Ideas for
Prosperity

Tomorrow’s leaders need better, bolder ideas about how to make our society freer and more prosperous. That’s why the Civitas Institute exists, plain and simple.

Through research, commentary, and public outreach, we explore all aspects of a free and vibrant society, including economic dynamism, individual flourishing, civic virtue, and constitutionalism.

Independent thought, civil discourse, free speech, reasoned deliberation and intellectual curiosity are central to our ethos.

The Civitas Institute takes its name from The University of Texas at Austin motto,  Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis, a condensed Latin rendering of Mirabeau Lamar’s famous statement that a “cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy.”

This origin reflects both the university’s institutional heritage and the Institute’s interest in the link between knowledge and liberty.

Our history

July 2022
  • Following its formation by the University of Texas, the Civitas Institute launches with Justin Dyer as founding director
July
2022
May 2023
  • Civitas becomes part of UT Austin’s newly established School of Civic Leadership
May
2023
September 2023
  • Ryan Streeter joins Civitas as executive director
September
2023
March 2024
  • Following a national search, Justin Dyer becomes dean of the School of Civic Leadership
March
2024
March 2024
  • In partnership with UT Austin’s College of Liberal Arts and the University of Austin (UATX), Civitas hosts Civil Discord, a series of moderated arguments featuring some our nation’s best scholars and writers
March
2024
May 2024
  • Civitas hosts The Austin Symposium, a gathering of top scholars interested in increasing dynamism in America and reversing stagnation wherever it is found
May
2024
December 2024
  • Civitas launches its online magazine, titled Civitas Outlook, and begins publishing commentary for a general readership
December
2024
Our team

We are dedicated to exploring the ideas and institutions that create flourishing societies.

Meet the team
The latest from

Civitas Outlook

View all

Painting the Revolution

Trumbull makes the story of America’s independence about more than the men who secured it.

William Anthony Hay
Politics
Jul 11, 2025

How Big, Bad, or Beautiful?

A classical liberal critique of the new tax law.

Richard Epstein
Politics
Jul 10, 2025

AI on the Brain

A new study predicts a "likely decrease in learning skills, as LLMs reduce the cognitive effort required for writing," translating to poorer long-term knowledge retention.

Rachel Lomasky
Economic Dynamism
Jul 10, 2025

Mahmoud v. Taylor and the Clash of Orthodoxies

The Mahmoud decision was notable not so much for its holding as for the clash of orthodoxies apparent within it, representing the culture at large.

Sarah Parshall Perry
Constitutionalism
Jul 9, 2025

McDougall's Wiser View of American History

Walter McDougall's wise view of America calls us to rediscover what our founders’ writings and deeds have to tell us about liberty.

Brian Smith
Politics
Jul 9, 2025
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