Think tanks analyze policies. Remember, that while most claim to be nonpartisan, this only means that they are not directly related to a party, not that they do not have bias. This week, we will examine FEMA from the point of view of two different think tanks and the Government Accounting Office (GAO). Now take a look at two reports on FEMA. One is from the Cato Institute (FEMA: Floods, Failures and Federalism) and the other is from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) (Status of FEMA’s Implement of the Biggert-Waters Act amendments – be sure to look at the full report rather than just the synopsis on the opening page). GAO is NOT a think tank. It is a government organization. I want you to review each of these and then locate a report/post from another think tank/research group (preferably a liberal think tank for balance). Here’s a list of the policy think tanks in the US. Now, critically analyze the information shared from the think tanks. What specific roles do these think tanks have, which policy actors seem to be driving this specific tank, what were the differences and similarities in the recommendations made for FEMA, could you distinguish any bias and what was it, and did you see any problems with the rationale or reasoning utilized?
