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Quality. Independence. Impact.

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations that advance three broad goals:

  • Strengthen American democracy;
  • Foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans and
  • Secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system.

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Quality Scholarship

The research agenda and recommendations of Brookings experts are rooted in open-minded inquiry and our scholars represent diverse points of view. More than 200 resident and nonresident fellows research issues; write books, papers, articles and opinion pieces; testify before congressional committees and participate in dozens of public events each year. The Institution’s president, Strobe Talbott, is responsible for setting policies that maintain Brookings’s reputation for quality, independence and impact.

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A Meeting Place for Ideas

The Brookings Institution has always played an important role in bringing expertise, balance and informed debate to the public discussion of policy choices.

Over the years, Brookings has offered a platform to national and global leaders. Our unique convening power has brought together diverse voices from a range of critical regions, helping to clarify differences and find common ground.

90 Years of Policy Ideas

Brookings traces its beginnings to 1916, when a group of leading reformers founded the Institute for Government Research, the first private organization devoted to analyzing public policy issues at the national level. In 1922 and 1924, one of the institute’s backers, Robert Somers Brookings (1850-1932), established two supporting sister organizations: the Institute of Economics and a graduate school bearing his name. In 1927, the three groups merged to form The Brookings Institution.

Over the past 90 years, Brookings has contributed to landmark achievements in public policy, including organization of the United Nations, design of the Marshall Plan, creation of the Congressional Budget Office, deregulation, broad-based tax reform, welfare reform and the design of foreign aid programs. We also offer a platform to world leaders, using our convening power to inform the public debate. As part of our global mission, we operate the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy in Beijing and the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar.

More about our history »

An Independent Voice

Brookings is financed through an endowment and through the support of philanthropic foundations, corporations and private individuals. These friends of the Institution respect our experts’ independence to pose questions, search for answers and present their findings in the way that they see fit.

Our board of trustees is composed of distinguished business executives, academics, former government officials and community leaders. An International Advisory Committee is composed of public and private sector leaders from fifteen countries.

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CONTACTS

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All-Brookings Priorities

On five key challenges, Brookings is drawing expertise from all of our programs to develop integrated solutions.

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Action and Impact

For more than 90 years, Brookings has produced new ideas that matter - for the nation and the world. Our goal is to conduct high-quality, independent research, and to use it to advance innovative, practical public policy recommendations.

Our experts focus on strengthening American democracy; advancing the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans; and securing a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system.

Informing Public Policy

"Brookings has been at the center of every important policy debate in this country for 90 years."
Sen. Chuck Hagel, July 28, 2006

"You are a national institution, so important to, at least, the Executive Branch—and, I think, the Congress, and the country—that if you did not exist we would have to ask someone to create you."
President Lyndon Johnson, September 29, 1966 (read entire speech »)

"Our job is to come up with ideas that make sense and that make a difference."
Strobe Talbott, Brookings President

"Brookings has achieved a special measure of respect in Washington because it has risen above partisanship, and that is not an easy thing to do in this town which is sort of built on partisanship."
Hon. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York, August 28, 2007

"Once again, the centrist Brookings Institution garnered the most [media] citations ..."
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, March/April 2008

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Spotlight

ExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.

ProgramGovernance Studies

Governance Studies explores political institutions of the United States and other democracies to assess how they govern, how their practices compare and how citizens and public servants can advance sound governance.

Policy CenterEngelberg Center for Health Care Reform

The Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform provides practical solutions to achieve high-quality, innovative, affordable health care with particular emphasis on identifying opportunities on the national, state and local levels.

ExpertSarah A. Binder

Sarah Binder is an expert on Congress and legislative politics.  Her current projects focus on the politics of federal judicial selection and the consequences of partisan polarization.

ExpertDouglas W. Elmendorf

Doug Elmendorf, whose government posts have included the Federal Reserve, Treasury, Council of Economic Advisors, and CBO, focuses his research on macroeconomics and fiscal policy. He is co-editor of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity and director of The Hamilton Project, which develops proposals for shared growth.

ExpertRebecca Blank

Rebecca Blank is an expert on the interaction between the macroeconomy, government anti-poverty programs, and the behavior and well being of low-income families. She has just been named the Robert S. Kerr senior fellow at Brookings.

ExpertJoshua M. Epstein

A leader in the agent-based computational modeling methodology and a recent recipient of the 2008 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, Josh Epstein is known for his groundbreaking work on epidemics and bioterrorism.

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

ExpertJulia B. Isaacs

Julia Isaacs focuses on public investments in children and how children are affected by national budgetary policies. A former federal budget analyst, she also researches the economic mobility of children and families across the income spectrum.

ExpertHugh B. Price

Former president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, Hugh Price is an expert on education, civil rights, equal opportunity and criminal justice. His 40-year career spans journalism, philanthropy, the law, and social advocacy.

ExpertAlice M. Rivlin

Alice Rivlin, the first director of the Congressional Budget Office, is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy. She directs the Greater Washington Research project. 

ExpertDarrell M. West

Darrell M. West is the vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings. His studies include campaigns and elections, political advertising, mass media, public opinion, technology policy and electronic government.