I appreciate the advice everyone gave, but in light of this recent news (thanks John), the apparent lack of interest by dead-tree outlets, and my general impatient disposition, I’ve opted to eat my own dog food. Abstract below the fold.
For the sake of readability (columns, fonts, borders), if you are going to print it out, download from here; if you’re going to read it online, download from here.
THE THINK TANK IS DEAD
Long Live the Think Tank
By Michael Tanji
Abstract
Whither the brick-and-mortar think tank in an age of free information and globally accessible intellectual discourse? Very well, thank you. While virtual intellectual efforts are taking place on-line, the “virtual think tank” that is able to compete with its physical-world brethren is still in beta release. This is not, however, a situation that will remain static. Early efforts that assembled people virtually for intellectual pursuits have produced promising results, and as people become more comfortable working in virtual environments such successes are likely to grow. Virtual think tanks have distinct advantages and disadvantages over traditional think tanks that extend beyond the technical and into the political and social, and it will take more than a generational shift to bring about meaningful change. The immediate future is likely to produce a synergy between traditional houses of public policy production and the emerging “Think Tank 2.0” approach.
