Funded by foundations, corporate donors and individual contributors, think tanks are endowed with the financial and human resources which enable them to systematically influence public opinion, media agenda setting and policy discussion. From time to time, when evidence is not at hand, these institutions produce tailor-made arguments, backing their ideological concepts, with the aim to influence policy making. In some cases this construction of evidence has not only remained in the position of an attempt, but actually led to specific policy reforms.
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The Manhattan Institute is a research and educational organization supported by tax-deductible gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The institute's goal is to "develop and encourage public policies at all levels of government which will allow individuals the greatest scope for achieving their potential, both as participants in a productive economy and as members of a functioning society."
Based in Washington D.C. the AEI is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the "foundations of freedom" - limited government, private enterprise, vital cultural and political institutions, and a strong foreign policy and national defense. The Institute publishes dozens of books and hundreds of articles and reports each year, and an influential policy magazine, The American Enterprise. AEI publications are distributed widely to government officials and legislators, business executives, journalists, and academics. The Institute is a nonprofit organization supported primarily by grants and contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals.