Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a prominent, independent, nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to research and analysis in the fields of economics, public policy, and government. Established in 1916, it originated from a group focused on national public policy issues and has since evolved into a significant player in American policy discourse. Brookings employs over 300 experts from various sectors to produce high-quality research and policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of U.S. institutions and public policies.
The institution has a rich history of influencing major policy developments, including the creation of the U.S. Bureau of the Budget and contributions to post-World War II initiatives like the Marshall Plan. Its publications include numerous journals and books that address critical economic and social topics. Recently, the organization faced controversy when its president resigned amid an FBI investigation regarding alleged lobbying activities related to Qatar, which he denied. Following this, Amy Liu was appointed as interim president. Overall, Brookings remains a key resource for policymakers and scholars seeking informed analysis on pressing national issues.
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Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to research, analysis, education, and publication. Its main areas of focus are economics, public policy, and government. According to its website, the organization brings together hundreds of leading experts in government and academia to produce high-quality research, policy recommendations, and analysis. Through these, it aims to improve the performance of American institutions and the quality of public policy.
The organization was in the news in June 2022 when allegations that Brookings president John R. Allen had lobbied for the government of Qatar during the Donald Trump presidential administration. While he denied these claims, he stepped down as president of the group, and Amy Liu stepped in as interim president. The investigation prompted calls for additional scrutiny and transparency in think tanks such as Brookings.
Background
The Brookings Institution was founded in 1916 after a group, including businessman Robert S. Brookings, founded the Institute for Government Research (IGR), which was the first private organization devoted to analyzing national public policy issues. Brookings then formed two other organizations, the Institute of Economics in 1922 and a graduate school in 1924. In 1927, the two institutes and the school merged together and formed the Brookings Institution. The organization’s first president was Harold Moulton, a University of Chicago professor who was known for his research on war debts.
The organization has published a number of journals and books over the years through the Brookings Institution Press. Its journals include Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Microeconomics (1989–1998); Brookings Papers on Education Policy (1998–2006); The Brookings Review (1982–2003); The Brookings Bulletin (1962–1982); Brookings Trade Forum (1998–2008); and Brookings-Wharton Papers on Urban Affairs (2000–2009). Books published by the Brookings Institution include 2024's Lies That Kill: A Citizen's Guide to Disinformation, 2016’s The $13 Trillion Question: How America Manages Its Debt, 2000’s The 2000 Prune Book: How to Succeed in Washington’s Top Jobs, 2002’s American Metropolitics: The New Suburban Reality, and 2006’s Antitrust Policy and Vertical Restraints.
As a non-profit organization, the Brookings Institution receives grants from other organizations to carry out its research. The Brookings Institution was awarded more than $11 million in grants from the MacArthur Foundation from 1989 to 2022. This included twenty-eight grants in technology in the public interest, nuclear challenges, migration, policy research, girls’ secondary education in developing countries, and human rights. The organization has also listed the BHP Foundation, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Andrew H. And Ann R. Tisch Foundation, and others, as major contributors.
Topic Today
Economists from the Brookings Institution played a large role in crafting the 1921 legislation that created the first US Bureau of the Budget. Brookings experts would go on to play an important role during World War II, both with government mobilization during the conflict and management of the war’s aftermath. Brookings expert Leo Pasvolsky helped create the blueprint for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dream of the United Nations. He also helped create the Marshall Plan, the post-World War II initiative to provide financial aid to Western Europe. Brookings governmental studies expert Laurin Henry is credited for publishing Presidential Transitions one year before the presidential election of 1960. The report was designed to help the winning candidate—John F. Kennedy or Richard M. Nixon—successfully launch his administration. The institution would go on to influence United States government and public policy over the decades, including helping shape a new generation of urban policies in the 1990s and producing proposals for homeland security and intelligence operations following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. A number of Brookings experts were recruited to serve in the Biden administration in the early 2020s.
Controversy
Retired Marine Gen. John Allen resigned from his role as the Brookings Institution’s president in June 2022 amid an FBI probe. The investigation centered on whether he had lobbied the US government on behalf of the nation of Qatar during the Donald Trump presidential administration in 2017. At that time, Allen was a fellow at Brookings. An FBI search warrant included emails he sent from his Brookings email in June 2017. The warrant alleged that Allen was recruited in 2017 to travel to Qatar while the country was dealing with a blockade from other Persian Gulf nations who had accused Qatar of supporting extremism. Allen had worked with businessperson Imaad Zuberi and former US Ambassador to Pakistan and United Arab Emirates Richard Olson. The three traveled to Doha, Qatar, where Allen received a $20,000 speaking engagement fee, according to the court filing. The FBI further charged that Allen had given a false version of events during a 2020 FBI interview about why he had met with Qatari officials. The investigators said Allen failed to turn over relevant emails to the bureau and further alleged that Allen, Olson, and Zuberi violated foreign lobby laws by trying to influence US government officials on behalf of Qatar without registering under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA).
Olson and Zuberi pleaded guilty to foreign lobbying charges, Zuberi in 2019 and Olson in June 2022. Allen denied all the claims against him, and his spokesperson Beau Phillips said his efforts in regard to Qatar in 2017 were to protect the interests of the United States and the military personnel who were stationed there at the time. Qatar was a longtime financial backer of the Brookings Institute, although Allen decided to stop taking new money from the country in 2019. Brookings put Allen on administration leave the day after the Associated Press first broke the news. The organization later issued a statement thanking Allen for guiding it through the coronavirus pandemic. The Brookings Institution selected Amy Liu as interim president in 2022. In January 2024, Cecilia Elena Rouse became the president of the Brookings Institution.
Bibliography
“About Us.” Brookings Institution, www.brookings.edu/about-us. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
“Brookings Institution.” MacArthur Foundation, www.macfound.org/grantee/brookings-institution-4337. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
“Brookings Institution Announces Dr. Cecilia Rouse as President.” Brookings Institution, 28 June 2023, www.brookings.edu/news/brookings-institution-announces-dr-cecilia-rouse-as-president. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
“The Brookings Institution’s Contributor’s List.” Brookings, www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-Brookings-Institutions-Contributors-List-Fiscal-Year-2020.pdf. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
Guyer, Jonathan. “The Scandal Embroiling Washington’s Most Venerable Think Tank, Explained.” Vox, 14 June 2022, www.vox.com/23166516/scandal-john-allen-brookings-think-tank-qatar-lobbying. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
Kirkpatrick, David D. “John R. Allen Resigns as Brookings President After Qatar Revelations.” The New York Times, 12 June 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/06/12/us/politics/john-allen-brookings-resigns.html. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
“Retired US General Resigns as Brookings President amid FBI Lobbying Inquiry.” The Guardian, 13 June 2022, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/13/john-allen-resigns-brookings-president-retired-us-general-fbi-lobbying-investigation. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.