Abstract

Think tanks are a new phenomenon for Italy. They are just under 100, and nearly half were born after 2004. This article presents some interpretative hypotheses about the role of think tanks in the Italian political system. The main reasons for their success seem to be four: 1) the emergence of new models of governance, which has increased the access of experts into the decision-making process, 2) the breaking-up of parties organization, which has allowed the creation of «personal» think tanks, 3) the strategic use of think tanks by interest groups, even in the Italian case, 4) the fragmentation of some important policy areas, which opens up new opportunities for who is able to offer expertise to policy communities.