Steven Hayward

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Biography

Steven F. Hayward is the Edward Gaylord distinguished visiting professor at Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy. Previously, Hayward was a resident scholar at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, and a fellow of the Law and Policy Program at Berkeley Law. From 2002 to 2012 Hayward was the F.K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow in Law and Economics at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. He is also currently a senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco.

He frequently writes on a wide range of current topics, including environmentalism, law, economics, and public policy for publications including National Review, Reason, The Weekly Standard, The American Spectator, The Public Interest, the Claremont Review of Books, and the Policy Review at the Hoover Institution. His newspaper articles have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and dozens of other daily newspapers. Hayward is the author of a two-volume narrative history of Ronald Reagan and his effect on American political life, The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order, 1964-1980, and The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counter-Revolution, 1980-1989 (CrownForum books). His other books include Index of Leading Environmental Indicators; The Almanac of Environmental Trends; Mere Environmentalism: A Biblical Perspective on Humans and the Natural World, Churchill on Leadership; Greatness: Reagan, Churchill, and the Making of Extraordinary Leaders; Patriotism Is Not Enough; and M. Stanton Evans: Conservative Wit, Apostle of Freedom.

Hayward received a Ph.D. in American studies and M.A. in government from Claremont Graduate School and a B.S. in business and administrative studies from Lewis and Clark College.

Awards
Recent contributions

Might the "New Right 5.0" Be the Old Fusionism?

Politics
Jan 28, 2026

America’s Energy Revolution Continues

Economic Dynamism
Jan 21, 2026

Reagan, the Original MAGA President?

Politics
Jan 7, 2026
Latest from

Steven Hayward

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Might the "New Right 5.0" Be the Old Fusionism?

Politics
Jan 28, 2026

America’s Energy Revolution Continues

Economic Dynamism
Jan 21, 2026

Reagan, the Original MAGA President?

Politics
Jan 7, 2026

The Death Rattle of Apocalyptic Environmentalism

Politics
Nov 25, 2025

From Max Weber to Charlie Kirk: On Political Action in Extreme Times

Politics
Sep 25, 2025

Is Trump Completing Nixon's Aborted Second Term?

Politics
Aug 11, 2025

Taming the 21st Century Prince

Constitutionalism
Jul 22, 2025

Adventures Among the Abundanauts

Economic Dynamism
Jun 26, 2025

The Tanenhaus Variations

Politics
Jun 9, 2025

The Art of the Political Biography

Politics
Apr 11, 2025

Trade Protection and Tariffs from Reagan to Trump

Economic Dynamism
Apr 2, 2025

The Nadir of the Climate Change Movement

Economic Dynamism
Mar 21, 2025

The Future of Conservatism in America

Politics
Dec 18, 2024
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The Three Whisky Happy Hour: War! What Is It Good For? (Absolutely. . . Something!)
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: War! What Is It Good For? (Absolutely. . . Something!)

In this episode, we reviewed some key points of the Great Iran War of 2026, along with observations on the Supreme Court’s intervention on the side of California parents.

EP
Mar 7, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Newsom, Clinton, Tigers and Bears Oh My!
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Newsom, Clinton, Tigers and Bears Oh My!

John wonders whether the Clinton deposition about Epstein is really sensible, Steve wonders how Gaffen-Gavin Newsom can possible survive this week’s “George Romney Moment," and Lucretia wonders why universities have allowed themselves to be swallowed whole by useless administrators.

EP
Feb 28, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Can You Tariff a Vibe Shift?
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Can You Tariff a Vibe Shift?

Steve Hayward argues that the Supreme Court’s tariff case Friday was a no-lose case for conservatives.

EP
Feb 21, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Saving Elections, Saving Energy, and Recalling Scalia
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Saving Elections, Saving Energy, and Recalling Scalia

The SAVE Act is the first topic of debate this week, along with a celebration of the Trump Administration rolling back the EPA’s power to make our energy scarce and expensive.

EP
Feb 14, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Heart of Texas Episode
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Heart of Texas Episode

Lucretia, Steve Hayward, and John Yoo answer a reader/ listener comment asking what, exactly, is “scientific” about “political science”?

EP
Feb 7, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Zoned Out on Protests?
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Zoned Out on Protests?

Lucretia, John Yoo, and Steve Hayward discuss the landmark Supreme Court case 'Euclid v. Ambler Realty.'

EP
Jan 30, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Forget Greenland—Invade Virginia!
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Forget Greenland—Invade Virginia!

Legal questions, Virginia politics, and “New Right 5.0."

EP
Jan 24, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Best (Podcast) Regime?
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Best (Podcast) Regime?

Is America in fact the “best regime” in the classical, Platonic/Aristotelian meaning of the term?

EP
Jan 17, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Battle Zones in Iran, Venezuela, and . . . Minnesota?
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Battle Zones in Iran, Venezuela, and . . . Minnesota?

An overview of events in Iran, Venezuela, and Minnesota.

EP
Jan 10, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Happy New Year on Substack Edition
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Happy New Year on Substack Edition

This episode is devoted entirely to understanding and critiquing "post-liberalism."

EP
Jan 3, 2026
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Year in Review and the Year Ahead
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Year in Review and the Year Ahead

The hosts of the 3 Whisky Happy Hour sit down to review their predictions for 2025.

EP
Dec 26, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Special Christmas Day Edition
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Special Christmas Day Edition

A special Christmas episode from the hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.

EP
Dec 25, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Santa’s Tin Foil Hat Week
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Santa’s Tin Foil Hat Week

The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour address recent political conspiracy theories.

EP
Dec 20, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Prog Mask Slips!
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Prog Mask Slips!

The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour respond to Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson saying the quiet (progressive) part out loud.

EP
Dec 13, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The No Pearl-Clutching Zone
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The No Pearl-Clutching Zone

There's too much pearl clutching going on among the hand-wringers in Washington and the media.

EP
Dec 5, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Why John Adams Would Get Sydney Sweeney
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Why John Adams Would Get Sydney Sweeney

Historian Richard Samuelson joins the hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.

EP
Nov 29, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Special Thanksgiving Day Edition
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Special Thanksgiving Day Edition

EP
Nov 27, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Bringing the Wood to Wood
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Bringing the Wood to Wood

The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour sit down to address a recent speech delivered by historian, Gordon Wood.

EP
Nov 23, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Getting a Grip on Groypers
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Getting a Grip on Groypers

The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour turn their attention to the serious matter of antisemitism on the right.

EP
Nov 14, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Gonzo Happy Hour-Squared Edition
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Gonzo Happy Hour-Squared Edition

A handful of legal luminaries join the hosts in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.

EP
Nov 8, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Here’s Lookin’ at ‘Lookism’
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Here’s Lookin’ at ‘Lookism’

The Hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour address "lookism."

EP
Oct 31, 2025
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Neoconclave Edition
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Neoconclave Edition

Steven Hayward, John Yoo, and the pseudonymous Lucretia break down the week's top stories and continue a long-running argument about first principles.

EP18
May 10, 2025
The Three Whiskey Happy Hour: Special Happy New Year's Edition
The Three Whiskey Happy Hour: Special Happy New Year's Edition

EP524
Dec 21, 2024
The Three Whiskey Happy Hour: Globull Threats to Liberty
The Three Whiskey Happy Hour: Globull Threats to Liberty

A special mid-week holiday edition of the 3WHH.

EP521
Dec 18, 2024
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Band Reunion Time
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Band Reunion Time

John Yoo is back this week, bringing the 3WHH up to full strength again after last week’s astonishingly congenial episode, which can mean only one thing—not even high tariffs, which this week’s host (Steve) vainly tried to impose on ths discussion—could stop a vigorous free trade in ideas.

EP14
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America 250: Liberty, Law, and the Pursuit of Happiness

America 250: Liberty, Law, and the Pursuit of Happiness

In-person Event
Apr 2, 2026
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