Sponsored by the Pacific Institute, Chinese Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Shanghai International Studies Chinese first think tank forum is held 7 days in Beijing. Ten think tanks are ranked by the scholars domestic well-known research institutions, experts and intelligence agencies, according to the think tank for national decision-making policy and advisory quantity, as well as the influence of the reference in the country's political, economic, cultural, military, diplomacy and other fields and gave.

Ten, clear positioning

Ten well-known think tank for China Academy of Social Sciences, the State Council Development Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, China Institute of international studies, China Institute of contemporary international relations, China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation, Chinese Association, science and technology China society, international strategy of Shanghai Institute of international studies. These think tanks are mostly semi official bodies, belonging to different government departments, in the decision-making process, have played an important role in.

Among them, the research center of the State Council Development China Academy of Social Sciences, the Central Committee and the State Council, is the main think-tank, experts and scholars from the snare, a number of social and economic aspects for a long time, in the internal affairs of foreign countries, policy formulation, plays an important role. Chinese Institute of contemporary international relations, China Institute of international studies, China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Shanghai Institute of international studies, research is focused on foreign policy. With the rise of international status and promote the China actively in recent years foreign policy, the foreign relations of the main research is becoming increasingly important, and directly to provide intellectual support foreign policy.

Chinese Academy of military science and China Institute for International Strategic Studies belong to the military decision intelligence, as Chinese military strategy, as well as the construction and development of Chinese forces towards the future decision-making.

The government should support the development of think tanks

In western countries, for all kinds of experts may become policy makers, and government officials may also leave politics after entering the tank becomes policy researchers.

Now China think tank and the ruling authorities began to appear this kind of interaction. Some government officials after retirement, also hidden in the think tank to play, such as Vice Premier Qian Qichen after retirement, he served as president of University of International Relations and Peking University; expert, famous legal issues China Academy of Social Sciences Institute, Xia Yong, in 2005 he was appointed national security bureau director, into the Zhongnanhai, become one of the core think-tank President Hu Jintao. But China think tanks influence on the government because of lack of transparency, openness, little known to the outside world.

The expert points out, ten for collective appearance, will promote the development of all kinds of research institutions China, interaction between government think tank and China will also be further strengthened and close. But at present Chinese think-tank quantity and the research field is still limited, and its financial sources and service object is single, unable to meet the needs of scientific administration and the development of the situation. Therefore, countries should develop vigorously support folk think-tank, forming the contention of a hundred schools of thought pattern, provide powerful policy guarantee for the national macro policy and strategy development.

Western intelligence personnel often in the government

At present in the Chinese, the achievements in the research of government influence, many government issue, therefore, to undertake, influential experts and scholars do not dare to say, dare to say has no influence. Compared with western countries, the development of think tanks and its relationship with decision-making layer has formed a virtuous cycle.

It is understood, most think tanks American are private non-profit, enterprises rely on donations and the sale of research results to survive, they not only pays attention to the micro policy, pay more attention to the study of macro and strategic issues. But for personnel and senior government officials, in the long run, also formed a "revolving door system", for all kinds of experts may with the change of government as policy makers, and government officials may also leave politics after entering the tank becomes policy researchers, and the accumulation of force waiting to stage a comeback. America Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is a typical example. In the 1990's, as the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe expert Rice was President Bush brought into the government, as a special assistant for national security affairs, four years after leaving office, Hoover returned to the Stanford University Research Institute, 2000 was again President George W. Bush brought into government.

USA policies began in the tank

In addition to the think tank to recruit, America policies also began in the tank. The decision making process USA has ordered sequence, generally is: think tank, the media, Congress, government (Administration), policies. From one perspective, many policy American introduced, the final result of government and Congress's decision, not a decision at. The source USA policy in think tanks and the media, this is decided by the America social political system.

When a policy issued before the first independent, think tank for various research, demonstration and summary, and draws a workable policy advice. Then, through the media, and further open communication and debate, caused the social attention to this policy. Then, the media and think tanks put forward policy advice is bound to cause America Congress and the executive departments concerned, Congress passed the hearing and other methods for further debate. Finally, the administrative department according to the "opinion leaders" advice or congressional pressure on this policy decision, then, a policy, laws and regulations, the law on the introduction. Generally speaking, American major policy process is generally not from such a program. Domestic policy, foreign policy and so.

American is such a decision making process, because the separation of "political structure America of" four rights of state. Think tanks and media, Congress, the president, the courts, four power form independent, mature, their duties, "act of one's own free will". Of course, there are some think tanks and the media has a strong government background, such as Rand Co, American sound, but more is completely independent of the official think tanks and the media. This makes the think tanks and the media to keep the distance of the power sector, and has a strong independence, in order to complete the mission of independent.

In daily operation, although the government think tank with close contacts, but the relationship between the government and often is a contractual relationship, the implementation of the project cooperation. For doing research, funding sources or from the government, or from other agencies, the government does not interfere USA. This makes the government become be worthy of the name, USA "brain", is detached from the power of independent thinking.

Extended reading:

Attached: "the rise and prosperity," is about 1970 years. In the contemporary USA, "think tank" is all kinds of, a surprising number of. Only in Washington have thought library small more than 100 comprehensive or professional greatly. Although the number is not much, is generally a dozen individuals, even as Rand Co but also hundreds of people, but a powerful chip implanted in the brain, like American, about America political | governance, economic, military, diplomacy and so on a series of major policy decisions, and become an important part of American political | governance power structure, known as the "the fourth power". Among them, especially by the Brookings Institution, the Council on foreign relations, Hoover Research Institute, Rand Co, Enterprise Institute, the Carnegie endowment for international peace, the center for strategic and international studies, the Heritage Foundation and other institutions is most famous.

Important role of "think tank" is to act as a revolving door of academia and politics "". On the one hand, think tank will often their elite into political | government agencies, by policy analysts become decision makers, for example, has just been Bush appointed secretary of state Rice from the Hoover Institute, national security adviser Kissinger is also on the Foreign Relations Committee after many years as president Nixon. On the other hand, also for the government | Fu alternate out officials with "low profile", to stage a comeback. As part of the Clinton administration | House members have left the White House, but still quite in Washington think tanks influence. Through the "revolving door", get the smooth communication between academia and politics, ideology and power, so as to effectively ensure the ideological base to influence policy.

The think-tank, attention is America political | governance characteristics. Washington "K Street" is because the think tank focused and was known as the "think tank street". Where the concentration of many ideological elite, is a born beauty inside and outside policy ideas, political and business circles of two were concerned, and are willing to invest a large amount of money, politicians often come to this. Since 1970 time, any White House political | politicians all by think tank. Each session of the | government came to power, also tend to hire people from think tanks in important positions, so that American many think tank called the "shadow cabinet", "shadow government | Fu" and "America brain". From the situation in recent years can be seen American | Office of political influence, and the importance of the think tank on national policy. Such as the 2001 "9 • 11" after eighth days, the center for strategic and international studies American to Bush political | Fu put forward 7 point proposal to launch the exact anti terrorist campaign, then Bush political | house counter-terrorism strategy is the basic act of.

Evaluation of the importance of course is whether standard, the results can be adopted as the administrative | palace. In general, think tank will use breakfast, dinner, seminar, congressional hearings, news media, public lectures and other forms to express their views, put forward their views and suggestions or through books and research reports, to influence the political decision-making | palace. A close personal relationship with others by decision makers, directly affect the decision. In fact, the decision-making USA political | palace most significant promulgated, will be as much as possible to listen to the opinion of academia, sometimes also please academics make a special report. As the cold war's famous "admit a China, but not now" (One China, but not now) and the post Cold War China "containment plus contact" policy from the Rand Co report.