You describe the Alaska Center for Public Policy (ACPP) as a “think tank.” What is a “think tank?”

In general, a think tank is a nonprofit organization that provides an alternative body of public policy research, development, and advocacy. The development of an informal national network of progressive, state-based think tanks, however, is a rather recent phenomena. See David Callahan’s article, State Think Tanks on the Move, for a more detailed discussion. Also, see an early ACPP concept paper (PDF) that provides detailed, comparative information on two state think tanks.

 

Are there other state think tanks?

There are at least two dozen other state-based think tanks, i.e. think tanks that focus on public policy issues of a particular state as opposed to a smaller regional perspective, or a larger national or international focus. Most state think tanks are affiliated in two largely overlapping organizations. The first is the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative (SFAI), which was organized by several large foundations, and is coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The second is a more informal organization, Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN), which is an initiative of the Economic Policy Institute.

 

State think tanks are a great idea, but how do they stay afloat financially?

Typically, think tanks are incorporated as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Depending on the particular think tank, they may receiving funding from a wide range of sources and activities, such as:

	grants from local and national foundations
	grants and/or contracts from other nonprofits
	grants and/or contracts from corporations
	grants and/or contracts from public entities such as federal, state, or local governments
	contracts for specific services such as technical assistance or program evaluation
	sales of reports, literature, and other related commodities
	individual and corporate donations
	fund-raising events

 

Exactly which public policies and issues are considered fair game for state think tanks?

The answer to this question is as varied as the number of state think tanks themselves. At one end, some are rather narrowly focused on just fiscal and tax policies, or just children’s issues. On the other end of the spectrum, some have much broader interests and work with every imaginable public policy of social, political, and economic relevance.

 

Is there an existing state think tank which might be considered a model for the Alaska Center for Public Policy?

A critical review of the existing state think tanks reveals involvement in a wide variety of interests, missions, and local issues. One model that seems particularly well suited to Alaska would be a think tank with a broader scope of interests rather than a narrow focus. From this point of view, the Texas Center for Public Policy Priorities is structured like a number of others, and appears to be a solid and successful model.