Monday, September 30, 2013

What the Gov't Shutdown Means for Think Tanks

How will Washington, DC-area think tanks be impacted by a US government shutdown?  The only major difference Think Tank Watch can envision is more government participants at think tanks.  With thousands of federal staffers waiting to return to work, they may want to go explore think tank land...

A shutdown may also lead to some cancellations of government speakers at think tanks, but may also lead to a flood of Members of Congress who want to use think tanks as a platform to discuss the shutdown.

At least one think tank will feel a significant impact from the shutdown - United States Institute of Peace (USIP).  The think tank, which is federally funded, says that it is "closed temporarily for ordinary business."  A USIP spokesman told Foreign Policy that researchers and fellows cannot officially work on anything USIP-related if the Institute shuts down as part of the overall government shutdown."

Other think tanks that receive federal funding, such as the Wilson Center, reportedly will keep operating with a reduced staff.

Many other think tanks are gearing up to debate and analyze the shutdown.  Brookings Now blog will highlight what Brookings experts are saying about the impending shutdown.

Here is the Heritage Foundation on what happens during a government shutdown.

Here is the Center for American Progress (CAP) on how the US ended up on the verge of another government shutdown.

The libertarian Cato Institute says the government shutdown is no big deal.