---
title: "Think Tanks — AP Gov Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "Think tanks are research organizations that produce policy proposals and expert analysis to influence lawmakers. Key to AP Gov Topic 5.6 and issue networks."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-gov/key-terms/think-tanks"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US Government"
unit: "Unit 5"
---

# Think Tanks — AP Gov Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

Think tanks are organizations that produce research, expert analysis, and policy proposals to shape what lawmakers, executive officials, and the public think about domestic and foreign issues. In AP Gov (Topic 5.6), they're a key player in issue networks, influencing policy with information rather than votes or money.

## What It Is

A think tank is an organization whose whole job is producing ideas. It [commissions](/ap-gov/unit-2/bureaucracy/study-guide/Ry6mEWFp4DgDQfXDswZU "fv-autolink") research, publishes white papers, sends experts to testify before Congress, and pitches policy proposals to the media. Funded by foundations, corporations, and donors, think tanks try to shape legislation and administrative action by being the smartest voice in the room. The Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation are the classic examples, and both have influenced federal [policymaking](/ap-gov/key-terms/policymaking "fv-autolink") for decades.

Here's the simplest way to think about it. [Interest groups](/ap-gov/unit-5 "fv-autolink") influence policy with members and money; think tanks influence policy with research and expertise. In the CED's language, think tanks are part of the **issue networks** that form around policy areas, alongside interest groups, congressional staffers, and bureaucratic agencies. When a member of Congress drafts a bill, the data and policy framework behind it often came from a think tank report. That's influence without a single campaign donation.

## Why It Matters

Think tanks live in **Unit 5: Political Participation, Topic 5.6 (Interest Groups Influencing Policy Making)**. They support learning objective **[AP Gov](/ap-gov "fv-autolink") 5.6.A**, which asks you to explain the benefits and potential problems of [interest group](/ap-gov/key-terms/interest-group "fv-autolink") influence. The benefit side is easy to see with think tanks, since they educate voters and officeholders and even help draft legislation. The problem side matters too. Think tanks are funded by foundations, corporations, and wealthy donors, so the 'expert' research entering the policy debate can carry an ideological or financial slant. That connects directly to **5.6.B**, which is about how unequal resources translate into unequal influence. A well-funded think tank gets its experts on cable news and its reports on congressional desks; an underfunded one doesn't.

## Connections

### Issue networks and iron triangles (Unit 5)

Think tanks are a textbook node in an issue network, the loose web of interest groups, agency officials, congressional staff, and policy experts that forms around an issue. [Iron triangles](/ap-gov/key-terms/iron-triangles "fv-autolink") are the tighter, more exclusive version with just an agency, a committee, and an interest group. If an FRQ asks who participates in an issue network, think tanks are a strong answer.

### [Lobbyists (Unit 5)](/ap-gov/key-terms/lobbyists)

[Lobbyists](/ap-gov/key-terms/lobbyists "fv-autolink") and think tanks both feed information to lawmakers, but lobbyists advocate directly for a client's position while think tanks package their influence as independent research. In practice they work together. A lobbyist will hand a member of Congress a think tank report to back up the pitch.

### [Insider strategies (Unit 5)](/ap-gov/key-terms/insider-strategies)

Think tank work is classic insider-strategy material. Testifying at hearings, briefing executive officials, and helping draft legislation all happen inside the policymaking process, not out in the streets. Contrast that with [outsider strategies](/ap-gov/key-terms/outsider-strategies "fv-autolink") like protests and grassroots mobilization.

### Bureaucratic rulemaking and the policy agenda (Unit 2)

Think tank influence doesn't stop at Congress. Their proposals shape how executive agencies write rules and how presidents staff administrations, since think tank scholars often move directly into government jobs. That's the 'revolving door' between research and power.

## On the AP Exam

Think tanks usually show up on multiple-choice questions about Topic 5.6, often inside a scenario. Expect a stem describing an organization that publishes research and testifies before Congress, then asks you to identify it as a think tank or to explain how it influences policymaking. No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but it's fair game in two FRQ situations. First, the Concept Application FRQ could give you a scenario about a research organization shaping a bill, and you'd need to connect it to interest group influence or issue networks. Second, the Argument Essay on interest group influence rewards you for citing think tanks as evidence that influence flows through information and expertise, not just money. The move to practice is explaining the mechanism. Don't just name Brookings or Heritage; say HOW a think tank converts research into policy (white papers, testimony, media outreach, drafting help).

## think tanks vs Lobbyists

Both try to influence policymakers, but the method differs. A lobbyist directly advocates for a specific client or interest group, meeting with lawmakers to push a position. A think tank produces research and policy proposals and presents itself as a source of expertise rather than an advocate. The fuzzy part is that many think tanks have clear ideological leanings (Heritage is conservative, Brookings leans center-left), so their 'neutral research' often serves a side. On the exam, if the organization's main product is research and analysis, it's a think tank. If it's direct persuasion of officials on behalf of a group, that's lobbying.

## Key Takeaways

- Think tanks are organizations that produce research, expert analysis, and policy proposals to influence lawmakers, executive officials, and public debate.
- They belong to AP Gov Topic 5.6 and support learning objective 5.6.A on the benefits and problems of interest group influence.
- Think tanks influence policy through information (white papers, congressional testimony, media outreach, and help drafting legislation), not through votes or campaign donations.
- They are key participants in issue networks, working alongside interest groups, agency officials, and congressional staff on shared policy areas.
- Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation are the go-to examples, and both have shaped federal policy for decades.
- Because think tanks are funded by foundations, corporations, and donors, their research can carry an ideological slant, which connects to the CED's point about unequal resources producing unequal influence.

## FAQs

### What is a think tank in AP Gov?

A think tank is an organization that commissions and publishes research, expert analysis, and policy proposals to inform lawmakers, executive officials, and public debate. In AP Gov, it falls under Topic 5.6 (Interest Groups Influencing Policy Making) as a participant in issue networks.

### Are think tanks the same as interest groups?

No, though they overlap. Interest groups represent members and apply pressure through lobbying, mobilization, and elections, while think tanks influence policy by producing research and expertise. Think tanks often supply the data and policy frameworks that interest groups and lobbyists use.

### What's the difference between a think tank and a lobbyist?

A lobbyist directly advocates for a client's position with lawmakers and officials. A think tank publishes research and policy proposals, influencing policy through expertise rather than direct advocacy. Lobbyists frequently cite think tank reports to strengthen their case.

### Are think tanks unbiased?

Not necessarily. Think tanks are funded by foundations, corporations, and donors, and many have clear ideological leanings (Heritage Foundation is conservative, Brookings leans center-left). That funding-driven slant is exactly the 'potential problem' side of learning objective 5.6.A.

### What are examples of think tanks for the AP Gov exam?

The Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation are the standard examples, and both have a long record of influencing federal policymaking. If an exam scenario describes an organization that publishes policy research and testifies before Congress, identify it as a think tank.

## Related Study Guides

- [5.6 Interest Groups Influencing Policy Making](/ap-gov/unit-5/interest-groups-influencing-policy-making/study-guide/5QNVx9K7aO2m56wcOxW9)

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