Think Tanks and Economic Research Organizations
These are links to think tanks that do a lot of economic research. Many of them make their publications freely available on their web sites.
Note: descriptions are taken verbatim either from the organization's home page or from their About page.
The Adam Smith Institute - The ASI is Britain's leading innovator of market economic policies. Since 1977, it has played a key role in the analysis and development of public policies and has published over 300 influential policy reports. It has been part of a worldwide movement towards free markets and free trade. It encourages discussion of policy ideas through its website, and through newspapers, magazines and radio and television.
American Enterprise Institute- The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the foundations of freedom— government, private enterprise, vital cultural and political institutions, and a strong foreign policy and national defense— scholarly research, open debate, and publications.
American Institute for Economic Research - Organized in 1933 as a private, independent, scientific, and educational charitable organization, the American Institute for Economic Research plans its research to help individuals protect their personal interests and those of the Nation.
Beacon Hill Institute - The Beacon Hill Institute for Public Policy Research focuses on federal, state and local economic policies as they affect citizens and businesses, particularly in Massachusetts. The Institute, which is part of Suffolk University, uses state-of-the-art statistical, mathematical and econometric methods to provide timely and readable analyses that help voters, policymakers and opinion leaders understand today's leading public policy issues.
Brookings Institution- The Brookings Institution functions as an independent analyst and critic, committed to publishing its findings for the information of the public.
Cato Institute- Promoting Public Policy Based on Individual Liberty, Limited Government, Free Markets and Peace.
Committee for Economic Development - The Committee for Economic Development (CED) is an independent, nonpartisan organization of business and education leaders dedicated to policy research on the major economic and social issues of our time and the implementation of its recommendations by the public and private sectors.
Credit Union Economics Group - The CUEG is comprised of senior credit union officials with economic and/or financial backgrounds. CUEG provides credit unions with strategic views on the economy and consumer financial services through bi-annual regional reports and quarterly economic forecasts on principal credit union and economic trends.
Economic Cycle Research Institute- founded by Geoffrey Moore, the father of leading indicators, ECRI continues cyclical research in the tradition he established.
Economic Policy Institute- The mission of the Economic Policy Institute is to provide high-quality research and education in order to promote a prosperous, fair, and sustainable economy. The Institute stresses real world analysis and a concern for the living standards of working people, and it makes its findings accessible to the general public, the media, and policy makers.
Economic Strategy Institute - The Economic Strategy Institute (ESI) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan public policy research organization dedicated to assuring that globalization works with market forces to achieve maximum benefits rather than distorting markets, and imposing costs. This should be achieved on the basis of principles, policies, and institutions consistent with democratic values.
Employee Benefits Research Institute - Established in 1978, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) is the only nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed exclusively to data dissemination, policy research, and education on economic security and employee benefits. The Institute's mission is to advance the public's, the media's and policymakers' knowledge and understanding of employee benefits and their importance to our nation's economy.
EPA Environmental Technology Verification Program - EPA's Environmental Technology Verification Program - or ETV - was instituted to verify the performance of innovative technical solutions to problems that threaten human health or the environment. ETV was created to substantially accelerate the entrance of new environmental technologies into the domestic and international marketplace.
Foundation for Teaching Economics - The mission of the Foundation for Teaching Economics is to introduce young individuals, selected for their leadership potential, to an economic way of thinking about national and international issues, to promote excellence in economic education by helping economics teachers become more effective educators.
The Fraser Institute - The Fraser Institute was founded in 1974 to redirect public attention to the role markets can play in providing for the economic and social well-being of Canadians.
Heritage Foundation- The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute - a think tank - whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
Hoover Institute- The principles of individual, economic, and political freedom; private enterprise; and representative government were fundamental to the vision of the Institution’s founder. By collecting knowledge, generating ideas, and disseminating both, the Institution seeks to secure and safeguard peace, improve the human condition, and limit government intrusion into the lives of individuals.
Institute for International Economics- The Institute for International Economics is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution devoted to the study of international economic policy.
Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness - Based at the Harvard Business School, the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness is dedicated to the study of competition and its implications for company strategy; the competitiveness of nations, regions, and cities; and the relationship between competition and society. The Institute seeks to develop new theory, assemble bodies of data to test and apply the theory, and disseminate its ideas widely to scholars and practitioners in business, government, and non-governmental organizations such as universities, economic development organizations, and foundations. The Institute is led by Professor Michael E. Porter.
Jerome Levy Economics Institute - The Jerome Levy Economics Institute of Bard College is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, independently funded research organization devoted to public service. Through scholarship and research it generates viable, effective public policy responses to imporatnat economic problems that prfoundly affect the quality of life in the United States and abroad.
Milken Institute- The Milken Institute's mission is to explore and explain the dynamics of world economic structure, conduct, and performance by conducting research in economics, business, and finance. The objective is a better-informed public, more thoughtful public policies, improved economic outcomes, and better lives for people.
National Bureau of Economic Research- The NBER is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works. Our research is conducted by more than 500 university professors around the country, the leading scholars in their fields.
National Center for Policy Analysis - The National Center of Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, established in 1983. The NCPA's goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. Topics include reforms in health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, criminal justice, education and environmental regulation.
National Economic Association - The National Economic Association was founded in 1969 as the Caucus of Black Economists to promote the professional lives of minorities within the profession. Today, the organization remains dedicated to increasing the number of black economists and improving opportunities for career growth. In addition, the NEA is committed to advancing the study and understanding of the economic problems confronting the black community.
Pacific Research Institute - The mission of the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) is to champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility for all individuals by advancing free-market policy solutions.
Progress and Freedom Foundation - The Progress & Freedom Foundation was founded in 1993 to study the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. The Foundation believes that the digital revolution portends fundamental cultural, economic, political and social changes. While these changes bring challenges, they also create the potential for a new era of human progress.
RAND Corporation- From its inception in the days following World War II, RAND has focused on the nation's most pressing policy problems. High-quality, objective research on national security became the institution's first hallmark. In the 1960s, and in the same spirit, RAND began addressing major problems of domestic policy as well.
Urban Institute- The Institute's goals are to sharpen thinking about society's problems and efforts to solve them, improve government decisions and their implementation, and increase citizens' awareness about important public choices.
