not-for-profit research institute; founded in 1927 in Washington, D.C., by the merchant, manufacturer, and philanthropist Robert S. Brookings; devoted to public service through research and education in the social sciences, particularly in economics, government, and foreign policy; formed by the amalgamation of the Institute for Government Research (founded 1916), the Institute of Economics (founded 1922), and the Robert Brookings Graduate School of Economics and Government (founded 1924).