Think Tanks and the Internet

As think tanks try to push policy making in their desired direction in such diverse fields as health, education, taxation, regulation and national security it is not surprising, that also the Internet has entered their issue list:

RAND, a center-right U.S. think tank not only argues for the usage of certain guidelines concerning the use of e-mail, but has also released a research report - sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense - entitled "Strategic Information Warfare: A New Face of War". In November 1999 RAND has furthermore launched a co-operation with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) aimed at combating the threat of cybercrime. ICCs practical expertise and RANDs research and analytical capacities shall aid at finding solutions to fight hackers, industrial spies, and other criminals who may exploit the Internet to attack commercial and public-sector systems.

Another of the big players in the elite of think tanks, the conservative Washington D.C. based Cato Institute quite surprisingly has started to defend human rights in Cyberspace. Jonathan D. Wallace' "Nameless in Cyberspace: Anonymity on the Internet." sees the constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of speech and expression in the United States under attack by proposals to limit or restrict the use of anonymity on the Internet.

Yet another conservative think tank, the U.S. based Center for Strategic and International Studies in June 1999 has initiated a Conference (Global Information Infrastructure Commission) to accelerate the development of E-Commerce in India. Among the Conferences participants were not only government representatives from India and the United States, but also the CEO of Global TeleSystems Group Inc., the vice chairman of Fujitsu and the executive president of Siemens A.G., as well as the World Bank and the World Intellectual Property Organization.

TEXTBLOCK 1/2 // URL: http://world-information.org/wio/infostructure/100437611704/100438658373
 
Table: Publishing Programs of Think Tanks



Think Tank

Periodicals

Publication of Research Findings

Brookings Institution (Washington D.C., US)

Brookings Review, Brookings Papers on Economic Activities

Recent titles include: Hess, Frederick M.: Spinning Wheels. The Politics of Urban School Reform. (1998). Haass, Richard N.: The Bureaucratic Entrepreneur. How to be Effective in Any Unruly Organization. (1998).

Heritage Foundation (Washington D.C., US)

Policy Review

Publication of journals, newsletters, magazines, research reports, policy/issue briefs, video, CD-ROM, website.
Recent publications include: Holmes, K. and J. J. Przystup: Between Diplomacy and Deterrence. Strategies for U.S. Relations with China. (1997). Holmes, K. and T. Moore (eds.): Restoring American Leadership. (1996).

American Enterprise Institute (Washington D.C., US)

The American Enterprise, Newsletter

Types of publications are newsletters, magazines, monographs and books.
Recent titles include: Income Inequality and IQ. (1998). Morrisey, Michael (ed.): Managed Care and Changing Health Care Markets. (1998).

Cato Institute (Washington D.C., US)

Regulation, Cato Journal, Policy Report

Research findings are published in the form of: journals, newsletters, magazines, research reports, monographs and policy/issue briefs.
Some recent publications include: Moore, Thomas: Gale Climate of Fear. Why We Shouldn't Worry About Global Warming. (1998). Carpenter, T. G. and B. Conry (eds.): NATO Enlargement. Illusions and Reality. (1998).

RAND Corporation (Santa Monica, CA, US)

RAND Research Review, RAND Journal of Economics

Types of publications are journals, newsletters, magazines, research reports, working/discussion papers, monographs and policy/issue briefs. An important outlet is the RAND publication series. In 1997, RAND published 73 reports and papers in this series. Many RAND studies also appear as books from commercial publishing houses and university presses, and as articles in professional, scholarly, and technical journals.

Institute of Economic Affairs (London, UK)

Economic Affairs, Newsletter

Research findings are published in the form of journals, newsletters, magazines, research reports, working/discussion papers and monographs. Some recent titles include: Regulation Utilities. Broadening the Debate . (1997). The Conservative Government's Economic Record. (1998).

Adam Smith Institute (London, UK)

ASI Bulletin

Some recent publications are: Singapore versus Chile. Competing models for welfare reform. The Eastern Market. The Future of the Post-Communist Countries.

Center for Policy Studies (London, UK)

CPS Newsletter

Types of publications are newsletters, magazines, research reports and policy/issue briefs. Recent titles include: Selbourne, David: One Year On. The "New Politics" of Labour. Eltis, Walter: Further Considerations on EMU. It will Create Instability and Destroy Employment.



TEXTBLOCK 2/2 // URL: http://world-information.org/wio/infostructure/100437611704/100438658233
 
Center for Strategic and International Studies

CSIS is a private, tax-exempt and public policy research institution dedicated to policy analysis. It covers key functional areas such as international finance, emerging markets, U.S. domestic and economic policy and U.S. foreign policy and national security issues. Policy impact is the basic mission of CSIS. Its goal is to shape selected policy decisions in government and the private sector.

INDEXCARD, 1/2
 
WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN), which was designed to promote the worldwide protection of both industrial property (inventions, trademarks, and designs) and copyrighted materials (literary, musical, photographic, and other artistic works). It was established by a convention signed in Stockholm in 1967 and came into force in 1970. The aims of WIPO are threefold. Through international cooperation, WIPO promotes the protection of intellectual property. Secondly, the organization supervises administrative cooperation between the Paris, Berne, and other intellectual unions regarding agreements on trademarks, patents, and the protection of artistic and literary work and thirdly through its registration activities the WIPO provides direct services to applicants for, or owners of, industrial property rights.

INDEXCARD, 2/2