Abstract
This chapter examines the targets of think tanks’ influence efforts and also investigates the policy cycle stage at which think tanks attempt to exert influence. The chapter shows that policy institutes primarily target a policymaker audience, although many extend their focus to other audiences depending on their resource endowment and the nature of their messages. The selection of target audience corresponds to decisions on policy cycle priorities. Most think tanks concentrate on early cycle (agenda-setting) activities, although some elite audiences believe think tanks contribute more when focussing on late cycle (policy formulation) activities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The survey question here invited respondents to select up to two statements to describe their entity’s objectives. The seventy-one participants submitted a total of one-hundred-and-twenty-six responses, indicating that some respondents selected only one response option.
- 2.
Binderkrantz et al. (2015, p. 95) define a political arena as ‘a political institution of importance for political decisions and/or the political agenda of a society.’
- 3.
John Daley retired from his role as the Grattan Institute Executive Director in June 2020.
- 4.
Vanessa Petrie left Beyond Zero Emissions in March 2020.
- 5.
See also Campbell and Rigby (2016) for further evidence on the opinion-policy link.
- 6.
The CIS has moved away from the production of book-length studies in more recent times and no longer persists with such efforts.
- 7.
Alex Oliver left the Lowy Institute in July, 2021.
- 8.
Des Moore previously worked at the Institute of Public Affairs. He established the Institute for Private Enterprise in 1996 and was its Executive Director until he passed away on November 1, 2020 (Moore, 2021).
- 9.
Andrew Rich (2004, p. 26) contends that more recently established (mostly ideological) think tanks in the US privilege late cycle activities. But he also suggests that these efforts are largely inconsequential because ‘sides have already been established and minds have largely been made up’.
- 10.
CEDA’s Community Pulse examines ‘community attitudes to growth and development’ (CEDA, 2021).
- 11.
This interviewee agreed to identification in this study, but this quote is anonymised to ensure no reputational impact.
References
Abelson, D. E. (2009). Do think tanks matter?: Assessing the impact of public policy institutes (2nd Ed.). McGill-Queen's University Press.
Binderkrantz, A. S. (2020). Interest group representation and framing in the media: A policy area perspective. Journal of Public Affairs, 20(1).
Binderkrantz, A. S., Christiansen, P. M., & Pedersen, H. H. (2014). A privileged position? The influence of business interests in government consultations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 24(4), 879–896.
Binderkrantz, A. S., Christiansen, P. M., & Pedersen, H. H. (2015). Interest group access to the bureaucracy, parliament, and the media. Governance, 28(1), 95–112.
Campbell, A., & Rigby, R. (2016). Public opinion and public policy. In A. J. Berinsky (Ed.), New directions in public opinion (2nd Ed.). Routledge.
CEDA. (2019). Effects of temporary migration. Committee for Economic Development of Australia. https://www.ceda.com.au/ResearchAndPolicies/Research/Population/Effects-of-temporary-migration
CEDA. (2021). Community pulse 2018. Committee for Economic Development of Australia. https://www.ceda.com.au/ResearchAndPolicies/Research/Corporate-social-responsibility-I-Social-Compact/Community-pulse-2018-the-economic-disconnect. Accessed July 30, 2021.
Chong, D., & Druckman, J. (2007). Framing theory. Annual Review of Political Science, 10(1), 103–126.
Drezner, D. W. (2017). The ideas industry. Oxford University Press.
Gilens, M., & Page, B. I. (2014). Testing theories of American politics: Elites, interest groups, and average citizens. Perspectives on Politics, 12(3), 564–581.
Grossmann, M. (2012). The not-so-special interests interest groups, public representation, and American governance. Stanford University Press.
Halpin, D. (2014). The organization of political interest groups: Designing advocacy. Routledge.
Halpin, D., & Fraussen, B. (2017). Conceptualising the policy engagement of interest groups: Involvement, access and prominence. European Journal of Political Research, 56(3), 723–732.
IPA. (2016). Annual financial report. Institute of Public Affairs.
John, P. (2012). Analyzing public policy (9780203136218). Routledge. https://acncpubfilesprodstorage.blob.core.windows.net/public/ef93a49c-38af-e811-a963-000d3ad244fd-63fd78e9-4513-4930-8c94-00aaafdf7ffc-Financial%20Report-ed963dc0-44b0-e811-a961-000d3ad24182-LIIP_Statutory_Accounts_FY_14-15_v19_signed_with_Audit_Report.pdf
Leech, B. L. (2010). Lobbying and influence. In S. Maisel & J. M. Berry (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of American Political Parties And Interest Groups. Oxford University Press.
Martin, A., Dowding, K., Hindmoor, A., & Gibbons, A. (2014). The opinion-policy link in Australia. Australian Journal of Political Science, 49(3), 499–517.
Moore, D. (2021). IPE Objectives. Institute for Private Enterprise. http://www.ipe.net.au/objectives/. Accessed July 31, 2021
Mulholland, E. (2021). ABC spends millions promoting itself. Institute of Public Affairs. https://ipa.org.au/ipa-today/abc-spends-millions-promoting-itself
Page, B., & Shapiro, R. (1983). Effects of public opinion on policy. The American Political Science Review (1927), 77(1), 175.
Peschek, J. G. (1987). Policy-planning organizations: Elite agendas and America’s rightward turn. Temple University Press.
Rich, A. (1999). Think tanks, public policy, and the politics of expertise (PhD Thesis). Yale University, Connecticut.
Rich, A. (2004). Think tanks, public policy, and the politics of expertise. Cambridge University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hagland, T. (2023). Influence Intentions. In: Think Tanks in Australia. Interest Groups, Advocacy and Democracy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27044-4_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27044-4_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-27043-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-27044-4
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)