Executive Legislative Judicial Executive

PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH 

ORGANIZATIONS

These organizations, sometimes 

called “think tanks,” conduct original 

research, publish books and articles, and 

prepare position papers on topics related 

to public policy. Their experts are often 

called to testify before Congress, and their 

published works are often cited by others 

to support their own positions.

While some of these groups have a 

distinct partiality towards liberal or con-

servative policies, many are highly re-

spected as authoritative sources of study 

on matters that affect public policy. Some 

prominent think tanks with a long history 

of contributing to the public policy debate 

include the  Brookings Institution, Heri-

tage Foundation, Cato Institute, American 

Enterprise Institute, Center for Strategic 

and International Studies, and the Com-

petitive Enterprise Institute, among 

others.