Think tanks are quasi-academic institutions whose primary goal is to conduct research that influences public policy.

“the purpose of the research at a think tank is to affect the outcome of public policy some think tanks will only focus on the Arch other think tanks as I'm we'll no doubt discuss will use that research and then hire people to go Advocate that is to say that they're lobbyists”

The Manhattan Institute and City Journal are vital institutions because they promote optimism and focus on solving concrete problems through intellectual rigor.

“I'm an enormous fan of both of these institutions because of their unfl flagging and unwavering optimism about the country. That optimism shines through in their particular focus, solving concrete problems.”

Think tanks are potentially valuable if they focus on policy development and provide analytical work that politicians can use.

“I actually think a lot of the work that Tony Blairs institute's doing at the moment if I were a political party or a government in any different parts of the world I'd be looking at some of the papers they produce so yeah I think the think tanks come I think the resolution Foundation is very good”

Think tanks struggle with being useful because they lack a direct line into the administration in the UK compared to their counterparts in the United States.

“even Chatham House which is partly funded by the foreign office very close to foreign office often I think do get a bit frustrated at the sense that they're not really on the inside whereas U.S think tanks Brookings institution counts on Foreign Relations some of the US universities you really do fe”