Domhoff Research Project
Analyzing The "Experts"

Background: G. William Domhoff's Who Rules America: Power and Politics is not only an excellent piece of sociological analysis but also the most useful short primer for being a good citizen that I can think of. In less than 200 pages it provides a basic understanding of how class and power work in the United States that is critical for for exercising key skills of competent citizenship. Read it all and learn from it. Demonstrate your mastery of this material in this exercise.

General Goal of this Exercise: Domhoff's book alerts us to the importance of think tanks and policy-discussion groups in shaping both public policies and public opinion. The names of most of them are unfamiliar to most Americans, but in fact they are exposed to their messages all the time, since most of the "experts" that the news media turn to come from these think tanks and policy groups. The main goals of this short research project are: 1) to familiarize you with several ways of characterizing the major political/ideological positions that exist in the United States; 2) to develop your ability to identify which political position is most represented by any given think tank or policy organization; and 3) to relate this to your own political orientation. Together these goals should help enhance your ability to analze and evaluate the "experts" you hear or read about.

General Procedure:

1. You should have completed the Domhoff book and be ready to bring in relevant parts in doing this exercise.
2. You should have completed the Political Compass assignment, posted your results to the WebCT bulletin board, and saved a printout of where you fall in terms of its two axes and four quadrants. You should also keep in mind the different ways of representing political difference discussed in class on March 29th.
3. You will then choose two of the think tanks and policy groups, representing different political points of view, cited in the study, "An Assessment of American Economic Think Tank Visibility in the Media," summarized in terms of the U.S. press at http://n.ruble.tripod.com/uspress.htm. I recommend choosing one from each of the following lists:
   • List A: American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation
   • List B: Brookings Institute, Economic Policy Institute, Progressive Policy Institute, Urban Institute
4. Use the study homepage at http://n.ruble.tripod.com/project.htm to access the two organizations you choose. Study their websites, including their "about us" and "board of directors" (or similar) web pages to determine the political orientation of the organization and what interests are represented in its governing board (corporate, religious, labor, university, etc.). Note: Do not take the organization's claims for granted. Analyze what you find at its website in terms of what you have learned from Domhoff's book and other sources. Pay attention to a range of clues, including language and code words, subjects focused on or neglected, positions taken, affiliations of members of boards of directors, etc.
5. Identify which organization comes closer to you in terms of your Political Compass score and in your self-identified political position.

Structure of Your Research Report:

• An introductory paragraph that explains what two organizations you chose and outlines what you will be doing in the rest of your essay.
• An explanation, drawing on Domhoff but using your own words, about why think tanks and policy groups are important, including how they fit into the general policy-planning and opinion-shaping process he describes;
• Consecutive analyses of the two organizations you chose to analyze in terms of their relationship to interest groups and/or classes and in terms of where they fall on the political spectrum discussed by Domhoff and also the Political Compass website. Support your conclusions for each organization with appropriate references to:
  • information in the Domhoff book
  • information at its website (including its About Us section)
  • code words and favored subjects
  • the kinds of positions taken on key subjects
• A discussion of which organization comes closest to your own political views, as indicated by the Political Compass website and also by your own self-identification. Be as clear as possible about similarities and differences.
• Proper in-text citation and reference list at the end (APA style--see citation resources on the left if you need guidance). Domhoff book and specific websites should be cited.

Extra Credit Option: Students wishing to translate their findings into a Poster Presentation for the department's annual Undergraduate Research Poster Session on Thursday, April 26th may earn up to one-half grade extra credit. Please consult ahead of time with me about the suggested format for this.