The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) is a think tank in Washington, D.C. that produces research and policy recommendations regarding global trade, labor, and finance. ¹

In January 2025, a report released by the Quincy Institute For Responsible Statecraft alleged that PIIE was tenth on the Quincy Institute’s list of U.S.-based think tanks which had received the most funding from foreign governments since 2019. ²

Background

The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) is a think tank in Washington, D.C. that claims to focus on producing research and policy recommendations regarding global trade, labor, and finance. ¹

PIEE was initially founded in 1981 as “Institute for International Economics.” Its founding chairman, Peter G. Peterson, was the co-founder of the Blackstone Group and had previously served as Secretary of Commerce and Assistant to the President for International Economic Policy during the Nixon administration. ¹ The Institute’s name was then changed in 2006 to “Peterson Institute for International Economics” to honor Peterson. Peterson was also the founder of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. ³

Activities

The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) has produced research reports and policy recommendations regarding global trade, labor, and finance. It has further advocated in favor of international trade as well as policy it calls “human welfare.” It claims credit for the planning of several global finance proposals including reforms to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) made by the G20 summit starting in 2009, the formation of both the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the development of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). PIIE also claims credit for reforms made to U.S. sanctions policy, the introduction of quantitative easing, the adaptation of international monetary policies to low interest rates, and the formation of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue between the U.S. and China. ⁴

Funding

In January 2025, Politico published an article covering a new report from Think Tank Funding Tracker, a project of the Quincy Institute For Responsible Statecraft, on the amount of funding domestic U.S. think tanks received from both the U.S. government and foreign countries. ² According to the list, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) ranked tenth on the list of foreign funding recipients, reportedly receiving $1,725,019 in funds from foreign governments since 2019. ⁵

According to the Quincy Institute’s extended report, PIIE had allegedly granted anonymity to these donors, two of which had given more than $250,000. The vice president of publications at PIIE, Steven Weisman, released a statement to the Quincy Institute stating, “in a miniscule number of cases, donors ask not to be identified.” ⁶

Financials

According to its 2022 tax returns, the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) reported a revenue of $10,868,277, total expenses of $13,912,953, and net assets of $93,042,085. ⁷

Leadership

As of January 2025, Adam S. Posen was the president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), a position he had held since 2013. Posen previously advised on monetary and fiscal policies with the G20 and had worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He co-authored a study on inflation with Ben Bernanke, Thomas Laubach, and Frederic Mishkin. ⁸

As of 2024, Michael Peterson, the son of founder Peter Peterson, was the chairman of the board. He was also chairing and serving as the CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. ⁹

Other PIIE board members included former Clinton administration Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers, CIO and founder of Cyrus Capital Partners Stephen Freidheim, and former head of global policy at Google Caroline Atkinson. ⁹

1. “About PIIE.” Peterson Institute for International Economics. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.piie.com/about-piie.
2. Schaffer, Michael. “‘Dark Money’ Is Tainting Washington Think Tanks. A New Report Shows It’s Worse Than You Think.” Politico, January 3, 2025. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/03/foreign-money-think-tanks-00196252.
3. “Our Founder.” Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.pgpf.org/about/our-founder/.
4.  “About PIIE.” Peterson Institute For International Economics. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.piie.com/about-piie.
5. “Home.” Think Tank Funding Tracker. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://thinktankfundingtracker.org/. https://web.archive.org/web/20250106013928/https://thinktankfundingtracker.org/.
6. Freeman, Ben and Cleveland-Stout, Nick. “Big Ideas and Big Money: Think Tank Funding in America.” Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, January 2025. Quincy Brief No. 68. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://quincyinst.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/18151647/QUINCY-BRIEF-NO.-68-JANUARY-2025-FREEMAN-CLEVELAND-STOUT.pdf. Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20250113185928/https://quincyinst.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/18151647/QUINCY-BRIEF-NO.-68-JANUARY-2025-FREEMAN-CLEVELAND-STOUT.pdf
7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics. 2022. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
8. “Adam S. Posen.” Peterson Institute for International Economics. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/adam-s-posen.
9. “Board of Directors.” Peterson Institute for International Economics. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.piie.com/about/board-directors.