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.

Brookings is proud to be consistently ranked as the most influential, most quoted and most trusted think tank.

More about Brookings's reputation »

Research

The research agenda and recommendations of Brookings’s 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.

More about Brookings's research policies »
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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.

Our unique convening power has brought together diverse voices from a range of critical regions such as the Middle East, helping to clarify differences and find common ground.

The opening of the Brookings Doha Center office

In addition to its Washington, D.C. office, Brookings also has an international presence in the Doha Center in Qatar and the Brookings-Tsinghua Center in Beijing.

More about the Brookings Doha Center »
More about the Brookings-Tsinghua Center »

As it reaches an increasingly global audience, Brookings now offers select content in in Arabic, Chinese and Spanish.

View select Arabic Content »
View select Chinese content »
View select Spanish content »

History

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 in Beijing and the Brookings-Doha Center in Qatar.

More about our history »

Funding

Brookings is financed through the support of philanthropic foundations, corporations and private individuals as well as through an endowment. 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 corporate and government leaders from fifteen countries.

Read the Annual Report »

Board of Trustees »

CONTACTS

General Inquiries
202.797.6000 | E-mail

Jobs, Internships and Fellowships
Human Resources
202.797.6210 | E-mail

Executive Education Courses
Center for Executive Education
202.797.6276 | E-mail

Media Inquiries/Events
Office of Communications
202.797.6105 | E-mail

Support
Development Office
202.797.6220 | E-mail

Web Site
Comments or Questions
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Department Directory »

All-Brookings Priorities

Brookings has identified five critical issues, reflective of today's top public policy concerns, to explore, in depth, with focused, cross-program research.

Learn More »

America's Top Think Tank

"When important debates occur in Washington—whether over Middle East peace, global finance, or urban strategy—it's a fair bet that Brookings is driving the conversation. ... From health care reform to recommendations on closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Brookings has a breadth of experience that allows it to offer innovative fixes for nearly every critical issue facing the United States today."
Foreign Policy magazine's Think Tank Index, January 2009

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

"What I think the world needs today, particularly in the grip of financial uncertainty, is hard and serious thinking from hard-headed, warmhearted, and serious-minded people and that is of course what we have here at Brookings."
Hon. Wayne Swan, MP, Treasurer of Australia, October 10, 2008

"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 »)

"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

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

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.

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Spotlight

TopicEducation

The economic and political well-being of any society requires a well-educated citizenry. Brookings’s work extends beyond the K-12 bookends to include pre-school interventions, higher education and the challenges of education in developing countries.

ExpertMark McClellan

Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

TopicHealth Care

Brookings is committed to producing innovative policy solutions to our nation’s most difficult challenges. The country may face no more important domestic policy challenge than the much-needed reform of our health care system. Through an institution-wide effort, Brookings delivers new ideas and offers policy solutions to improve health care both at home and globally.

Research ProjectBrookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement

The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement monitors displacement problems worldwide, works with governments, regional bodies, international organizations and civil society to create more effective policies and institutional arrangements for Internally Displaed Persons.

Policy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

ExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

ExpertTed Gayer

Ted Gayer is the co-director of the Economic Studies program and the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He conducts research on a variety of economic issues, focusing particularly on public finance, environmental and energy economics, housing, and regulatory policy.

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

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.

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.

ExpertFederiga Bindi

Federiga Bindi is a leading expert on European political integration. She has a broad experience in government and held a number of posts in international organizations. Bindi currently serves as an advisor to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Her research focuses on the EU, transatlantic relations; EU states foreign policies, global governance issues.

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.

ExpertAmy Liu

Amy Liu is deputy director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Her policy studies include economic competitiveness, metropolitan growth and development, governance reforms, urban reinvestment, and social equity.

ExpertRichard Joseph

Richard Joseph is John Evans Professor of International History and Politics at Northwestern University. Former fellow of The Carter Center, Atlanta, he focuses on African governance, political economy, and democratization.

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.

ExpertDomenico Lombardi

As president of the Oxford Institute for Economic Policy, Domenico Lombardi’s work at Brookings focuses on the international financial crisis and the reform of the IMF and the World Bank. He is an expert on G-20 and G8 Summits.

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Quality. Independence. Impact.

Research

A Meeting Place for Ideas

History