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Organizational Identity of Think Tank(er)s: A Growing Elite Group in Swedish Civil Society
[journal article]
Abstract Think tanks, defined as organizations that produce policy research for political purposes (McGann, 2007; Medvetz, 2008), are an increasingly ubiquitous type of policy actor world-wide. In Sweden, the last 20 years' sharp increase in think tank numbers (Åberg, Einarsson, & Reuter, 2019) has coincided... view more
Think tanks, defined as organizations that produce policy research for political purposes (McGann, 2007; Medvetz, 2008), are an increasingly ubiquitous type of policy actor world-wide. In Sweden, the last 20 years' sharp increase in think tank numbers (Åberg, Einarsson, & Reuter, 2019) has coincided with the decline of the traditional Swedish corporatist model based on the intimate involvement of the so-called 'popular movements' in policy-making (Lundberg, 2014; Micheletti, 1995). Contrary to the large, mass-membership based and democratically organized movement organizations, think tanks are small, professionalized, expert-based, and seldom represent any larger membership base. Their increasingly important role as the ideological greenhouses in Swedish civil society might, therefore, be interpreted as an indication of an increasingly elitist and professionalized character of the latter. But what is a think tank? The article explores how a shared understanding of what constitutes a think tank is constructed by think-tankers themselves. In the study, interviewed think tank executives and top-level staff reflect upon their own organizations' missions and place in the Swedish policy system.... view less
Keywords
Sweden; think tank; political consulting; political influence; civil society; elite
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
Sweden; civil society; elites; social movements; think tanks
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
Page/Pages
p. 142-151
Journal
Politics and Governance, 8 (2020) 3
Issue topic
Civil Society Elites
ISSN
2183-2463
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed