Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Midland, MI 48640

Jason Deparle
NY Times
November 16, 2006

Preaching the Gospel of Small Government

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/17/us/politics/17thinktank.html?hp&ex=1163826000&en=53cb03a0ba4fc58e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

...Twice a year, ideological allies from across the globe travel to his [Lawrence W. Reed] program at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Mich., to study the tricks of the idea-peddling trade.

...From Midland, Mr. Reed runs Mackinac (pronounced MAK-in-aw), the largest of the right’s state-level policy institutes. The center started its training program eight years ago, and it has alumni in nearly every state and 37 countries, from Uruguay to Nepal. Among them was a Mongolian who went on to become prime minister, putting his free-market training to work by privatizing the national herd of yaks.

When the Mackinac Center was founded in 1987, there were just three other conservative state-level policy institutes. Now there are 48, in 42 states, joined in an association called the State Policy Network. At least three former Mackinac presidents are now in the House, Representatives Mike Pence of Indiana, Jeff Flake of Arizona, and Tom Tancredo of Colorado, all Republicans.