Commentary

Across Civitas Outlook and the broader media landscape, our scholars provide timely insights into issues of national significance.

Charter Schools Are Not ‘State Actors,’ And SCOTUS Should Have Said So

Charter schools need more autonomy than district schools if American families are going to have real choice in education.

Michael Toth, Gavin Schiffres
Pursuit of Happiness
May 28, 2025
The Progressive Presidency Envelops American Politics

One does not need to revisit the drastic consequences that ensued from COVID-19 policies to be reminded of the failures and mistakes of the progressive constitutional framework that issued them.

Richard M. Reinsch II
Constitutionalism
May 27, 2025
The One-Two Punch Working Parents Need for Educational Choice

Innovative state-level approaches to education funding should inform new federal reforms.

Michael Toth, Dan Lips
Pursuit of Happiness
May 22, 2025
A Most Favored National Policy for Pharma Drugs Makes Sense

"Most favored nation" pricing can help make America's pharmaceutical marketplace more competitive.

Dirk Mateer
Economic Dynamism
May 19, 2025
Assessing the Wreckage of Affirmative Action
Pursuit of Happiness
May 18, 2025
Trump, Lincoln and a ‘Habeas Corpus Threat’
Constitutionalism
May 18, 2025
Donald Trump Has Scrambled the Old Class Allegiances
Politics
May 14, 2025
The Originalist Case for Birthright Citizenship
Constitutionalism
May 9, 2025
The High Cost of California’s Green Energy Policies
Economic Dynamism
May 7, 2025
The Pope of Progress?
Politics
May 6, 2025
All commentary
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Trump Could Have a Strong Case to Revoke Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status
John Yoo, Robert Delahunty
Politics
Apr 21, 2025
Can Democrats Exploit Trump’s Tariff Chaos?
Joel Kotkin
Politics
Apr 16, 2025
‘American Oasis’ Review: The Lure of the Desert
Joel Kotkin
Pursuit of Happiness
Apr 9, 2025
How to Broaden the Academic Tent
Jenna Silber Storey, Benjamin Storey
Pursuit of Happiness
Apr 8, 2025
Mahmoud Khalil Invites America to Judgment
Richard M. Reinsch II
Politics
Apr 7, 2025
Are the Democrats Drifting Further Left?
Joel Kotkin
Politics
Apr 5, 2025
Other

Content

National Poll from Civitas Institute: Americans Concerned About AI, Economic Issues

The Civitas Institute Poll, conducted from March 11-20, 2025, asked 1,200 Americans an array of questions about how things are going in the country.

Daron Shaw
Pursuit of Happiness
May 29, 2025
Divorce, Family Arrangements, and Children's Adult Outcomes

This paper uses linked tax and Census records for over 5 million children to examine how divorce affects family arrangements and children's long-term outcomes.

Andrew C. Johnston
Pursuit of Happiness
May 22, 2025
Religious Exemptions?: What the Free Exercise Clause Means

A conversation among three religious liberty scholars on the Free Exercise Clause’s original meaning.

Andrew Koppelman, Michael McConnell, Vincent Phillip Muñoz
Constitutionalism
Apr 28, 2025
Partisan Trust in the Federal Reserve

This paper examines partisanship in public perceptions of the Federal Reserve.

Carola Binder, Cody Couture, Abhiprerna Smit
Economic Dynamism
Apr 22, 2025
The American Dream Is Not a Coin Flip, and Wages Have Not Stagnated

This paper challenges the prevailing narrative that stagnant wages are causing the American dream to fade. It contrasts subjective public opinion with revised objective intergenerational mobility measures.

Scott Winship
Economic Dynamism
Mar 6, 2025
Political Economy and the Rise of Commercial Humanism

Western attitudes toward commerce have transformed from early moral condemnation to a modern appreciation that sees trade as socially beneficial.

Erik Matson
Economic Dynamism
Feb 28, 2025
Rational Nondelegation

The nondelegation doctrine, which forbids Congress from transferring excessive power to the executive branch, has risen from the dead.

John Yoo
Constitutionalism
Feb 27, 2025

Law Talk

Welcome to Law Talk with Richard Epstein and John Yoo. Our show is hosted by Charles C. W. Cooke.

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The Three Whiskey Happy Hour

Steven Hayward brings you the Power Line Blog's perspective on the week's big headlines.

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Can the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Meet Today’s Challenges?

Economic Dynamism
Sept 15, 24
1:35:10

Trump’s Drug Pricing Plan: Consequences for Innovation and Patient Access

Politics
Sept 15, 24
18:50

Virginia Postrel and Adam Thierer on Big Trends and Big Ideas in Dynamism

Economic Dynamism
Sept 15, 24
1:09:22

Joel Mokyr on American Dynamism vs. Techno-pessimism

Economic Dynamism
Sept 15, 24
1:04:30

Arthur Herman on Mobility, Markets, and Natural Law

Economic Dynamism
Sept 15, 24
45:04
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