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The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) is a free-market British policy think tank whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain’s independence.〔Andrew Denham and Mark Garnett ''Keith Joseph'' (Chesham 2001), p. 240〕 Although identified as non-partisan, the Centre has strong historical links to the Conservative Party. It was co-founded by Conservatives Sir Keith Joseph, Alfred Sherman and Margaret Thatcher〔http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1527400/Sir-Alfred-Sherman.html〕 in 1974 to champion economic liberalism in Britain〔 and has since played a global role in the dissemination of free market economics along monetarist and, what today would be called, neoliberal lines. Its policy proposals are claimed to be based on the principles of individual choice and responsibility. It also asserts that it prioritises the concepts of duty, family, liberty, and the rule of law. The CPS has a stated goal of serving as the champion of the small state.〔 ==Influence== The CPS soon drove for a reassessment of Conservative economic policy during their period in opposition from 1974–1979. It was during this period that the CPS released its landmark reports, such as'' ( Stranded on the Middle Ground )'' and '' ( Monetarism is Not Enough )'' (1974 and 1976). "Monetarism is Not Enough" was described by Margaret Thatcher as “one of the very few speeches which have fundamentally affected a political generation's way of thinking.".〔Margaret Thatcher'' The Path to Power'' (London 1995), p. 255(〕 Keith Joseph’s keynote speeches, also published by the CPS, aimed to lead the way in changing the climate of opinion in Britain and set the intellectual foundations for the free market reforms of the 1980s. In 1981 Sherman brought the Swiss monetarist Jurg Niehans over to Britain to advise on economic management. Niehans wrote a report critical of the government's economic management that was crucial in influencing the change of policy in the 1981 budget; this tightened the government's fiscal stance to make possible a looser monetary policy.〔 However Hugh Thomas, who had been appointed Chairman of the CPS in 1979 was finding Sherman impossible to work with. In the summer of 1983, following a row over the relationship of the CPS with the Conservative Party, Sherman was summarily sacked from the CPS in a "virulent" letter from Thomas.〔 The CPS did not consciously represent itself as a partisan institute; ‘blame’ for the collectivist post-war consensus was placed on both sides of the political parties for operating within the same ideological framework. The CPS continually advocated a liberal economic approach and was hugely influential during Margaret Thatcher’s administration, operating as a key driving force towards her hallmark policies of privatisation, deregulation and monetarism〔Richard Cockett ''Thinking the Unthinkable'' (London 1994), pp. 243–320〕 In her own words, its job was to 'expose the follies and self-defeating consequences of government intervention....'to think the unthinkable'.〔Margaret Thatcher'' The Path to Power'' (London 1995), p. 253〕 In 1982, it released ''(Telecommunications in Britain )'', which urged the Government to embrace a fuller agenda of privatization in the telecoms sector. The paper recommended the privatization of British Telecom and the introduction of competition to the sector –both of which were implemented. Another key publication was ''The Performance of the Privatised Industries'' (1996) – a four volume statistical analysis which showed how the privatization agenda had benefitted the consumer by ushering in lower prices and higher quality service. It argued that the taxpayer had benefitted greatly from privatisation – not just from the initial windfall from receipts, but also from higher tax revenues than had ever been received from the same companies when they were in state ownership. According to the ''2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report'' (Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, University of Pennsylvania), CPS is number 89 (of 150) in the "Top Think Tanks Worldwide (U.S. and non-U.S.)" and number 69 (of 80) in the "Top Think Tanks in Western Europe".〔 Other "Top Think Tank" rankings include #43 (of 50) of Think Tanks with the Best External Relations/Public Engagement Program, #23 (of 30) for Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals, and #33 (of 60) of Think Tanks with Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Programs.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Centre for Policy Studies」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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