How "Public" Is Public Policy? Think Tanks, Elite Policy Actors, and the Common Core

• In Event: Resistance in and Across Policy-Making Forums

Abstract

In this paper, I reflect upon the influence of think tanks in the formation of the Common Core State Standards. In doing so, I explore how certain think tanks, headed by political elites and backed by significant philanthropic funding, have sought to influence the reform initiative. My central argument is that meanings and practices associated with ‘the political public’ are being transformed as elite policy actors gain influence. Through mobilizing significant political and economic power, elites work through think tanks to influence policy debates, re-frame policy problems and advocate for particular policy solutions. The new public formations that are resulting appear to be shifting the conditions of possibility for policy making in education.

Author

• Glenn Clifton Savage, The University of Melbourne