues & Action: Action Alert Search
• The Constitution Project
• Moving Ideas: The Electronic Policy Network
• Political Advocacy Groups: A Directory of United States Lobbyists
• U.S. Political Parties and Activist Groups
• WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources

• AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Project
• American Civil Liberties Union
• American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
• Asia/Pacific Research Center
• The Aspen Institute
• The Arms Control Association
• The Atlas Economic Research Foundation
• The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
• Benton Foundation
• Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy
• Brookings Institution
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• The Carter Center
• Cato Institute
• Center for Defense Information
• Center for Democracy and Technology
• Center for International Security and Cooperation
• Center for National Policy
• Center for Nonproliferation Studies
• Center for Public Integrity
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
• The Century Foundation
• Competitive Enterprise Institute
• Council on Competitiveness
• Council on Foreign Relations
• Demos: A Network for Ideas & Action
• East-West Center
• Economic Strategy Institute
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Electronic Privacy Information Center
• Federation of American Scientists
• Foreign Policy Institute (FPI)
• Foreign Policy Research Institute
• The Henry L. Stimson Center
• Heritage Foundation
• Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace
• Hudson Institute
• Institute for Defense Analysis
• Institute for International Economics
• Institute for International Studies
• Institute for National Strategic Studies
• Institute for Policy Innovation
• International Institute for Strategic Studies
• The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College
• Miller Center of Public Affairs
• National Academies
• National Bureau of Asian Research
• National Bureau of Economic Research
• National Endowment for Democracy
• National Institute for Public Policy
• Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability
• Nixon Center
• Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
• PollingReport.com
• Progressive Policy Institute
• Public Agenda
• RAND Corporation
• The Strategic Studies Institute
• United States Institute of Peace
• Urban Institute
• Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• World Resources Institute
• Worldwatch Institute

• Foreign Affairs Online
• Think Tanks and NGOs Worldpress.org