Abstract：Think tank are organizations of value rational. They contribute to society by their intellectual products. An analysis of the US think tank shows that its main functions consist in observing social phenomena, reflecting on social problems and finding solutions to these problems. Its vigor is determined by its independence and thinking ability. Compared with government officials, it is more foresighted because it pays more attention to society and history; compared with the public, it has an overall point of view because its thoughts go beyond trivial matters and local affairs; compared with the scholars from universities, its research and exploration are more applicationoriented and policydirected. Its independence in thought lies in the independence in its institution. As a whole, the US think tank is independent in fundraising, organizational structure, decisionmaking, and examination of research achievements. Chinas think tank are not fully developed in their institution because they are still in their beginning stages. This is also the case with the think tank of universities. So there is still a long way to go for the Chinese think tank to turn out quality intellectual products.
任玥. 试论我国大学智库功能发展的困局 ——中美比较的视角[J]. 高校教育管理, 2014, 8(4): 31-.
REN Yue. The Difficult Situation of Chinas Universities as Think Tank:
Based on a Comparison between China and America. Journal of Higher Education Management, 2014, 8(4): 31-.
2014, Vol. 8 
