One of the biggest problems with research that is designed and packaged for the consumer or the public is that the information contained within is generally manipulated in such a way that it is not entirely truthful. This can be extremely problematic especially when the research gives a bunch of reasons why something should or should not be done and leaves out the other reasons and counter arguments.
We all know that there are many cases where lobbying firms that are actually law firms in Washington DC, but many of them also run political research think tanks. Obviously, the work that they do is done to convince citizens, voters, politicians, and policymakers to their point of view. Sometimes their point of view is right on the money, but most of the time it is skewed towards their advantage.
This certainly shouldn’t shock anybody; it’s how things are done. Unfortunately, it is also bathed in falsehood, trickery, and deceit. Many of the groups that do the research have really great sounding names, but if they are run by people with a certain political posture, and then quoted by various podium pushing politicians, one should be very skeptical.
So, how can you tell the difference between high quality and influential public policy research manipulation? The interesting thing is that you can’t always tell. Sometimes these groups are so well, camouflaged that they look completely legitimate.
Now, it makes sense that any industry association that does any type of research is going to make sure that the data is skewed towards their advantage, why wouldn’t they, as they are paying for it and they want to influence policymakers and the public to either decrease regulation, or increase regulation on their competitors.
One thing that I like to do whenever I read research that came out of Washington DC is to find out who owns the website where the information is posted. Then I look up the name and the address of the company and I cross reference that address to see if any other law firms are using that same address. Usually they are and that is a dead giveaway. Please consider all this.
