Pro-governmental think tanks in modern Russia: a functional approach

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the development of Russian think tanks, most associated with the government: The Institute of Public Design (INOP), the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society (FoRGO), the Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies (ISEPS) and the Expert Institute of Social Research (EISR). It demonstrates that all the four think tanks are characterized by a high expression of research/analytical and communicative functions, as well as by the absence of the implementation function, which is probably typical for all clients think tanks. The educational function is less expressed, but still is present. The creative function associated with the search for solutions to the identified problems is present in the public field of the earliest of the structures considered in this paper – INOP.

Three think tanks reviewed (excluding FoRGO), have a resource function expressed in the distribution of grant money from the federal budget. Finally, in the activities of FoRGO and EISR, it is possible to identify such a new function for independent thought factories as an instructional and advisory one.