Civitas Outlook

Civitas Outlook, the online journal of the Civitas Institute, publishes original writing about the ideas that create flourishing societies.

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Chernow Speaks of Twain But Doesn’t Know His Words

Chernow Speaks of Twain But Doesn’t Know His Words

Chernow is always speaking of Twain but never captures his literary essence.

Lee Oser
Pursuit of Happiness
Sep 12, 2025

Conservatism's Timeless Triad: Puritans, Pioneers, and Robber Barons

Conservatism's Timeless Triad: Puritans, Pioneers, and Robber Barons

Conservatives should pay attention to the ever-changing forms of the puritan, pioneer, and robber baron in everyday American life, draw inspiration from them, and proclaim the rightward center of gravity among them as “conservatism.”

Ronald W. Dworkin
Politics
Sep 12, 2025

Open the Budget Scoring Black Box

Open the Budget Scoring Black Box

Models that drive trillion-dollar decisions should not be treated like state secrets.

Jonathan Hartley, Joshua D. Rauh
Economic Dynamism
Sep 11, 2025

All topics

Civitas Outlook seeks understanding from a variety of authors, ideas, and disciplines. Choose a specific topic above or explore our full library.

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Chernow Speaks of Twain But Doesn’t Know His Words
Lee Oser
Pursuit of Happiness
Sep 12, 2025
Conservatism's Timeless Triad: Puritans, Pioneers, and Robber Barons
Ronald W. Dworkin
Politics
Sep 12, 2025
Open the Budget Scoring Black Box
Jonathan Hartley, Joshua D. Rauh
Economic Dynamism
Sep 11, 2025
Living With and Coping With Gerrymandering
Richard Epstein
Constitutionalism
Sep 10, 2025
Humphrey’s Executor and the Future of Presidential Power
Aaron L. Nielson
Constitutionalism
Sep 9, 2025
Restoring the Constitution’s Presidency: Modifying Myers and Overruling Humphrey’s
Robert G. Natelson
Constitutionalism
Sep 9, 2025

Economic Dynamism

We consider the principles, policies, and culture that supports free market capitalism

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Open the Budget Scoring Black Box
Jonathan Hartley, Joshua D. Rauh
Economic Dynamism
Sep 11, 2025
State Capitalism with MAGA Characteristics
Veronique de Rugy
Economic Dynamism
Sep 4, 2025
Creating Affordable Housing Requires Just One Simple Legislative Change
Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, Lee E. Ohanian
Economic Dynamism
Aug 28, 2025
Will California Reform Its Broken Housing Policies?
Julia R. Cartwright
Economic Dynamism
Aug 26, 2025
Reindustrialization Doesn’t Mean Romanticizing the Past—It Means Facing Hard Truths
Veronique de Rugy
Economic Dynamism
Aug 26, 2025
Civitas Conversations: Vero de Rugy on Tariffs and the Economists
Veronique de Rugy, Richard M. Reinsch II
Economic Dynamism
Aug 22, 2025

Politics

We investigate what it means to be a constitutional people who remain tethered to the rule of law.

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Conservatism's Timeless Triad: Puritans, Pioneers, and Robber Barons
Ronald W. Dworkin
Politics
Sep 12, 2025
Michael Lucchese on Understanding Reagan's Conservatism and Buchanan's Populism
Michael Lucchese
Politics
Sep 3, 2025
Not-So-Beautiful Losers: How Conservatism Won the Cold War – and Lost the Peace
Michael Lucchese
Politics
Sep 1, 2025
Why Israel May Sue the New York Times
Richard Epstein
Politics
Aug 28, 2025
The Constitutional Questions Swirling Around the District of Columbia’s Disorder
Zack Smith
Politics
Aug 25, 2025
Chicago: The First Domino to Fall?
Thomas Savidge
Politics
Aug 14, 2025

Constitutionalism

We discuss the political thought that undergirds a society of freedom and virtue.

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Living With and Coping With Gerrymandering
Richard Epstein
Constitutionalism
Sep 10, 2025
Humphrey’s Executor and the Future of Presidential Power
Aaron L. Nielson
Constitutionalism
Sep 9, 2025
Restoring the Constitution’s Presidency: Modifying Myers and Overruling Humphrey’s
Robert G. Natelson
Constitutionalism
Sep 9, 2025
What Could the Supreme Court Rule About Trump's Tariffs?
John Yoo
Constitutionalism
Sep 8, 2025
Sen. Warren's Hollow Call for Fed Accountability
Leonidas Zelmanovitz
Constitutionalism
Sep 4, 2025
The Failed Lower Court Revolt
Josh Blackman
Constitutionalism
Sep 2, 2025

Pursuit of Happiness

We explore how citizens, neighbors, workers, families, and communities shape the future of American society.

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Chernow Speaks of Twain But Doesn’t Know His Words
Lee Oser
Pursuit of Happiness
Sep 12, 2025
Adam Smith in the Shadow of Thucydides
Graham McAleer
Pursuit of Happiness
Sep 5, 2025
Urban Designing for Dignity
Samuel J. Abrams
Pursuit of Happiness
Sep 3, 2025
What Evil Can and Cannot Teach Us
Nathaniel Peters
Pursuit of Happiness
Aug 29, 2025
The French Origins of Urban Renewal
Tyler Turman
Pursuit of Happiness
Aug 22, 2025
Diversity, Real and Imposed
Gregory M. Collins
Pursuit of Happiness
Aug 21, 2025

Technology & Innovation

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The Civitas Institute is part of the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin.

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