Think tanks in France, the key places for interdependencies between economists and ruling elites in policy planning

Think tanks bring together different elite groups at the interface of the economic, political-administrative, scientific, and media fields. They produce expertise with the aim of influencing the political agenda and public decision-makers. In addition to shedding light on the main transformations of their social space in France and its privatization, the article assesses the pre-eminent place and role of economists in the network formed by these organizations. Its structure reveals the convergence between corporate leaders and economists in order to promote their own vision of reality and the public policies that result from it. The systemic interdependencies between these two categories of actors go beyond the possible conflicts of interest of some economists.