An Analysis Of The Impact Of Think Tanks On The Obama Administration’s Health Care Reform In The Context Of Multiple Source Theory

Obama’s health care reform is one of the more successful reforms in the development of the U.S.health insurance system to date.From the perspective of think tanks’ influence on Obama’s health care reform policy,it is possible to clarify the ways in which think tanks have influenced the setting of the policy agenda and to explore the factors that have led to differences in their influence.With the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2007,the health care ills lurking beneath American society surfaced,and the influence of American think tanks on the agenda setting of Obama’s health care reform policy began to emerge.The influence of think tanks on Obama’s health care reform policy has been exercised throughout the entire policy-making process,and the target of their influence is mainly directed at the core of policy-making.Think tanks’ influence is multifaceted and not limited by sequence,and multiple paths can be carried out simultaneously.Based on the explanatory framework of power stratification and multi-stream theoretical models,the influence of think tanks in the "pre-policy window" stage is mainly downward to link with mass media to shape and guide public opinion.Upward,they interact with Congress and the administration to maintain closer ties with the policy-making core.During the "policy window" stage,think tanks exert influence by providing testimony at congressional hearings and participating in closed-door meetings with the policymaking caucus.In the "post-policy window" stage,the influence of think tanks is mainly reflected in the flow of human resources between think tanks and the policy-making caucus.Think tank members who have served on presidential candidates’ campaign teams are usually more likely to find a position in the new administration when a new cabinet is formed.Three factors determine the influence of think tanks on policy: whether the think tank shares the same ideology as the new cabinet,whether the think tank’s policy marketing responds to the majority of public opinion,and whether the think tank itself provides research products with high academic prestige and professional credibility.