Does David Koch's Retirement Mean Less Powerful Conservative Think Tanks?

Here is more from the Washington Post:

David Koch, one of two billionaire brothers whose powerful conservative network transformed Republican politics, is retiring from business and political life because of declining health, potentially testing the staying power of an organization that was already changing in dramatic ways.

Charles Koch announced in a letter to employees of Koch Industries on Tuesday that his brother’s health had deteriorated since a hospitalization last summer. He was not specific about the illness, though his brother is a cancer survivor. David Koch will retire from his family’s conglomerate and step down as chairman of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

According to an official bio, he has pledged or contributed more than $1.3 billion to assist various causes, including educational, arts and cultural institutions and public policy organizations. The money has come through personal gifts and the David H. Koch Foundation.

His representatives say he has provided more than $300 million in additional charitable support, beyond the $1.3 billion, for other causes — including help for victims of Hurricane Harvey last year.

But while the Koch name is on a lot of buildings, David Koch is best known for wading heavily into politics. In 1980, he was the Libertarian Party’s nominee for vice president. His ticket, with Ed Clark, received just 1 percent of the popular vote. Ronald Reagan won.

Several of the ideas Koch ran on that year, then seen as fringe, have subsequently become GOP orthodoxy. And the investments that the Kochs have made to build up think tanks, including the Cato Institute, and promote libertarian-leaning scholars at universities are an important part of the story of how the right moved their way.

Here is a Politico article on the think tanks tied to the Koch brothers.

Here is one of many previous Think Tank Watch posts about the Koch brothers' connection to think tanks.

Koch Placing Young Professionals in Conservative Think Tanks

Think Tank Watch noticed this little tidbit from HuffPost:

The Charles Koch Institute has an “associates program” that places young professionals in conservative think tanks and pays an average of $41,000 per year. The Leadership Institute, a conservative youth organization, offers interns free accommodation, free food, an $825-per-month stipend and a $200 “book allowance.”

Here is more about the 10-month Koch Associate Program, which has 90+ partner organizations, including the Acton Institute, American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Cato Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), Heritage Foundation and Mercatus Center.

On June 26, the above-mentioned Leadership Institute is hosting the "Think Tank Opportunity Workshop."  Here is more about that event, which costs $50 (or $30 if you register before June 20):

Conservative think tanks fuel new ideas, promote conservative principles in the public policy process, and challenge and defeat the policies of the left. They are most successful when staffed by talented conservatives, enthusiastic about research and analysis in the public policy process.

At the Think Tank Opportunity Workshop, expert faculty will teach you how think tanks operate from the inside and what you can do to successfully find and build a career in major research organizations across Washington D.C. and beyond.

Whether you are new to your career, hoping to shape public policy, or considering how you can transition into a think tank, this workshop will help you succeed.
You will learn to:

• Understand the careers available in think tanks
• Find your specialty and build a reputation as an expert
• Research and compose policy documents
• Communicate your research to decision-makers
• Use your research to lobby and to influence public policy

Here is our recent post about intern pay at think tanks.

Charles Koch Institute VP on the Dangers of Think Tank Groupthink

William Ruger, Vice President of Research and Policy at the Charles Koch Institute, has a new piece entitled "Groupthink, Not the Deep State, Is the Real Culprit."  Following is an excerpt:

And yet “deep state” language has been adopted by legitimate commentators in America, trying to analyze our politics today. While usages vary, the basic idea behind these deep-state arguments is that well-placed elements inside the permanent national-security bureaucracy, and those tightly connected to them in industry and think tanks, have been able to dominate—or even control—U.S. foreign policy. They allegedly do so through various mechanisms, including inside and outside pressure; control of vast resources and capabilities; leveraging information asymmetries to their advantage; engaging in threat inflation and selective leaking; and replicating, reinforcing and policing the ideas and culture within key institutions to produce a “groupthink” mentality.

Last year, the Charles Koch Institute teamed up with the Brookings Institution to launch a new foreign policy debate series with Politico.

The Institute also funds various think tanks, including the Fraser Institute, and partners with think tanks such as the Cato Institute.