The Role of Think Tanks in the Conservative Economic and Social Movement in the U.S.

This paper describes the economic and political environment for the rise of conservative movement in the United States during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. It discusses the motivation and the sources of funding for the establishment of conservative think tanks. The strategies used by the conservative think tanks to marketing their ideas and influencing policy making are also explored. Several policy recommendations from the conservative think tanks are critically examined to expose fallacies in their arguments. The paper concludes with a summary of the outcomes of conservative movement in the United States and the lessons learned from this movement.