аналитический центр

The practice of implementation expert and scientific knowledge in the process of making political decisions has been formed for centuries and now it is well known as a social and political institution – think tanks. The capacity of think tanks can be analyzed from diff erent aspects. In this article the author refers to the institutional structure of think tanks and analyzes the fi nancial and legislative support of these organizations in Russia and the United States.

Under the conditions of social processes’ transformation based on technology development, on unlimited access to information and on rising the speed of social time, there is a need of changing the approaches in governance both on federal and regional levels. There is a public demand for transparency, social expertise and wide coverage at all stages of decision making process. This kind of public request could be granted by involving independent experts at various stages of governance.