The niche of think tanks in a consensus: seeking and neo-corporatist policy advisory system

Abstract

While think tanks are no longer solely a feature of Anglo-Saxon countries, they still

appear less prevalent in consensus-oriented and neo-corporatist political regimes. To

what extent do central characteristics of these countries shape the organizational char-

acteristics and political activities of think tanks? We theoretically contribute to the exist- ing literature on policy advice by drawing inspiration from niche theory, and empirically complement previous work by focusing on think tanks in Belgium, a country with a crowded and closed advisory landscape. Relying on a combination of data sources, our analysis highlights three central features of think tanks: (1) the long-term and antici- patory character of their policy advice, (2) the evidence-based nature of their policy work, and (3) their consensus-oriented mode of operating. The first two features echo what earlier studies in pluralist setting identified as key distinguishing characteris- tics. The third feature, their consensus-oriented mode of operating, represents a new element that turns out critical for understanding the niche of think tanks in Belgium. Its consensus-style tradition shows not only in how think tanks position themselves externally, but also in their internal organizational structure.