# Manhattan Institute The conservative think tank that shapes policy at the city level. Founded in 1977 by **Antony Fisher** (Atlas Network founder) and **William Casey** (future CIA director), the Manhattan Institute produces research on urban policy, policing, housing, education, and — increasingly — the culture-war issues (anti-CRT, anti-DEI) that have become central to conservative politics. With a $20-25M annual budget, Manhattan Institute is smaller than Heritage or AEI but disproportionately influential in two areas: urban governance (the intellectual infrastructure behind "tough on crime" policing from Giuliani through the present) and the anti-woke crusade ([[Christopher Rufo]] launched his anti-CRT campaign from Manhattan Institute before migrating toward the Claremont orbit). ## Key Contributions ### Broken Windows Policing Manhattan Institute's most consequential policy output. James Q. Wilson and George Kelling's "broken windows" theory — that policing minor disorder prevents major crime — was developed and promoted through the Institute. [[Rudy Giuliani]]'s NYPD adopted it as doctrine in the 1990s, and it became the dominant framework for urban policing nationwide. The theory is contested: critics argue it provided intellectual cover for discriminatory stop-and-frisk policies and the criminalization of poverty. Supporters credit it with the 1990s-2000s crime decline. Regardless, Manhattan Institute's ability to shape *how cities think about policing* represents the think tank influence model at its most concrete. ### Anti-CRT / Anti-DEI Christopher Rufo — initially a Manhattan Institute fellow — launched the campaign to make "critical race theory" a national political issue. Through a deliberate media strategy (he openly stated he intended to make CRT "the perfect villain"), Rufo converted an academic framework into a culture-war weapon that drove school board campaigns, state legislation, and corporate DEI rollbacks. Rufo has since moved toward the Claremont orbit (he became a New College of Florida trustee under DeSantis's appointee board), but the campaign was incubated at Manhattan Institute — illustrating how think tanks serve as launching pads for political entrepreneurs. ### Heather Mac Donald Manhattan Institute's most prominent public voice on policing and race. Her book *The War on Cops* (2016) argued that the "Ferguson effect" — police pulling back from proactive policing due to public criticism — was causing a crime surge. Mac Donald's work provides the intellectual framework for "law and order" politics at the municipal level. ## Urban Focus Manhattan Institute is distinctive for its *city-level* policy orientation: - **Housing:** Market-based approaches to housing affordability (YIMBY-adjacent on supply, skeptical of rent control) - **Education:** School choice advocacy, charter school support - **Economic mobility:** Work requirements, welfare reform, occupational licensing reform - **Infrastructure:** Cost analysis of public works projects This urban focus means Manhattan Institute influences policy in blue cities governed by Democrats — its ideas reach across partisan lines at the municipal level in ways that Heritage or Claremont research does not. ## See Also - [[Heritage Foundation]] — National-level conservative counterpart - [[Claremont Institute]] — Where Manhattan Institute's culture-war wing (Rufo) migrated - [[Bradley Foundation]] — Funder of urban conservative policy research - [[Think Tank Ecosystem]] — Full think tank landscape