Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness

The Founders established this country under the premise that each citizen had the freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This idea and the generations of Americans committed to preserving it have led to the United States becoming the most powerful country in the history of the world. Hundreds of millions of people have earned their success in a dynamic market economy—the American Dream is the promise that each person will have the opportunity to do better than their forbearers if they work hard.

The American Dream
is Under Threat

Today, however, the American Dream is under threat. The United States’ fundamental commitment to free markets, individual rights, and free expression is being attacked by forces who seek to centralize power in the federal government, limit freedom, and undermine the core institutions that bring Americans from all walks of life together.

It's Time to Reset the
National Conversation

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) launched the American Dream Initiative to reset the national conversation and drive it toward an appreciation of the American Dream’s core tenets, chief among them that hard work and earned success—coupled with free enterprise, capitalism, and limited, constitutional government—are the foundations of human flourishing and lead to better outcomes for the country and for all Americans.

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Featured Work

Research and Data

Report
An Unsettled Electorate: How Uncertainty and Apathy Are Shaping the 2024 Election Discover the latest insights from AEI's Survey Center on American Life, as Director Daniel Cox explores the widespread dissatisfaction with 2024 presidential candidates, rising national pessimism, and shifting perspectives on gender and race. Uncover how these dynamics are influencing the political landscape and what they mean for the future of America.
By Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond, and Kyle P. Gray 06.18.2024
Report
The State of the First-Time Homebuyer in 2023 Against the backdrop of escalating mortgage rates and soaring home prices, the prospect for first-time homebuyers (FTBs) in 2023 appears daunting. The average FTB now faces a significant financial burden, with monthly principal and interest (P&I) payments more than doubling ($2,110 vs. $980) compared to a decade ago. However, a deeper examination reveals a story of perseverance and progress, albeit with increased exposure to debt and risk.
By Edward J. Pinto, Tobias Peter, and Sissi Li 06.10.2024
Report
How Congress Lost, Part III: Hamiltonian Energy and the Washington Administration When the First Congress was called into session in the spring of 1789, nobody was sure how the new government would function. The Constitution had been debated endlessly since it was released to the public in September 1787, and it had generally been met with approval. Not only did it win ratification (by that point, it had garnered 11 of 13 states’ support), but supporters of the Constitution handily won elections to the First Congress. Still, it remained just a theory of how government could work, still to be tested against the rigors of empirical reality. Click to read more.
By Jay Cost 06.03.2024
Report
Understanding Trends in Worker Pay over the Past 50 Years Doomers on the political left and right agree that economic growth has failed to translate into higher wages for American workers, with some claiming that pay has barely risen in 50 years. Such sentiments have been buttressed by flawed analyses that, comparing apples to oranges in a variety of ways, have found that the pay received by workers has not kept pace with productivity gains. This report discusses the problems with those analyses before showing—in six different ways—that worker pay has kept up with productivity growth. Whether the starting point is 1973, 1948, or 1929, aggregate pay is exactly where productivity growth would predict.
By Scott Winship 05.14.2024
Report
Saving American Political Science and Saving America: Reflections and Recommendations to Restore Pluralism In the 20th century, the American Political Science Association (APSA) and the field it represents promoted pluralism, but because of behind-the-scenes pressure from activists and generational change, in the 21st century the APSA has shifted left in its personnel, leadership, and conference structuring. We can ensure a more scientifically rigorous and politically legitimate field by restoring ideological pluralism, which will require conservative political scientists to come out of the closet and build bridges with fellow pluralists on the center and left.
By Robert Maranto 03.25.2024
Report
Why Did Food Insecurity Increase from 2019 to 2022 in the United States? In 2022, the United States witnessed a notable rise in household food insecurity, reversing a decade-long decline. Some observers have argued that the expiration of government relief efforts stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic caused the one-year spike. However, the household food insecurity rate was higher in 2022 than in 2019, the year before the pandemic started. We explore several potential reasons for the household food insecurity increase from 2019 to 2022. We find that neither changes in the social safety net nor underlying economic factors, such as unemployment, could explain this trend. Instead, we attribute the increase to a rise in food price inflation during this period, compounded by changes in the survey methodology for food insecurity assessment. The increase in food insecurity would likely have been larger without expansions to the social safety net during this time.
By Angela Rachidi and Craig Gundersen 03.12.2024
Report
Preparing Young People for Careers Through Exposure, Exploration, and This report reveals that growing demand for practical learning in K–12 schools leads to increased support and funding from federal and state governments, highlighting the essential need for a career education framework that allows youth to explore diverse career options through various activities.
By Bruno V. Manno 01.30.2024
Report
The Value of a Bachelor's Degree AEI senior fellow Brent Orrell reveals that public confidence in higher education has declined, and the public is skeptical of its potential return on investment. However, four-year degrees are continually associated with significant economic and noneconomic benefits for individuals and communities.
By Brent Orrell and David Veldran 01.29.2024
Report
Addressing the Shortage of Workforce Housing through Light-touch Density AEI's senior fellows, Edward Pinto and Tobias Peter, explain the housing supply problem, which is that housing supply and demand are imbalanced. Wage and worker growth (demand) has outpaced new additions to the housing stock (supply). The result is worsening affordability.
By Edward J. Pinto and Tobias Peter 01.11.2024
Report
Stronger Families, Safer Streets This report highlights another contributing factor to city safety: two-parent families. Explore further to understand when family instability is more prevalent and may potentially lead to higher crime rates.
By W. Bradford Wilcox, Rafael A. Mangual, Seth Cannon, and Joseph E. Price 12.13.2023
Report
Civic Thought: A Proposal for University-Level Civic Education This report outlines the concept of 'Civic Thought.' Its core elements are derived from a consideration of the intellectual demands of citizenship, making it useful for all those working towards the renewal of civic education at the university level in our country.
By Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey 12.11.2023
Report
Creating a Policy Environment to Unleash the Workforce Development Potential of America's Community Colleges This report reveals that community colleges play essential roles in workforce development, and their effectiveness varies greatly by location. While promising practices abound, they are often not widely replicated. Explore how state and federal governments can help ensure the success of community colleges as workforce development engines.
By Anne M. Kress and Stephen Moret 12.07.2023
Report
Generation Z and the Transformation of American Adolescence: How Gen Z's Formative Experiences Shape Its Politics, Priorities, and Future In order to explore generational differences while keeping in alignment with best practices in social science research, this report seeks to home in on generational difference by exploring formative teenage experiences. Such experiences are largely held in common among members of the same generational cohort, yet due to the ebb and flow of technological innovation, population trends, social mores, and economic circumstance, they vary meaningfully between the generations.
By Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond, and Kyle P. Gray 12.06.2023
Report
Adam Smith and the Moral Case for Markets Polls show declining support for capitalism, especially among the young. The market system is increasingly under attack from not only the left but some corners of the right. To effectively defend democratic capitalism, its champions will need to understand the nature of these criticisms, see where they make serious arguments, and think about how to make a case for markets that answers those arguments.
By Yuval Levin 11.14.2023
Report
Reducing Intergenerational Poverty This report assesses existing research on the effects on intergenerational poverty of income assistance, education, health, and other intervention programs and identifies evidence-based programs and policies that have the potential to significantly reduce the effects of the key drivers of intergenerational poverty.
By Michael R. Strain 09.21.2023
Report
Expanding Economic Opportunities Through Evidence-Based Sector Training This report analyzes the performance of Sectoral programs and suggests that stable, reliable, and flexible funding is vital for scaling sector-based training programs.
By Brent Orrell, Garrett A. R. Yursza Warfield, Richard Hendra, and Kelsey Schaberg 08.03.2023
Report
The Utah Model: Workforce Programs and Services Integration Tool Kit The report details Utah's effective integrated approach to workforce and social assistance, aiming to establish a fundamental comprehension of the innovative model and offer practical strategies for policymakers to implement.
By Mason M. Bishop 07.31.2023
Report
Government-Supported Job Training in the US: Paths Toward Reforming the Workforce This report reveals the need for administrative reform to enhance US government-supported job training and workforce development practices.
By Brent Orrell, Peter Mueser and Kenneth Troske 07.21.2023
Report
The Cost of Thriving Has Fallen: Correcting and Rejecting the American Compass Cost-of-Thriving Index Scott Winship, director of AEI's Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility, and Jeremy Horpedahl conducted an analysis of the Cost-of-Thriving Index, developed by American Compass, proposing an improved method for monitoring Americans' cost of thriving.
By Scott Winship and Jeremy Horpedahl 06.22.2023
Research
The Size and Census Coverage of the U.S. Homeless Population This Journal of Urban Economics article describes a new approach the co-authors developed to estimating the size of the sheltered homeless population using linked Census and HMIS microdata, which lays the foundation for pathbreaking future work with these data on the homeless population
By Bruce Meyer, Kevin Corinth, and Angela Wyse 05.26.2023
Research
The Industry of Ideas: Measuring How Artificial Intelligence Changes Labor Markets This report describes a new, rapidly implementable, conceptual, and empirical approach to tracing how ideas move from investments in research to the marketplace.
By Julia Lane 06.09.2023
Report
Promoting Mobility Through SNAP: Toward Better Health and Employment Outcomes The fastest-growing groups of the adult SNAP caseload suffer from low employment levels and poor health outcomes, which suggests that program reforms should focus on not only reducing hunger but also improving employment and nutrition.
By Angela Rachidi and Thomas O'Rourke 05.01.2023
Research
The Evidence on Family Affordability AEI Senior Fellow Angela Rachidi analyzes whether trends in family affordability are driven by changes in incomes, expenses, or perceptions and preferences.
By Angela Rachidi 04.18.2023
Report
A 21st-Century SNAP: Considerations for the 2023 Farm Bill AEI Senior Fellow and Rowe Scholar Angela Rachidi describes the shortcomings of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and pathways to reform that strengthen and expand work expectations and that improve program integrity.
By Angela Rachidi 02.23.2023
Report
Unlocking the Future AEI scholars contributed to a report from Opportunity America's working group on K-12 education.
By Ian Rowe, John P. Bailey, and Robert Pondiscio 02.22.2023
Research
The Change in Poverty from 1995 to 2016 Among Single‐​Parent Families AEI Senior Fellow Kevin Corinth, the Univeristy of Chicago's Bruce Meyer, and the University of Virginia's Derek Wu use the Comprehensive Income Dataset to show that single‐​parent‐​family poverty, after accounting for taxes and nonmedical in‐​kind transfers, declined by 62 percent between 1995 and 2016.
By Kevin Corinth 02.01.2023
Research
The Future of Cities Whatever the future holds for humanity, it is likely to occur mostly in an urban context. A steady stream of migrants from the countryside fills cities from India to Indiana, on every continent, and has made humans primarily an urban species. Cities can be more like Eden or more like Hades, but how they evolve will define our future civilization. Yet as this book will demonstrate, there are many, and sometimes divergent, urban futures.
By Ryan Streeter and Joel Kotkin 01.16.2023

Expert Commentary, Analysis, and Testimony

Op-ed
Confidence in the American Dream Rises with Age A new Pew poll found that the share of respondents who say that the American Dream is possible for people to achieve increases with age. 68 percent of people over 64 believe the Dream is achievable. What explains this pattern?
By Michael R. Strain 07.08.2024
Op-ed
The Supreme Court Thinks That by Arguing More, We Can Be Less Divided With its decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo on Friday, the Supreme Court has put new limits on how government regulators can interpret the law. This decision has set off alarms for some, but it actually points the way toward a role for the courts that is less divisive — because it pushes everyone in our system, including judges and Congress, toward their proper constitutional work. Learn more about this issue from AEI's senior fellow, Yuval Levin.
By Yuval Levin 06.28.2024
Op-ed
Our Deformed Party System The letter that President Biden sent to Democratic members of Congress on Monday is an extraordinary artifact of the breakdown of the American party system. It should be studied in political science courses. The most extraordinary part of it comes early, in the first argument that the president makes on behalf of the survival of his own candidacy for reelection.
By Yuval Levin 06.28.2024
Article
American Workers Are Doing Great. They Could Be Doing Even Better. In response to the Economic Innovation Group’s effort to shape a 'new consensus' on the American worker, my reply in three words: I enthusiastically agree. The consensus I would articulate is this: American workers are performing well, but there is room for improvement. Policymakers should prioritize enhancing economic outcomes for workers. Learn more from AEI's Director of Economic Policy Studies, Michael R. Strain.
By Michael R. Strain 06.26.2024
Op-ed
Independent Voters Are Key to 2024 I’ve always leaned towards the theory that a candidate or party winning independent voters can clinch an election. If independents are pivotal, then the Trump campaign should closely monitor recent polling trends. Gain deeper insights into the upcoming 2024 election from AEI Director of Domestic Policy Studies, Matthew Continetti.
By Matthew Continetti 06.21.2024
Op-ed
Will Republicans Save the Humanities? About 200 tenure- and career-track faculty positions are being created in new civic education units at public colleges in red and purple states. Backed by a political party critical of higher education, these programs raise concerns about potential impacts on academic standards and ideological constraints. While criticism is understandable, it's too early to judge as these programs are newly founded. AEI senior fellows Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey discuss the challenges ahead.
By Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey 06.20.2024
Op-ed
Recovering the American Covenant—and Republicanism AEI's Director of Economic Policy Studies, Michael R. Strain, praised Yuval Levin's new book, American Covenant, which has convinced him that greater adherence to our great American covenant is a path away from populism.
By Michael R. Strain 06.20.2024
Article
The Case for AI Optimism Concerns about generative artificial intelligence (AI) are running rampant. Technology-industry leaders have warned that certain AI systems “pose profound risks to society and humanity. Against that backdrop, concerns about the economic effects of generative AI might seem mundane. Yet industry leaders, economists, and the general public are all deeply concerned about AI’s potential to significantly disrupt our economy. Click to read more.
By Michael R. Strain 06.18.2024
Op-ed
The Constitution Was Supposed to Be a Uniter, Not a Divider Fostering a complex kind of unity was one of the principal aims of the American Founders in designing the Constitution. That goal helps explain why they sought to create a system in which multiple, overlapping factions would have to contend and bargain with one another. No group was guaranteed to get its way all the time or to be shut out of power altogether. Major changes in government would generally require broad and durable consensus.
By Ramesh Ponnuru 06.18.2024
Op-ed
Black Unemployment Is a Weakness for Dems That Trump Exploits While official black unemployment rates are at historic lows, the evidence indicates a growing underemployment problem for young black Americans. Generally, one-third of the black population has zero income. Learn from AEI's adjunct fellow, Robert Cherry, how the employment woes of young black Americans remain a sore point for Democrats.
By Robert Cherry 06.13.2024
Op-ed
Why Married Fathers Matter What is happening in our schools and colleges today is emblematic of what is happening in all too many domains of life: for more and more young adults, females are flourishing while males are floundering. Young women are outpacing young men in college, graduate school, and many workplaces in cities across the United States. Meanwhile, young men are much more likely to be denizens of the basement or, even worse, prison or jail. Learn from AEI's nonresident senior fellow, Brad Wilcox, how boys who reside with their married fathers are much more likely to flourish.
By Brad Wilcox 06.13.2024
Op-ed
What’s Behind the Explosion in Student Absenteeism? Chronic absenteeism has become a central issue of focus post-COVID. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing at least 10 percent of the school year, increased from 15 percent in 2018–19 to 26 percent in 2022–23. Learn from AEI's Frederick Hess, the director of education policy studies, why this is happening and what we should make of it.
By Frederick M. Hess 06.12.2024
Op-ed
What’s Wrong with Congress (and How to Fix It) Congress is terribly unpopular, and no one who watches it closely is satisfied with how it is working. Our national legislature barely manages to do its most basic work, let alone take on complex national challenges. Congress’s regular order—the committee work, oversight, and routine policy negotiations that ought to be the bread and butter of a legislature—has become deformed nearly out of existence. Learn from AEI's senior fellow, Yuval Levin, to understand why Congress is dysfunctional and what the solutions should look like.
By Yuval Levin 06.11.2024
Op-ed
The Economic World We’ve Lost Populism has infected both major parties in the United States, leading to policies that previous generations of economic policymakers would have immediately recognized as foolhardy and counterproductive. Whether the country can escape its self-destructive pessimism is anyone’s guess. Discover how we went from win-win to lose-lose with AEI's Michael Strain, the director of economic policy studies.
By Michael R. Strain 06.10.2024
Op-ed
Does School Choice “Work”? AEI senior fellow Frederick Hess explores the effectiveness of education choice and related educational reforms.
By Frederick M. Hess 05.22.2024
Op-ed
The American Heart Is Closing to Marriage and Family. Can Red States Change That? The falling fortunes of marriage and family across the nation can be traced back to cultural shifts (e.g., elite messaging celebrating “me-first” over “family-first” thinking), economic changes (e.g., young men’s eroding position in today’s workforce), and technological shifts (e.g., the ways in which social media discourages us from socializing in person and poison the relations between the sexes). This is sobering news because we know that no group of men and women is happier now than married mothers and fathers, who are almost twice as likely to be “very happy” with their lives compared to their single, childless peers. In fact, a new study from the University of Chicago indicates the No. 1 reason that happiness rates are falling across the nation is the “decline in the married share of adults.”
By W. Bradford Wilcox 05.15.2024
Article
Is America Riskier than We Think? America is perceived as a low-risk investment destination due to its robust institutions and stable economy, benefiting from a "safe harbor premium," but some experts believe this stability is waning. Learn from AEI senior fellow James Pethokoukis that the US remains stable and prosperous.
By James Pethokoukis 05.07.2024
Article
Generation Z Has Problems Compared to Past Generations, but Money Isn’t One AEI senior fellow Timothy Carney points out that young people today have problems their predecessors didn’t. They think they suffer from an excess of capitalism or something similar, but the real cause of their woes is a lack of meaning and belonging, which has led them to look in the wrong places for salvation.
By Timothy P. Carney 05.06.2024
Op-ed
The closing of the American heart Gain valuable insights from W. Bradford Wilcox, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), as he explores the significance of marriage in children's achievement and its role in fostering prosperity and happiness for both men and women.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 05.01.2024
Op-ed
The Ideal Number of Kids in a Family: Four (at a Minimum) Learn strategies to enhance the country's birthrate from Timothy P. Carney, an AEI senior fellow. Delve into Carney's insights as he shares his expertise on this critical issue.
By Timothy P. Carney 04.30.2024
Op-ed
Back from the Brink: The Intellectual Tide Is Turning on Marriage and Civil Society Learn from AEI scholar W. Bradford Wilcox as he delineates the three aspects of the decline in family and civil society. Explore further to discover the potential solutions policymakers can enact.
By W. Bradford Wilcox and Chris Bullivant 04.18.2024
Op-ed
The Right Has an Opportunity to Rethink Education in America Learn how AEI's scholars Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane articulate the opportunity for the right to lead in education.
By Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane 04.11.2024
Op-ed
The Road to a Republican Senate Matthew Continetti, the director of domestic policy studies at AEI, categorizes Senate races into three tiers, suggesting the potential for a Republican-controlled Senate.
By Matthew Continetti 03.22.2024
Op-ed
Actually, It's Good When Families Can Afford Homes AEI's senior fellow, Timothy Carney, highlights the necessity of expanding the housing supply to meet demand while also ensuring affordability for buyers.
By Timothy P. Carney 03.21.2024
Op-ed
Conservatives Distrust Higher Ed—but Still Need Degrees American’s faith in our colleges and universities has seen a marked decline in recent years, with the percentage of adults who say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the institutions of higher education plunging from 57 percent to 36 percent between 2015 and 2023, according to Gallup. See AEI senior scholar Brent Orrell and David Veldran explain how we can rebuild trust and reform higher education.
By Brent Orrell and David Veldran 03.19.2024
Op-ed
The Elite War on the American Middle Class—and How to End It Throughout most of the 20th century, the term “middle class” signaled membership in an optimistic and growing group, most of whom had risen within memory from physically laborious jobs in farming or on factory floors to offices and small businesses they ran themselves. The middle class had enjoyed long periods of prosperity and stability, and each generation of politicians, on the left and the right, had enthusiastically pandered to it because they were the American majority, and it was from the American majority you could build a political consensus and a political coalition. Learn more about the challenges the middle class faces nowadays from AEI's senior fellow, Christine Rosen.
By Christine Rosen 03.15.2024
Op-ed
Baby Bust: How a Family-Unfriendly Culture Has Left Us with Fewer Children How did we go from Baby Boomlet to Baby Bust? The economics and policy matter here. Learn from AEI's senior fellow, Timothy P. Carney, as he explains the family-unfriendly culture.
By Timothy P. Carney 03.14.2024
Article
Taking on the College Cartel According to Gallup, 36 percent of American adults expressed having a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of trust in higher education this year. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Explore strategies outlined by AEI's education scholars, Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane, to rebuild trust in higher education.
By Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane 03.11.2024
Article
A Conservative Vision for Education Reform AEI education scholars Fredrick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane released a new book advocating for a conservative approach to education policy.
By Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane 03.05.2024
Op-ed
As the Family Goes, So Goes the State. Utah Gets This W. Bradford Wilcox, a nonresident senior fellow at AEI, highlights how Utah's policy initiatives have contributed to its status as the happiest state in the country, with marriage playing a pivotal role.
By W. Bradford Wilcox and Rick Larson 03.04.2024
Op-ed
Chronic Absenteeism Could Be the Biggest Problem Facing Schools Right Now Chronic absenteeism has become a grim reality across the nation. Nationwide, chronic absenteeism nearly doubled from 15 percent in 2018 to 26 percent in 2023. How bad are these numbers, really, and how can schools respond? Read more to learn how to solve this issue.
By Frederick M. Hess and Nat Malkus 02.22.2024
Op-ed
The Enduring Strength of the American Presidency AEI senior fellow Gary J. Schmitt points out that the Constitution is a living document in its ability to ground presidential behavior and secure its place in the political order through the thick and thin of partisan divides and the ever-evolving circumstances a nation faces.
By Gary J. Schmitt 02.19.2024
Op-ed
Conservatives Must Seize the Opportunity to Lead on Education. Here’s How… Prolonged school closures, campus unrest, and declining test scores, and it’s no surprise that public confidence in the nation’s schools and colleges has plummeted. AEI's scholars Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane explain how conservatives can take the lead on education to defend common sense.
By Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane 02.15.2024
Article
The Party of Education in 2024 AEI's scholars Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane offer a series of strategic proposals to address the urgent challenges confronting the education sector.
By Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane 02.15.2024
Op-ed
Why Is It So Hard for Low-Income Students to Apply to College? By Naomi Schaefer Riley AEI's senior fellow, Naomi Schaefer Riley, explains why low-income students struggle to apply to college and how federal and state governments should resolve this issue.
By Naomi Schaefer Riley 02.14.2024
Article
Why You Should Get Married AEI's nonresident senior fellow, W. Brad Wilcox, outlines the reasons why people should get married to foster strong families and preserve civilization.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 02.14.2024
Article
Want to Slash Your Risk for Divorce? Start Going to Church AEI's nonresident senior fellow, W. Brad Wilcox, explains that strong and stable families are more likely to be churchgoers. Here are his findings and why.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 02.14.2024
Op-ed
The Dangerous Gender Gap on Collegiate Campuses Today Samuel J. Abrams, a nonresident fellow at AEI, highlights a notable trend: Gen Z men have leaned increasingly conservative over time, while Gen Z women have shifted towards liberalism. Additionally, there's a significant difference in political engagement. This growing gap poses a potential threat to civil dialogue on campus, as it may hinder constructive exchanges and understanding among students
By Samuel J. Abrams 02.08.2024
Op-ed
The Coming Working Class Election Ruy Teixeria, a nonresident senior fellow at AEI, points out that working-class (noncollege) voters will likely determine the outcome of the 2024 election.
By Ruy Teixeira 01.26.2024
Op-ed
Civilizational Sadness: We Are Becoming Sad and Afraid, and So We Are Making Fewer Babies Timothy P. Carney, a senior fellow at AEI, proposed the concept of civilizational sadness, which he believes is a factor contributing to the decline in marriage and birthrates.
By Timothy P. Carney 01.25.2024
Article
The War Within Gen Z While the gender gap is an enduring feature of American politics, at no time in the past quarter century has there been such a rapid divergence between the views of young men and women. Continue reading to understand how AEI's senior fellow, Daniel A. Cox, explains the gender gap within Gen Z.
By Daniel A. Cox 01.23.2024
Op-ed
Do We Need a "Politics of Truth"? AEI's senior fellow, Philip Wallach, is proposing solutions to address the shortcomings of our contemporary political culture.
By Philip Wallach 01.23.2024
Op-ed
This Is Why Americans Are So Cynical About Politics AEI's senior fellow, Yuval Levin, provides an explanation for the reasons behind Americans' cynicism.
By Yuval Levin 01.21.2024
Op-ed
Congress, Don't Legislate a Takeover of the Nation's Rental Housing Market AEI's senior fellows, Edward J. Pinto, Tobias Peter, and Kevin Corinth, point out that a better solution is needed instead of doubling down with more government subsidies for new apartments. The root cause is government regulatory failure – and no amount of money can fix that.
By Edward J. Pinto, Tobias Peter, and Kevin Corinth 01.17.2024
Op-ed
What Is the Utah "Family Miracle"? AEI nonresident senior fellow, W. Bradford Wilcox, explains the family miracle in Utah. He points out that the strength of Utah's families matters because this distinctive Beehive helps explain why the state is rated No. 1 when it comes to economic growth, economic mobility for poor children, and happiness, according to many observers. Strong families make for greater prosperity and more happiness, on average, at both the individual and collective levels.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 01.12.2024
Op-ed
By the Numbers: Here's How the New Federal Financial Aid Formula Harms Families with More Than One Child The old federal formula for higher education financial aid is dead. The new formula creates winners and losers. Specifically, the new formula harms middle-class families with more than one child in college at a time. See how AEI's senior fellow Timothy P. Carney explains how the latest federal aid will not benefit families and children.
By Timothy P. Carney 01.10.2024
Op-ed
The Success Sequence for Unmarried Mothers As covered on these pages before, the success sequence—graduating high school, working full-time, and marrying before having children—has been proven to be an effective way for young people to avoid poverty. Research consistently finds that young people who follow these life steps have poverty rates dramatically below those who do not follow these steps. In a new study, AEI's senior fellow Angela Rachidi shows that the success sequence is a useful policy framework for helping even the most vulnerable avoid poverty—specifically, unmarried mothers and their children.
By Angela Rachidi 01.09.2024
Op-ed
How to Actually Triumph over Poverty On this day in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an unconditional war on poverty in America during his State of the Union address. Six decades later, the nation has made tremendous strides, including a sizable reduction in the poverty rate as Americans enjoy an improved standard of living. Yet, we have not won the war. Success has come almost entirely from government transfer payments to poor households, not from improvements in the foundational aspects of a flourishing life. Read more to see how we can actually win this war.
By Angela Rachidi 01.08.2024
Op-ed
Socialism Doesn't Win American Elections See AEI's senior fellow Stan Veiger points out the main issue in recent American elections and how we can resolve it.
By Stan Veuger 01.07.2024
Op-ed
We Can Make Chicago Safer by Prioritizing Stronger Families By W. Bradford Wilcox and Eddie Kornegay Crime rates are lower in neighborhoods and cities where stable, two-parent families are the norm. See how this can become a driving force to make Chicago safer.
By W. Bradford Wilcox and Eddie Kornegay 12.27.2023
Op-ed
Our Policies to Address Homelessness Are Failing The data shows that 2023 was the worst year ever recorded for homelessness, indicating that the homeless population is now the largest it has ever been. Kevin Corinth, AEI's deputy director of the Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility, explains how policymakers can take action.
By Kevin Corinth 12.21.2023
Article
The State of Democratic Capitalism: 2023 Michael Strain, AEI's director of economic policy studies, points out that the health of democratic capitalism is still robust; however, there are dark clouds ahead of us.
By Michael R. Strain 12.18.2023
Op-ed
How to Make Smartphones and Apps Safer for Kids Discover how W. Bradford Wilcox, AEI's nonresident senior fellow, proposes an actionable approach to make smartphones and apps safer for kids.
By W. Bradford Wilcox, Michael Toscano, and Elizabeth Self 12.11.2023
Article
A Pro-Market and Pro-Social Economy In The Next American Economy (2022), Samuel Gregg provides a refreshing defense of free markets, emphasizing the need to frame the case for economic liberty within a broader narrative about America's values and identity. See AEI's senior fellow Brent Orrell reveals how this book can help reframe the disagreement over trade protectionism and industrial policy.
By Brent Orrell and David Veldran 12.04.2023
Op-ed
Congress Can Help Make Housing Affordable—It Just Has to Act The country needs a thoughtful, persistent and renewed commitment to affordable housing production programs. The good news is that there is considerable bipartisan support in Congress to act. Read more to see the solution.
By Rob Portman and Robert E. Rubin 12.04.2023
Article
Red States Can Lead the Way on Marriage and Fatherhood AEI's nonresident senior fellow, W. Bradford Wilcox, points out that one way to promote fatherhood across the state would be to launch a public public-service-announcement campaign that emphasized the importance of being a responsible father. It could present examples of men who are actively engaged in their household, play with their children, and recognize their distinctive role in their children's lives.
By W. Bradford Wilcox and Michael Pugh 12.01.2023
Op-ed
Why Aren’t Kids Going to School? COVID Taught Them Some Bad Habits. AEI’s senior fellow Nat Malkus points out that COVID-19 learning loss is an enormous problem, and catching students up at scale increasingly looks impossible. Fortunately, there are reasons for optimism. Read more to see how parents, educators, and the public can work together to solve this problem.
By Nat Malkus 11.28.2023
Op-ed
For Kids, Marriage Still Matters W. Bradford Wilcox, a senior research fellow at AEI, reveals that children of married parents are more likely to lead happy, healthy, and successful lives. Learn how research shows proof of marriage remains essential for children.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 11.27.2023
Article
Male Malaise Is Not Just About 'the Culture' When the male malaise is raised among conservatives, too often the blame is assigned to "culture," that most nebulous of forces. The assumption here is that vague changes in the culture—shifts in norms, preferences, and aspirations—are robbing men of their sense of industry and ambition, not to mention their ability to forge meaningful ties to others—including a wife. What goes unacknowledged here is that real institutions—Big Business and Big Education—also have had a hand in the worsening lot of American males.
By W. Bradford Wilcox and Elizabeth Self 11.17.2023
Op-ed
Did Child Poverty Really Increase Last Year? New evidence complicates the leading narrative around short-term benefits. Rather than child poverty falling and then rising as the child tax credit (CTC) became more and then less generous, child poverty was lower than ever before in 2022.
By Scott Winship 11.14.2023
Op-ed
The Urgent 21st Century Upgrades Congress Needs to Do Its Job The public has been really down on Congress for about 20 years. A Gallup poll in September found public approval of our nation's legislature was a mere 17 percent. The ugly fight over the Speakership quite probably did not buoy Americans' feelings. AEI's senior fellow Kevin Kosar reveals the changes our Congress must make in the 21st century.
By Kevin R. Kosar 11.14.2023
Article
Perspective: The 4-Year Dividing Line This article offers a unique glimpse into the complexities of the American labor force and the importance of flexibility and workplace culture when it comes to satisfying and retaining workers.
By Brent Orrell and Hunter Dixon 11.08.2023
Op-ed
Let’s Make Poor Americans Save More so We Can Reduce Welfare for Poor Seniors by Even More U.S. retirees are richer than ever and their incomes are projected to grow higher. Seniors’ poverty rate, already at record lows, is projected to fall further. There is no projected explosion in welfare costs for America’s retirees. If we wish to save money on old-age spending, trimming Social Security benefits for America’s richest retirees is a far better way to do so than to push low-income Americans to save money that they don’t have.
By Andrew G. Biggs 11.06.2023
Article
It Takes Two It is indisputable that children are better off living with two nurturing parents who are in a stable, loving relationship compared to any other living situation. But it gets more contentious from there. Does “stability” require marriage? How important is it to live with two biological parents? See how AEI's senior fellow and the director of the Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility, Scott Winship, answers these questions.
By Scott Winship 10.31.2023
Op-ed
What Liberals Don’t Understand About Men and Marriage AEI's nonresident senior fellow W. Bradford Wilcox and others point out how the liberals might be wrong about fatherhood and marriage.
By W. Bradford Wilcox, Wendy Wang, and Elizabeth Self 10.27.2023
Op-ed
Researchers Say High School Civics Test Doesn't Boost Voting. They've Lost the Plot. AEI's senior fellow and director of education policy studies Frederick Hess points out that the democratic government is about a lot more than activism and voting. It's also about respect for rules, personal responsibility, patience, and a willingness to work with those who see things differently.
By Frederick M. Hess 10.25.2023
Op-ed
What Poor Children Need What is the best way to help lower-income children climb the economic ladder? Progressives want to spend more public dollars on health care, education, employment programs, and tax credits for poor families, whereas conservatives stress the need for more personal responsibility, stable households with married parents, and work incentives in social spending programs. There is growing evidence that both sides are right.
By Michael R. Strain and Harry Holzer 10.17.2023
Op-ed
Serve Students, Not Institutions AEI's senior fellow Naomi Schaefer Riley points out that the goal for the state and national leaders should be to ensure that their citizens have unfettered access to the best education possible. Blocking great universities from opening up new programs to reduce the competition will have the opposite effect.
By Naomi Schaefer Riley and James Piereson 10.16.2023
Op-ed
There’s No Republican or Democrat Way to Teach Reading In this op-ed, Robert Pondiscio, AEI senior fellow, points out that teaching children to read has become a partisan project. Click to see how it affects instruction, curriculum, and kids.
By Robert Pondiscio 10.12.2023
Op-ed
I Spoke to Arne Duncan About School Reform. Here Are 5 Takeaways AEI's senior fellow and the director of education policy study, Frederick Hess, sat down with former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to talk about the future of school reform. Here are the five worth-sharing takeaways.
By Frederick M. Hess 10.12.2023
Op-ed
What We Can Do to Make American Politics Less Dysfunctional The disarray engulfing the House of Representatives has been unprecedented, yet somehow it has also felt inevitable. AEI's director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies, Yuval Levin, reveals that the rules of our politics should be designed to counteract our worst vices, not to reinforce them. That means we particularly need to rethink party primaries - which give out politicians all the wrong incentives.
By Yuval Levin 10.10.2023
Op-ed
Try Working Harder AEI's senior fellow and director of education policy studies, Frederick Hess, proposed a simple solution to control college costs in 2023 and beyond.
By Frederick M. Hess 10.04.2023
Article
Growing Up in Intact Families Matters More Than Ever This new study indicates that an intact family is increasingly tied to the educational, financial, and social welfare of children. Meanwhile, family instability appears to harm kids more than it used to. Growing up with two parents made a bigger difference for Millennials than for Boomers.
By W. Bradford Wilcox and David Bass 10.02.2023
Article
WTH: Trust in American Institutions Is Collapsing Trust, hope, and optimism are at historic lows, with fewer than 20 percent of Americans having confidence in newspapers, the criminal justice system, TV news, big business, and Congress. Explore more to learn how we can tackle this pressing issue.
By Danielle Pletka 09.28.2023
Op-ed
The Good and Bad News About Boys and Men in Utah W. Bradford Wilcox, a nonresident senior fellow at AEI, reveals the hidden factors behind the thriving economy of the Beehive State.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 09.27.2023
Article
How Zero-Sum Thinking Undermines American Progress Zero-sum thinking is an economy killer given how vitally important economic freedom and openness — openness to immigration, to free trade, to the disruption that always accompanies technological progress — is to economic growth. We may not be able to change our history, but it probably helps if you are aware of this sort of faulty thinking even as we try to promote a more Up Wing culture.
By James Pethokoukis 09.18.2023
Op-ed
What Is the Constitution For? AEI’s senior fellow, Yuval Levin, recognizes the imperfections of the Constitution but suggests that it serves a crucial purpose by challenging citizens to build coalitions, seek accommodations, and find ways to coexist.
By Yuval Levin 09.18.2023
Op-ed
Communities Need Freedom, but Freedom Needs Community AEI's senior fellow, Yuval Levin, articulates that the future of freedom is communal. Since the pursuit of freedom, which is also the pursuit of happiness, is not the pursuit of independent isolation but of interdependent belonging. It is the pursuit of flourishing, and our future depends on it.
By Yuval Levin 09.07.2023
Op-ed
We Disagree on Abortion. Here’s a Pro-Family Agenda Both Parties Can Support. This article suggests several policy ideas for family and child care, proposed by individuals from opposite ends of the political spectrum. It underscores the importance of setting aside abortion differences to prioritize family support.
By Marc A. Thiessen 09.05.2023
Op-ed
How to Reengage Parents in Their Children’s Schooling Frederick M. Hess, AEI's director of education policy studies, delineates the four key principles for reengaging parents and educators.
By Frederick M. Hess 08.29.2023
Article
Here’s a Kind of Job-Training Program That Works Expanding sector-based training will be challenging, yet rewarding. Learn how AEI Senior Fellow Brent Orrell and David Veldran explain the outcomes of this scenario.
By Brent Orrell and David Veldran 08.28.2023
Article
The Art of Conversation and the Revival of the Humanities Benjamin Storey, AEI's senior fellow, unveils the present state of the humanities and offers strategies for reinvigorating their presence in our everyday experiences.
By Benjamin Storey 08.17.2023
Op-ed
How to Strengthen the ‘Success Sequence’ in Utah This op-ed reveals that the growing numbers of young adults across America are moving into adulthood without a durable connection to two benchmarks strongly connected to human well-being: work and marriage. See how we can tackle this to achieve the American Dream.
By W. Bradford Wilcox, Derek Monson, and David Bass 08.16.2023
Op-ed
Keep the Utah Family Miracle Going Strong See AEI's nonresident senior fellow W. Bradford Wilcox explain the Utah family miracle and how it makes Utah get high marks regarding happiness.
By W. Bradford Wilcox, Jenet Erickson, and Patrick T. Brown 08.14.2023
Op-ed
Constituting Unity AEI senior fellow Yuval Levin presents a solution, suggesting that the Constitution can serve as a guide to promote cohesion and find common ground in the society.
By Yuval Levin 08.02.2023
Article
A Less Cloistered Schoolhouse Discover AEI Senior Fellow Frederick M. Hess's explanation of the shortcomings of the traditional educational licensure system and how to address this issue.
By Frederick M. Hess 07.27.2023
Article
Time to Do Something About the NILFs Despite the overall positive employment situation in the United States, AEI senior fellow Brent Orrell pointed out the concerning issue of declining labor-force participation among men.
By Brent Orrell 07.27.2023
Article
National Power Is Made out of People AEI senior fellow James Pethokoukis highlights that embracing and attracting global talent holds the key to reclaiming the 21st century as the American Century.
By James Pethokoukis 07.21.2023
Article
Wrong Diagnosis, Wrong Prescription Writing in City Journal, AEI Senior Fellow Kevin Corinth pushes back against the arguments in Matthew Desmond's popular book "Poverty, By America."
By Kevin Corinth 05.06.2023
Op-ed
AI and the Future of Work: Preparing the Workforce for an AI-Driven Economy AEI Senior Fellow Brent Orrell reflects on how workers and businesses can prepare for the advent of AI technology based on his participation in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Artificial Intelligence Commission on Competitiveness, Inclusion, and Innovation.
By Brent Orrell 04.04.2023
Op-ed
The American Dream Isn’t Just About Money AEI Senior Fellow Naomi Schaefer Riley explores the role that family structure plays in contributing to the American Dream.
By Naomi Schaefer Riley 03.07.2023
Op-ed
Distance to 100: An Alternative to Racial Achievement Gaps AEI Senior Fellow Ian Rowe argues for the "Distance to 100" as an alternative approach to addressing the achievement gap. This approach emphasizes the gap between current performance levels and 100 percent proficiency for all students rather than reductive measures based on race.
By Ian Rowe 02.23.2023
Op-ed
It’s Time to Link Work and Food Stamps Again AEI Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility Kevin Corinth makes the case for restoring work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assitance Program.
By Kevin Corinth 02.21.2023
Blog
How SNAP Expenditures Now Exceed $100 Billion Annually AEI Senior Fellow and Rowe Scholar Angela Rachidi traces the expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
By Angela Rachidi 02.17.2023
Op-ed
The False Choices Facing the Republican Party AEI Director of Domestic Policy and State Farm James Q. Wilson Chair Ryan Streeter and former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith make the case for "aspirational conservatism."
By Ryan Streeter and Stephen Goldsmith 02.12.2023
Op-ed
The Dual Promise of the American Dream — and Why It’s Worth Defending In material terms, American life is still improving. But serious social problems threaten social upward mobility and need addressing.
By Scott Winship 01.29.2023
Op-ed
The Game of Life AEI Senior Fellow Ian Rowe makes the case that we can inspire rising generations to have more children born into stable, married, two-parent households, which is one of the best predictors of a life of agency.
By Ian Rowe 01.16.2023
Op-ed
Upward Mobility Is Alive and Well in America AEI Nonresident Fellow Phil Gramm and John F. Early analyze trends in household earnings and conclude that economic mobility is alive and well in America today.
By Phil Gramm and John F. Early 01.07.2023
Article
Opportunity Cities and the Midterms AEI Director of Domestic Policy and State Farm James Q. Wilson Chair Ryan Streeter explores what residents of "Opportunity Metros" want from elected leaders.
By Ryan Streeter 01.06.2023

Books, Video, Podcasts, and Events

Event
The Impeachment of Richard Nixon: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary July marks the 50th anniversary of the House Judiciary Committee’s vote recommending the House of Representatives impeach President Richard Nixon for high crimes and misdemeanors. The votes on all three articles passed with bipartisan majorities and led to Nixon’s resignation. Please join AEI for a discussion of the history-making events of 1974, the constitutional purpose of impeachment, and the state of impeachment today.
By Robert Doar, Jack Landman Goldsmith, Gary J. Schmitt, and Philip Wallach 07.25.2024
Event
Coming Together on Chronic Absenteeism: Schools’ Top Priority This Year With the 2024–25 school year upon us, chronic absenteeism remains a grim reality in schools across the country. Consistent attendance is key to student success, but during the pandemic, chronic absenteeism skyrocketed, increasing in every state and for all student groups. The painfully slow reduction of these rates makes chronic absenteeism the top priority for the upcoming school year. This nonpartisan issue requires attention and action from everyone—including parents, classroom teachers, state superintendents, and governors. On July 17, please join us as AEI teams up with Attendance Works and the Education Trust for a public event on chronic absenteeism.
By Nat Malkus 07.17.2024
Podcast
Can Pro-Family Policy Unite the Right? Politics requires building coalitions in order to win elections. For those on the right, this means there is no alternative but to pursue some kind of fusionism among its competing elements. A revitalized fusionism would not look quite like the right’s prior successful coalitions, however: It would need to account for 21st-century realities, which means it will need to put family policy at the forefront of its agenda. Guest John Shelton joins us to discuss how conservatives might unite around pro-family rulemaking.
By Dan Wiser, Howe Whitman, and John Shelton 06.23.2024
Podcast
Jonah Goldberg on the Political Landscape Jonah Goldberg joins Robert to talk about the transformation of the American political and media landscape in recent years. They discuss ideological realignments on the right, media bias, and the importance of character in the presidential election.
By Robert Doar and Jonah Goldberg 06.18.2024
Book
American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again Available June 11, 2024 A top conservative scholar reveals the Constitution’s remarkable power to repair our broken civic culture, rescue our malfunctioning politics, and unify a fractious America. Common ground is hard to find in today’s politics. In a society teeming with irreconcilable political perspectives, many people have grown frustrated under a system of government that constantly demands compromise. More and more on both the right and the left have come to blame the Constitution for the resulting discord. But the Constitution is not the problem we face; it is the solution. 
By Yuval Levin 06.11.2024
Event
The War on Poverty at 60: Lessons to Inform the Future On January 8, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared “an unconditional war on poverty” during his State of the Union address to Congress. Its objective was “not a struggle simply to support people, to make them dependent on the generosity of others,” but “an effort to allow them to develop and use their capacities.” Was the War on Poverty successful? What policies helped advance material well-being, and how should policymakers improve the safety net going forward? Please join a distinguished group of panelists for a conversation around the legacy of the War on Poverty and how we can expand opportunity for all.
By Kevin Corinth and Scott Winship 06.11.2024
Event
American Covenant: A Book Event with Yuval Levin Critics often treat the American Constitution as an antidemocratic cudgel that only aggravates our national fault lines. But what if the Constitution is the solution to our problems of disunity rather than the cause? In American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again, AEI’s Yuval Levin showcases the Constitution’s exceptional power to facilitate constructive disagreement, negotiate resolutions to disputes, and forge unity in a fractured society. Please join us for a conversation between Dr. Levin and AEI’s Ramesh Ponnuru on how studying the Constitution’s strengths can help us grasp the dysfunction driving contemporary politics and identify constitutional reforms that will enable Americans to act together even when they don’t think alike.
By Yuval Levin and Ramesh Ponnuru 06.11.2024
Podcast
Scott Winship on the Wage-Productivity Paradox Americans’ views on the economy have soured in recent years, often seemingly disconnected with the realities of work and growth in incomes. One particularly pernicious meme, found on both the left and the right, is that economic growth has not translated into higher wages for American workers. This week on Hardly Working, Brent sits down with Scott Winship, who dispels this myth in his recent report, “Understanding Trends in Worker Pay over the Past 50 Years.” Brent and Scott discuss the changing dynamics of the economy, the shifting demand for skills, and how we can expand opportunity within the world’s largest and most dynamic economy.
By Brent Orrell  and Scott Winship 05.30.2024
Event
Back Roads and Better Angels: A Book Event with Francis S. Barry In his new book, Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy, Bloomberg’s Francis S. Barry brings together two of America’s unifying loves—road trips and Abraham Lincoln—to take readers on a thought-provoking journey into the heart of our democracy and the soul of our country. Tracing the route of the Lincoln Highway and guided by Lincoln’s spirit, Mr. Barry and his wife used an RV road trip across America to see more clearly what holds our country together, even amid increasingly rancorous, bitter, and exhausting political divisions. Please join AEI’s Andrew Ferguson and Mr. Barry for a conversation about Mr. Barry’s new book and the country’s past, present, and future.
By Robert Doar and Andrew Ferguson 06.10.2024
Event
Brown v. Board of Education at 70: The Mixed Legacy of a Unanimous Decision Seventy years ago, the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision Brown v. Board of Education. The decision was unanimous, and Brown still commands unanimous support in the American political spirit. However, different sides read Brown to say and mean different things. As Boston College’s R. Shep Melnick details in a recent AEI report, the interpreted tensions are a feature—not a bug—of the ruling. These tensions have raised significant interpretative challenges, with massive and ongoing public policy implementations. In this web event, AEI’s Ian Rowe, Dr. Melnick, and the Progressive Policy Institute’s Richard D. Kahlenberg will have a discussion, moderated by AEI’s Max Eden, on the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, 70 years later.
By Max Eden and Ian Rowe  05.17.2024
Podcast
John Tamny on the End of Work In a world where the traditional boundaries of work are being redrawn, the interplay between work and personal satisfaction, a sense of purpose, and meaning is rapidly evolving. This week on Hardly Working, Brent sits down with John Tamny, editor of RealClearMarkets and president of the Parkview Institute. They discuss Tamny’s 2018 book The End of Work: Why Your Passion Can Become Your Job, which envisions a world where material abundance frees all of us up to pursue our passions at work.
By Brent Orrell and John Tamny 05.16.2024
Event
Bonds of Affection: Is Unity Possible in a Divided America? In an era of polarized politics, we often focus on our differences. We can see what divides us. But what unites us? Is it an idea, such as a commitment to human dignity? Amid our many disagreements over policies and values, what might remind us of what we have in common? Please join AEI and the Wheatley Institute for a conference on the sources of our political polarization and ways citizens can recover the shared commitments that hold us together.
By Adam J. White, Yuval Levin, and Philip Wallach 05.16.2024
Event
Keeping the Republic: A Book Event with Dennis Hale and Marc Landy The Constitution has never had its shortage of critics, famously scorned over the past few centuries by historical figures such as Thomas Paine, William Lloyd Garrison, and Woodrow Wilson. In Keeping the Republic: A Defense of American Constitutionalism, Boston College’s Dennis Hale and Marc Landy argue that taking these criticisms seriously is actually the first step toward understanding the Constitution’s virtues. By constraining the exercise of power, the Constitution sustains the foundation of a large, pluralistic, and rapidly modernizing society.
By Yuval Levin 05.08.2024
Event
The American Dream Lecture Series: Ruth Wisse on Antisemitism in the United States The United States is confronting the greatest rise in antisemitism in decades. Following Hamas’s October 7 massacre, the Anti-Defamation League reported a 337 percent increase in antisemitic incidents—experienced in synagogues, on campuses, and by Jewish individuals and businesses nationwide. As John Podhoretz has observed, the situation is “a national onslaught that has no precedent in American history or American life.” To shed light on this issue, Harvard University’s Ruth Wisse will deliver AEI’s fifth American Dream Lecture. A renowned scholar of Yiddish literature, Jewish history, and culture, Dr. Wisse will explore the evolution of American antisemitism and discuss its unprecedented rise in recent months. How can we effectively counter what Dr. Wisse has called “the escalation of anti-Jewish politics in America”?
By Christopher J. Scalia and Matthew Continetti 05.07.2024
Podcast
Dan Cox on the Gender Divide Within Gen Z Dan Cox joins Robert to talk about the growing divide between Generation Z men and women. They discuss the corrosive effects of social media, declining interest in relationships and marriage, and the potential effects on the 2024 election of increasing gender-based political polarization.
By Robert Doar and Daniel A. Cox 04.23.2024
Event
The Promise and Peril of Civic Renewal: Richard John Neuhaus, Peter L. Berger, and “To Empower People” In 1977, Richard John Neuhaus and Peter L. Berger published To Empower People: From State to Civil Society. The book explored the importance of mediating institutions such as family, church, and community to a healthy civil society. It warned that neglecting such institutions could spell disaster for American society. Join scholars from AEI, the Ethics & Public Policy Center, and other institutions as they discuss where Rev. Neuhaus and Dr. Berger’s project stands today. Experts will explore the legacy of To Empower People and how the authors’ insights can be applied to cultural challenges in contemporary American life.
By Karlyn Bowman, Matthew Continetti, and Scott Winship 04.22.2024
Event
America at 250: Capitalism and the American Revolution The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, yet the nation’s founding is controversial now in ways it has not been in decades. In the second symposium of AEI’s “We Hold These Truths: America at 250” project, historians, political scientists, and economists analyze the role that the market economy played in the creation of the United States. The year 1776 marked the publication of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, which influenced the economic thought of many Revolutionary leaders. At the same time, the founders evinced concerns over what economic inequality might mean for political freedom in the fledgling republic. Understanding how the founding generation viewed the promises and perils of capitalism can shed light on modern debates over capitalism’s role in American society.
By Yuval Levin, Jay Cost, and Adam J. White 04.15.2024
Event
The New Illiberalism: The American Media and the Future of Democracy In 2023, James Bennet, a senior editor at The Economist and former editorial page editor at the New York Times, published “When the New York Times Lost Its Way.” The essay described the events that led to his dismissal from the New York Times in 2020. Beyond that, it explored how a cultural revolution in American life led the New York Times to abandon liberal principles in its approach to journalism. Join Mr. Bennet, AEI’s Thomas Chatterton Williams, the Washington Free Beacon’s Eliana Johnson, and the Washington Post’s Charles Lane as they discuss the essay and the broader trend toward illiberalism in America’s media institutions. The panelists will explore how we can reverse this trend and restore trust in journalism.
By Matthew Continetti 03.27.2024
Book
Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be Available March 19, 2024. Parenting seems harder these days, and millennials and Generation Z don't seem up for it. Why? It's easy to blame cost or selfishness, but kids have long been an economic drag, and adults have always been selfish. The question is: What's changed? The answer is culture. Our culture is less friendly to parenting than it used to be—and should be. When we were kids, no one was watching us every moment. That was a good thing: It meant our parents felt confident in the society around us. That was the past. Today, the mode of parenting is about hyper-control. Kids must constantly be cosseted, entertained, trained, scheduled, and catechized as little activists and influencers. Timothy P. Carney argues that we need to lighten up and return to the virtues of old-fashioned parenting. We need to give kids space to fail and succeed, have adventures and gain unexpected knowledge, and enjoy unscheduled time.
By Timothy P. Carney 03.19.2024
Podcast
Karlyn Bowman: American Nostalgia Generation after generation seem to pine for “the good old days,” an elusive time when many of us think morals, institutions, and the quality of life, in general, were higher. Americans are no exception to this rule, but there’s something unique about American nostalgia. While we reminisce about the past, we also owe much of our success as a nation to our forward-thinking culture that embraces the possibility of the American Dream. Today on Political Economy, I talk with Karlyn Bowman about the way Americans view their nation, and the tensions between their love of their past and their strong hope for the future.
By James Pethokoukis and Karlyn Bowman 03.19.2024
Event
Getting K–12 Right In recent years, school closures, rampant classroom misbehavior, and declining test scores have erased the Democratic Party’s historical lead on education. As a frustrated public seeks a more promising way forward, how can conservatives best answer that call? In this webinar, AEI’s Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane are joined by Louisiana State Superintendent Cade Brumley, Nicole Neily of Parents Defending Education, and 50CAN’s Derrell Bradford to discuss how conservatives can lead on K–12 education. Drawing on ideas from Dr. Hess’s and Dr. McShane’s new book, Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College, the panel will sketch an outline of K–12 education reform unencumbered by the groupthink and political constraints that hamper even farsighted progressives.
By Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane 03.19.2024
Event
The Soul of Civility: A Book Event with Alexandra Hudson In our polarized age, it can be difficult to talk about the most consequential topics even with those closest to us. In her new book, The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves, Civic Renaissance founder Alexandra Hudson explores what it takes to build a culture of civility. Drawing on various philosophical traditions, Ms. Hudson differentiates between politeness and a true respect for human dignity, demonstrating through historical examples how we can be more civil in our individual lives, communities, and broader political culture. Please join AEI’s Adam J. White and Ms. Hudson for a discussion of how civility can help us transcend our important differences and flourish amid them.
By Adam J. White 03.19.2024
Event
The Pursuit of Happiness: A Book Event with Jeffrey Rosen Why did the founders consider “the pursuit of happiness” an inalienable right, and how did they understand the phrase? In The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America, the National Constitution Center’s Jeffrey Rosen examines how the founders treated happiness as the pursuit of a virtuous life, a view they took from their reading of the philosophers of classical antiquity. Please join AEI’s Adam J. White and Mr. Rosen for a discussion of how the pursuit of happiness is vital to the project of self-governance.
By Adam J. White 03.18.2024
Video
Political Divides Cut Through Marriages and Families in the Run-Up to the 2024 Election For many Americans, politics has become far more personal, and divisive, than it once was. Now, in the run-up to the November election, that’s creating some friction within families. Tonight, Judy Woodruff looks at the impact of politics on marriages, dating and families as part of her ongoing series, America at a Crossroads.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 03.14.2024
Video
What Ails the Working Class in America? Labor-force participation, especially among men of prime working age, has fallen to levels not seen since the Great Depression. Nicholas Eberstadt joins Chris DeMuth, Oren Cass, Iain Murray, and Rick Santorum at The Heritage Foundation to discuss this issue and more.
By Nicholas Eberstadt 03.01.2024
Podcast
Yuval Levin on American Unity Yuval Levin joins Robert to analyze social cohesion in America, Trumpism, realignment on the right, and the loss of trust in elites.
By Robert Doar and Yuval Levin 02.27.2024
Event
Is Sector-Based Training the Answer to America’s Skills Challenge? Evidence for “what works” in job training and workforce development remains remarkably thin. The exception to this rule is sector-based training, which has been found to substantially increase employment and wages, especially for workers who might otherwise find themselves trapped in low-skill, low-wage jobs. Join AEI’s Brent Orrell and a panel of experts for a discussion exploring the keys to scaling targeted training programs effectively, including model replication, adaptable funding, and the integration of comprehensive support services such as childcare and transportation. Discover how these strategies can amplify the impact of sector-based training, creating a more dynamic and responsive workforce capable of adapting to rapidly evolving skill needs.
By Brent Orrell 02.26.2024
Event
Why Do American Universities Lean So Far to the Left? Conservatives are scarcer among college and university faculty than they are among any other major profession’s workforce. What are the historical, sociological, and philosophical causes of this imbalance? What consequences does it have for student life, pedagogy, and research? Have any effective means of restoring ideological pluralism on campus been found? Join AEI’s Benjamin Storey for a conversation with the Hoover Institution’s Peter Berkowitz and Azusa Pacific University’s Ethan Schrum on how understanding the ideological skew of America’s academia can inform efforts to restore the university’s role as an institution where the pursuit of knowledge can flourish.
By Benjamin Storey 02.26.2024
Event
The State of Black Progress In The State of Black Progress: Confronting Government and Judicial Obstacles—a new essay collection from the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE)—scholars and policy leaders explore black Americans’ historical struggle to achieve full equality. Join AEI’s Ian Rowe and Howard Husock, the Galen Institute’s Grace-Marie Turner, and CURE’s Star Parker and T. W. Shannon as they discuss that history and the current state of affairs for black Americans regarding education, health care, housing, community development, and other pressing topics. Together, scholars will explain how the right set of policies and incentives, including minimal government interference, can help Americans of all races make substantial progress.
By Ian Rowe, Robert Doar, and Howard Husock 02.26.2024
Event
Education and the Right In the past few years, school closures, campus excesses, and declining test scores have erased the Democratic Party’s historic lead on education. As a frustrated public seeks a more promising way forward, how can the right best answer that call? In their new book, Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College, AEI’s Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane offer a robust, practical vision for educational improvement. Grounded in personal agency, institutional responsibility, and gratitude, the authors sketch a principled path forward. Join Dr. Hess and Dr. McShane as they—along with AEI’s Ramesh Ponnuru, Ian Rowe, Matthew Continetti, and Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera—explore what conservatives are getting right, how they can do better, and what the future holds for education and the right.
By Matthew Continetti, Michael Q. McShane, Frederick M. Hess, Ramesh Ponnuru, and Ian Rowe 02.22.2024
Book
Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization Available February 13, 2024. America is in crisis. Happiness is falling, loneliness and despair are rising, too many schools are riddled by fights and failure, crime is unacceptably high, and the American Dream is out of reach for millions. The problems are visible to us all, but virtually no one is talking about the solution that matters most: marriage. New research by W. Bradford Wilcox shows that Americans who get married and have children today are leading happier and more prosperous lives, on average, than men and women who are single and childless. In fact, nothing predicts happiness in life better than a good marriage—not even a hefty bank account or a great career. And kids and communities—not to mention our civilization as a whole—are much more likely to flourish when the state of our unions is strong.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 02.13.2024
Event
Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization Fewer Americans are getting married and starting families, and that is a bad sign for the country. That’s because nothing matters more for the pursuit of happiness and the health of the American Dream than strong and stable marriages. In his new book, Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization, W. Bradford Wilcox of the University of Virginia and AEI suggests that getting married and establishing a thriving family is the best path to a prosperous life. But Americans need more support from the law and our culture.
By W. Bradford Wilcox 02.12.2024
Podcast
Chris Sinacola on the Decline of Civics Education in American Schools How can we ensure young Americans understand civics? Our K-12 schools have seen a significant loss in the both the quality and quantity of history and civics requirements. Is there any way reverse this trend? In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Chris Sinacola, director of communications and media relations at Pioneer Institute and co-editor of Restoring the City on a Hill: U.S. History & Civics in America's Schools. Chris discusses his new book and outlines what is behind the steady decline of history and civics education, what testing standards and results indicate about the quality of civics education in schools, the importance of connecting students with the roots of the American nation, and what it will take to preserve American tradition and history.
By Naomi Schaefer Riley and Ian Rowe 02.07.2024
Podcast
“We Are Not Here to Save Children”: Marie Cohen on Preventable Child Deaths in the District of Columbia In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Marie Cohen, a child welfare policy analyst, researcher, and former Washington, DC social worker. Marie authors a blog, Child Welfare Monitor, where she recently released a report analyzing the deaths of 16 children in Washington, DC in which the death was the result of child abuse, or in which child abuse could not be ruled out as a cause of death.
By Naomi Schaefer Riley, Ian Rowe, and Marie Cohen 01.24.2024
Event
On the Front Porch with Brent Orrell and Tony Pipa: A Conversation with Nicholas F. Jacobs Contemporary differences between rural and urban America have their roots in long-term demographic, economic, technological, and social factors. In a new event series, AEI’s Brent Orrell and the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa host conversations “On the Front Porch” with authors of recent research on issues facing rural America. These discussions will explore the unique challenges and opportunities facing rural America and consider policy options to promote development and opportunity outside the nation’s major metropolitan areas.
By Brent Orrell 01.25.2024
Event
The American Dream Lecture Series: Gary Saul Morson on Russian Literature and the Big Questions Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and Anton Chekhov: Russian literature boasts some of the most significant fiction writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. What can these and other great Russian writers teach us about the human condition? How can their explorations of good and evil, tradition and revolution, empathy and tyranny, and war and peace guide us in the 21st century? Join us for the third lecture in the American Dream Lecture Series as Northwestern University’s Gary Saul Morson speaks about the enduring relevance of great Russian literature, followed by a conversation with AEI’s M. Anthony Mills.
By Christopher J. Scalia and M. Anthony Mills 01.25.2024
Event
The Five-Year Presidency: A Book Event with Christopher P. Liddell Article II of the Constitution stipulates that a president shall hold a four-year term upon assuming the executive office, and four-year thinking dominates how officeholders, policymakers, and the public talk about the presidency. But what about the year before a new president enters the White House? In Year Zero: The Five-Year Presidency, former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Christopher P. Liddell argues that presidential candidates need to prioritize staffing and structuring the executive office before they even win an election, to bolster both the effectiveness of the institution and our democracy’s health. Please join AEI’s Yuval Levin for a conversation with Mr. Liddell on the nonpartisan steps that are key to building an institutionally responsible White House and restoring trust in the executive branch.
By Yuval Levin 01.24.2024
Event
The Benefits of Active Parenting in K–12 Education: A Conversation with Eva Moskowitz AEI Senior Fellow Robert Pondiscio hosted Success Academy Charter Schools Founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz for a discussion on parenting in education. Their conversation opened with a discussion of Dr. Moskowitz’s book, A+ Parenting: The Surprisingly Fun Guide to Raising Surprisingly Smart Kids, which she wrote with her husband. Mr. Pondiscio and Dr. Moskowitz discussed ways to keep children intellectually engaged during family time outside the classroom—through playing games such as Backgammon, going to museums, and watching educational children’s media. Dr. Moskowitz raised concerns over bad influences such as social media and video games, which can detract from a child’s intellectual growth and make life harder in the classroom.
By Robert Pondiscio 12.11.2023
Event
Restoring Free Inquiry and Civility in Higher Education On December 8, AEI’s Frederick M. Hess hosted a panel to discuss what university leaders can do to restore a healthy culture of free inquiry on campus. Dr. Hess was joined by Rajiv Vinnakota of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, DePauw University President Lori S. White, and James Madison University President Jonathan R. Alger.
By Frederick M. Hess 12.08.2023
Event
Restoring Free Inquiry and Civility in Higher Education Universities have come under fire for restricting free inquiry, creating campuses that seem like ideological echo chambers. This came to a head when many of the same campus leaders who had advocated for creating safe spaces failed to confront the recent threats to Jewish students and faculty. What will it take for colleges to better advance free inquiry and civil debate? The Institute for Citizens & Scholars recently launched the Campus Call for Free Expression, an initiative aiming to promote free inquiry and campus civility. Join AEI’s Frederick M. Hess, Rajiv Vinnakota of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, DePauw University President Lori S. White, and James Madison University President Jonathan Alger as they discuss what university leaders can do to restore a healthy culture on campus.
By Frederick M. Hess 12.08.2023
Event
Milton Friedman, the Last Conservative: A Book Event with Jennifer Burns Milton Friedman, a pivotal 20th-century economist, was crucial in shaping the turn toward free markets in the 1980s, leading to the moniker “the Age of Friedman.” In her new book, Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2023), Stanford University’s Jennifer Burns explores Friedman’s influential contributions to economic thought, intricate collaborations, and direct policymaking interventions, presenting a nuanced portrait of America’s first neoliberal and a significant figure in modern American conservatism.
By Matthew Continetti 12.06.2023
Event
The Ninth Annual American Family Survey: Perceptions and Realities of Issues Families Face Today When it comes to the most important challenges families face today, the public has ideas about how the economy, family structure, health, and other issues rank—but these perceptions don’t always match what the public reports as the biggest issues for their own families. The ninth annual American Family Survey delves into the experiences of American families in 2023, putting these issues in the context of trends that hint at the future of marriage and parenting. The poll also explores controversies in public education, shifts in Americans’ views on abortion, and concerns about social media.
By Daniel A. Cox and W. Bradford Wilcox 12.05.2023
Event
Structural Election Reform: What Is Happening in the States? A bipartisan bill recently introduced in the Wisconsin legislature would enact final-five voting for state elections. Next year’s mayoral election in Burlington, Vermont, will be conducted using ranked-choice voting. And Idaho citizens may be voting in 2024 on a ballot initiative to consider opening its partisan primaries. Various states, counties, and municipalities are enacting systemic election reforms, aiming to improve governance by altering the incentives of candidates running for elected office. These reforms include preferential voting (e.g., ranked-choice voting), open primaries, jungle primaries and runoff elections, proportional representation, and nonpartisan redistricting. Where are these reforms occurring, and what concerns are prompting these changes?
By Kevin R. Kosar 12.04.2023
Event
Making Men Moral: 30th Anniversary Conference Thirty years ago, Robert P. George’s Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality (Clarendon Press, 1993) challenged the consensus that justice requires governmental neutrality on contested questions of morality. Dr. George argued that moral neutrality in politics is impossible, that a proper concern for public morality can be a legitimate basis for laws and policies, and that natural law offered a more secure foundation for civil liberties than “neutralist” liberalism did. How did Making Men Moral shape decades of debates about civil liberties and public morality? As these debates have evolved, how is Making Men Moral relevant going forward?
By J. Joel Alicea, Timothy P. Carney, Robert P. George, Ramesh Ponnuru, Yuval Levin, Ian Rowe, and W. Bradford Wilcox 11.30.2023
Event
Mental Maps of the Founders: A Conversation with Michael Barone The Founding Fathers were men of high intellect, steely integrity, and enormous ambition—but they were not all of one mind. They came from particular places in already diverse colonies, and they sought their futures in different horizons. Without reliable maps, the founders contributed in different, and sometimes conflicting, ways to the expansion of a young republic on the seaboard edge of a still largely unmapped continent. In his new book, Mental Maps of the Founders: How Geographic Imagination Guided America’s Revolutionary Leaders (Encounter Books, 2023), AEI’s Michael Barone shows how these diverse influences shaped the country’s contours and character.
By Robert Doar and Michael Barone 11.28.2023
Event
The American Dream Lecture Series: The Future of Free Speech Americans value few rights more than freedom of speech. Yet in recent years, people increasingly believe we should weigh free speech against a sensitivity to “harmful” language. Many newspapers and college campuses even liken speech to violence. Why is it essential to continue defending free speech against these new challenges, and what are the best strategies? Given the habits and values of younger generations, is a new understanding of free speech destined to become the norm? Join us for the second event in the American Dream Lecture Series as the Atlantic’s Caitlin Flanagan discusses the future of free speech, followed by a conversation with AEI’s Thomas Chatterton Williams.
By Christopher J. Scalia and Thomas Chatterton Williams 11.16.2023
Event
America at 250: Democracy and the American Revolution The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, yet the nation’s founding is controversial now in ways it has not been in decades. In the inaugural symposium of AEI’s “We Hold These Truths: America at 250” project, renowned historians and political scientists will explore what the contested idea of democracy meant to participants in the American Revolution. For some, democracy represented a way to organize government, while others understood it to be the transformative philosophical bedrock of the new republic’s political, social, and cultural institutions.
By Yuval Levin, Robert Doar, and Adam J. White 11.15.2023
Podcast
Chris Stirewalt on Appalachia Chris Stirewalt, a senior fellow at AEI, speaks to Brent about the unique culture and values of Appalachia, the role that strong families and institutions play in the region's success, and potential solutions to the region's challenges, from its opioid epidemic to educational "brain drain." He also takes us through much of the history of the region, offering deep insight into the region's identity. As you'll hear, Stirewalt is optimistic about Appalachia and confident that the region can overcome its most difficult challenges.
By Brent Orrell and Chris Stirewalt 11.09.2023
Podcast
Keeping Elections Secure from Foreign Interference (with Maggie Toulouse Oliver) Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Secretary of State of New Mexico.
By John C. Fortier, Donald Palmer, and Maggie Toulouse OIiver 11.07.2023
Podcast
America’s Party System and the Problem of Union What type of party system best suits the American regime? What can we do to cultivate such a party system? Amid the current tumult and polarization of our politics, much of it the result of the degradation of our parties, it behooves us to seek answers to these questions, and to learn from past efforts to give shape to the American party system. Guest Daniel Stid joins us to discuss reforms to the party system that could restore coalition building and union to American politics.
By Dan Wiser, Howe Whitman, and Daniel Stid 11.05.2023
Event
The Rise of Classical Education: Where It Came From, Where It’s Going, and What It Means for Educators In this webinar, AEI’s Robert Pondiscio and a panel of experts will discuss the concept of classical education. The panel will explore how and when the movement originated, what it looks like in practice, and what it means for educators, parents, and students.
By Robert Pondiscio 11.08.2023
Podcast
Melissa Kearney: The Importance of the Two-Parent Home Over the past 40 years, children born to parents without college degrees have become less and less likely to grow up with the advantages of a two-parent home. This trend is perpetuating inequality between college-educated and non-college-educated families. Listen to this episode to learn more about this trend.
By James Pethokoukis and Melissa Kearney 11.02.2023
Podcast
Melissa Kearney on the Two-Parent Privilege Nat and Melissa discuss the decline in marriage among non-college-educated parents, why having two parents in the home matters for student outcomes, the stock of marriageable men, and more.
By Nat Malkus and Melissa Kearney 11.02.2023
Event
“Defining Deviancy Down” at 30: Reflections on Crime, Welfare, and Mental Health In 1993, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) published a seminal essay called “Defining Deviancy Down.” Written in response to increasing crime nationwide in the 1980s and early 1990s, the essay described the social process of normalizing deviant behavior, the resulting breakdown of social values, and the rise of crime and other social problems. Join AEI for a panel discussion on how concepts and manifestations of deviancy have been recalibrated over the past three decades through the lens of crime, welfare and family policy, and drugs and homelessness—central topics of concern for Sen. Moynihan. Experts will consider which policies and norms today represent practical and moral progress and which have undermined the public good.
By Sally Satel and Matthew Continetti 10.30.2023
Event
Expanding Educational Opportunities: A Fireside Chat with Geoffrey Canada and Frederick M. Hess Even during intense polarization, there’s a deep-seated, shared commitment to educational opportunity. The challenge is to find models that can win broad support and deliver results. Arguably, no one has worked more diligently at that over the past three decades than Geoffrey Canada, the architect of the famed Harlem Children’s Zone, the inspiration for Promise Neighborhoods, and the founder of the William Julius Wilson Institute. What does it take to drive community-wide efforts to expand educational opportunity? Is this work still possible given today’s social and political landscape? Join Mr. Canada and AEI’s Frederick M. Hess as they discuss these issues and more.
By Frederick M. Hess 10.30.2023
Podcast
Aaron Renn on Appalachia The media has told us a very straightforward, and depressing, story about Appalachia: it is a region that is being left behind as the rest of the U.S. economy chugs on; it's a destitute, hopeless place without good jobs, and filled with communities in decline. Appalachia, Renn shows, is no monolith (it consists of a diversity of areas with their challenges and identities); it has a rich cultural heritage, especially in music and the arts and natural beauty; and, while it faces its share of problems, it has tremendous opportunities for growth and several trends working in its favor. Brent speaks with Renn about this much-maligned region, offering an insightful perspective on a region that has a crucial role to play in boosting social mobility for millions of Americans.
By Brent Orrell and Aaron Renn 10.26.2023
Event
Can the Left and Right Learn Together?: A Conversation on “Purposive Pluralism” with Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels American universities have historically brought people from diverse backgrounds to engage in common work during a formative period of life. Are universities serving that purpose today? Johns Hopkins President Ronald J. Daniels’s recent book, What Universities Owe Democracy (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021), puts this question into historical perspective and suggests inventive ways for universities to better cultivate “purposive pluralism.” Join AEI’s Jenna Silber Storey for a conversation with President Daniels to explore how universities can help young people from diverse backgrounds learn to work together as citizens in our democratic republic.
By Jenna Silber Storey and Robert Doar 10.24.2023
Event
Fragile Neighborhoods: A Book Event with Seth Kaplan When confronted with a problem as big as the decay of the American social fabric, it helps to start small. In Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time (Little, Brown Spark, 2023), Johns Hopkins University’s Seth Kaplan argues that we need to pay closer attention to our neighborhoods, which play an essential—if underappreciated—role in determining our quality of life. Few American neighborhoods today remain insulated from rising rates of crime, family breakdown, addiction, and despair, making investment in local institutions more urgent than ever.
By Yuval Levin 10.23.2023
Video
Agency and Human Flourishing:Theory and Practice When you embrace an agentic mindset, you understand the power of self-determination and your ability to direct your thoughts, emotions, and actions. However, agency is more than a mindset. It is a way of living in the world that involves directing your behavior in accordance with your beliefs and goals. See how to practice it in your daily life.
By Ian Rowe, Gonzalo Schwarz, Elena Leontjeva, Amelia Nickerson, and Clay Routledge 10.13.2023
Podcast
Harriet McDonald and Jennifer Mitchell on the Doe Fund In cities across America, homelessness, poverty, crime, addiction, and mental illness are perennial, and deeply intertwined, problems. The New York City-based Doe Fund, however, has made real progress on these challenges. Emphasizing work and personal responsibility, the fund has served struggling and at-risk individuals for nearly 40 years. In this episode, Brent sits down with the Doe Fund’s outgoing President and CEO, Harriet McDonald, and its incoming leader, Jennifer Mitchell. They discuss the Fund’s model and track record of success, offering valuable lessons for government, nonprofits, and individuals who aspire to support vulnerable populations.
By Brent Orrell, Harriet McDonald, and Jennifer Mitchell 10.12.2023
Event
The Conservative Futurist: A Book Event with James Pethokoukis The futurists of the 1960s anticipated a 21st century of warp-speed economic progress and technological marvels: limitless energy, space colonies, and, of course, flying cars. So what happened to the sci-fi world we were promised? In The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised (Center Street, 2023), AEI Senior Fellow James Pethokoukis explores the history of the “Great Downshift” that crushed our dreams of a fantastic future and charts an optimistic—yet realistic—path to the kind of progress and prosperity that those techno-prophets once foretold.
By James Pethokoukis and Michael R. Strain 10.10.2023
Event
A Way Forward for School Reform: A Conversation with Frederick M. Hess and Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan A decade ago, for better or worse, education improvement was widely seen as a bipartisan cause. Today, fights over schooling are increasingly polarized. Are there opportunities for principled agreement on action regarding choice, teacher pay, parental involvement, the teaching of American history, or much else?
By Frederick M. Hess 10.03.2023
Event
Cases and Controversies: A Preview of the Supreme Court’s 2023–24 Term Just months ago, the Supreme Court ended its annual term’s work with major decisions on affirmative action, the administrative state, and much more. Now, the justices are returning for a new year, with oral arguments beginning October 2. The Court already plans to hear cases involving congressional redistricting, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding, the Second Amendment, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s in-house adjudication process, and much more. What might happen in the months ahead? How do these cases reflect broader trends in constitutional law?
By John Yoo and Adam J. White 09.28.2023
Event
Democracy or Republic? The People and the Constitution: A Book Event with Jay Cost and Adam J. White In recent years, the Constitution has become a source of political controversy between conservatives and progressives. Critics commonly argue the Constitution is an elitist and antiquated plan of government that violates basic principles of democratic sovereignty. In his new book, Democracy or Republic? The People and the Constitution (AEI Press, 2023), AEI’s Jay Cost argues that the Constitution is being misunderstood. Its plan of government is for a republic, not a democracy, and it promulgates this vision by promoting an often-forgotten principle—consensus.
By Jay Cost and Adam J. White 09.19.2023
Event
Pluralism and the American Constitution In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the Supreme Court majority championed a form of equality before the law rooted in the pluralism of American society. In doing so, the Court hearkens back to the founders’ recognition that American society is inevitably pluralistic. As James Madison explained, such pluralism stems from citizens’ differing capacities, experiences, and beliefs—religious, philosophical, and political. The Constitution establishes a form of government that respects and accommodates pluralism rather than eradicating it.
By Yuval Levin and Gary J. Schmitt 09.18.2023
Podcast
Laura Meckler on Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity On the latest episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Laura Meckler about her new book, Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity. Nat and Laura discuss integration, busing, and detracking; the Van Sweringen brothers; the limitations of good intentions; the internet’s effect on journalism; the racial achievement gap; belonging; what it’s like writing about your hometown; what history can teach us about education policy; and more.
By Nat Malkus and Laura Meckler 09.07.2023
Event
The American Dream Lecture Series: The Constitution and National Unity AEI’s Yuval Levin argues that contrary to many skeptics, the Constitution offers Americans a practical path for greater unity and can inspire a restoration of republicanism. The problem is not that we disagree; it is that we have forgotten how to disagree constructively. Restoring our understanding of the Constitution can help us recover that ability, which is central to a healthy republic.
By Christopher J. Scalia and Yuval Levin 09.07.2023
Event
Good Faith Live: Institutions, Politics, and the Anxiety Opportunity In The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry Is the Doorway to Your Best Self (Zondervan, 2023), Redeeming Babel’s Curtis Chang argues that modernity’s great psychological affliction offers an opportunity for spiritual renewal. In this live recording of the Good Faith podcast, Mr. Chang and AEI’s Yuval Levin will discuss how institutions can draw on this insight to restore tranquility to our civic life.
By Yuval Levin 09.05.2023
Event
The 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington: A Special Forum A special gathering to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington. Five sessions featured AEI scholars in dialogue with distinguished guests to discuss the march and its legacy.
Robert Doar, Yuval Levin, Ian Rowe, and Ryan Streeter 08.08.2023
Podcast
Workforce Futures Initiative Event Rebroadcast AEI's Brent Orrell is joined by leading workforce experts Harry Holzer, Greg Wright, and Rachel Lipson to discuss the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), sector-based training programs, community colleges and their connection to the workforce, and labor market data information.
Brent Orrell, Harry Holzer, Greg Wright, and Rachel Lipson 08.03.2023
Podcast
Robert Cherry on the State of the Black Family Naomi Schaefer Riley and Ian Rowe are joined by Robert Cherry, an adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who supports family-oriented policies such as home visiting programs to enhance caregiver capacity and tackle racial educational disparities.
Naomi Schaefer Riley, Ian Rowe, and Robert Cherry 07.26.2023
Podcast
Scott Lincicome on Empowering the New American Worker AEI Senior Fellow Brent Orrell hosts the Cato Institute's Vice President of General Economics and Trade Scott Lincicome to discuss the intra-conservative debate over how to balance the need for stability in the market with openness to the innovation and change that have been the hallmarks of American development and prosperity throughout our nation's history.
By Brent Orrell 04.27.2023
Event
Modernizing Policy for Eligibility for Federal Disability Benefits The past 50 years have seen an economy-wide shift in the nature of work and changing views on and experience with older workers. These shifts affect the employment opportunities of those with disabilities—an effect, according to Dr. Warshawsky, that should be reflected in the decision to award disability benefits or not. A diverse panel of distinguished and experienced disability policy experts will offer their responses to Dr. Warshawsky’s proposal in this AEI public event.
Mark J. Warshawsky and Robert Doar 03.15.2023
Event
Can Businesses Boost Upward Mobility? Join AEI and the Brookings Institution for a joint event on how American businesses generate economic opportunity for workers and how effective talent management produces competitive benefits in the labor market—including a discussion of the new American Opportunity Index.
By Michael Strain and Brent Orrell 03.15.2023
Event
Workforce Futures Initiative: How Well Does the American Workforce System Work? Join the Workforce Futures Initiative steering committee as it presents key themes and findings from WFI and launches a new public website repository for the initiative’s work.
By Brent Orrell 02.28.2023
Event
How Do Government Deficits and Debt Drive Inflation? In his new book, The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level (Princeton University Press, 2023), the Hoover Institution’s John Cochrane presents a comprehensive account of this theory and offers a rethinking of conventional monetary doctrines and institutions. Join AEI’s Michael Strain, Dr. Cochrane, and a distinguished panel of economists discuss the key themes from Dr. Cochrane’s book.
By Michael Strain 02.28.2023
Event
Learning from Practitioners to Promote Upward Mobility and Advance Opportunity: A Conversation with Paul Ryan Policymakers all too often rely on the loudest voices inside the Beltway. But some of the greatest lessons to be learned come from outside the traditional policymaking circles. AEI's Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Practice of Public Policy hosts two on-the-ground practitioners—Gatekeepers and Corner to Corner—to discuss their efforts to provide Americans with the opportunity to rise.
By Paul Ryan and Scott Winship 02.16.2023
Podcast
Scott Winship on Upward Mobility AEI Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility Scott Winship joins AEI's Banter podcast to discuss social mobility and poverty alleviation.
By Scott Winship and Robert Doar 02.14.2023
Event
A Conversation with Gov. Kim Reynolds on Iowa’s Students First Act Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has championed school choice since she first took office in 2017. During National School Choice Week, Gov. Reynolds signed Iowa’s Students First Act, which establishes universal education savings accounts, providing every Iowa student with the opportunity to take state funding to a private school or use it on other approved educational expenses. What will this mean for students in the largely rural “Hawkeye State”? And what else can we expect enterprising conservative governors to prioritize in education?
By Max Eden 02.10.2023
Event
Why Are Foster Kids Sleeping in Offices? Between 2008 and 2018, there was a 37 percent reduction in the number of children in congregate care due to high insurance costs, less money from state and federal governments, changes in juvenile justice policy, and a shift in cultural attitudes about these institutions. In 2018, the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act significantly restricted the use of federal foster care dollars for group homes. As a result, foster children across the country who have been abused or neglected are forced to spend nights in hotels, shelters, or government offices because child welfare agencies have no place to put them. AEI Senior Fellow Naomi Schaefer Riley and a panel of experts discuss how policymakers can address this congregate care crisis.
By Naomie Schaefer Riley 01.30.2023
Event
A Conversation with Former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett on the Future of Teaching American History Many studies and reports suggest that American students perform worse on American history than they do in either math or reading. This is no surprise given that most of the books and materials used to teach American history in schools are either left-leaning and politically tendentious or, just as likely, simply boring. To remedy this, we need an honest, vigorous, and engaging approach to teaching history. AEI’s Conservative Education Reform Network hosts former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett for a conversation about his vision for education and his initiative to improve the way we teach students our shared history.
By Max Eden 01.18.2023
Podcast
Is Government Action Needed to Improve the Economic Status of American Men? AEI's Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy Nicholas Eberstadt and Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility Scott Winship join the Future of Freedom podcast to discuss whether government action is necessary to improve the economic status of American men.
By Scott Winship and Nick Eberstadt 01.06.2023