ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Donald Abelson, a foremost authority on think tanks in both Canada and the United States, compares the landscape and influence of think tanks in these two countries. It explores the opportunities and challenges confronting policy experts in Canada and in the United States as they attempt to influence both policymakers and the policymaking environment. In doing so, it is important to keep in mind that the ability of policy experts to communicate effectively with various stakeholders, including government, the media, the private sector, and the academic community, is not only influenced by their institutional affiliation. The chapter will concentrate primarily on the experiences of policy experts conducting research at think tanks in Canada and in the United States. The study of how policy experts generate and share their expertise is a profoundly important topic that deserves careful consideration.
