American Enterprise Institute - AEI | The American Enterprise Institute, AEI, is a nonpartisan public policy research institute with a community of scholars and supporters committed to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity and strengthening free enterprise.

The case for a common, knowledge-rich curriculum is all but unassailable, but the prescription is easier said than done. It invariably runs up against resistance due to philosophical, political, and practical factors.

By Robert Pondiscio

Education, K-12 Education

Article

January 16, 2025

Civitas

Should We Believe the Economic Data or Americans’ “Lyin’” Eyes? The Answer Is Yes.

By Scott Winship

Op-Ed

January 15, 2025

19fortyfive.com

Hamas Ceasefire Deal Means One Thing: Israel Loses

By Michael Rubin

Op-Ed

January 15, 2025

Education Week

Betsy DeVos Has Advice for the Next Secretary of Education

By Frederick M. Hess

Upcoming Events

Law Schools Gone Lawless? A Conversation with Ilya Shapiro

In Lawless: The Miseducation of America’s Elites, Mr. Shapiro reflects on how the decline of intellectual diversity, academic freedom, and civil discourse in law schools contributes to a climate of intolerance and lawlessness antithetical to the legal profession’s mission. Join AEI for a discussion between AEI’s Jeffrey A. Rosen and Mr. Shapiro about Lawless, its diagnosis of what is occurring at America’s elite law schools, and what it means for us all.

January 27, 2025 Register

On the Front Porch with Brent Orrell and Tony Pipa: A Conversation with Benji Backer and Michelle Moore

The tensions between development and sustainability and production and conservation, combined with the ongoing debate over energy sources, have taken center stage in recent years. Join us for the next installment of the “On the Front Porch” series as AEI’s Brent Orrell and the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa talk with Michelle Moore of Groundswell and Benji Backer of the American Conservation Coalition about their companies’ distinct approaches to environmental sustainability

January 29, 2025 Register

The Knowledge Revival

Teachers, administrators, and parents want students to think deeply about the content they are taught. To this end, many curricula in recent decades have emphasized skill acquisition over building content knowledge. But “thinking deeply” is not a skill that can be taught. Instead, cognitive science research suggests that deep thinking cannot be accomplished without a wealth of domain-specific knowledge.

February 04, 2025 Register

The Future of College Admissions: A Conversation with Edward J. Blum

In this event, Edward J. Blum will sit down with AEI’s director of education policy studies, Frederick M. Hess, for a robust conversation on how Mr. Blum worked to topple race-based admissions, how universities’ admissions policies have changed since the decision, and what broader implications the decision could hold for universities moving forward.

February 05, 2025 Register

Multimedia

One on One with Robert Doar

December 20, 2024

Tax Policy, Part 2: Alex Brill

By Robert Doar | Alex Brill

December 18, 2024

Tax Policy, Part 1: Kyle Pomerleau

By Robert Doar | Kyle Pomerleau

What The Hell Podcast

January 23, 2025

WTH Extra, 300th Episode Edition! Trump Finally Gets His Honeymoon. Dany and Marc Discuss

By Danielle Pletka | Marc A. Thiessen

January 16, 2025

WTH: Russia Is Weaker Than Most Believe. George Barros Explains

By Danielle Pletka | Marc A. Thiessen

The Report Card Podcast

January 22, 2025

Told a Story (with Emily Hanford)

By Nat Malkus | Emily Hanford

January 08, 2025

Learning in War-Time (with Russ Roberts)

By Nat Malkus | Russ Roberts

Political Economy Podcast

November 19, 2024

Tony Mills: In Support of Science Policy

By James Pethokoukis | M. Anthony Mills

August 20, 2024

Chris Miller: Waging the High-Stakes “Chip War”

By James Pethokoukis | Chris Miller

Scholars

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President, American Enterprise Institute

Robert Doar

Policy Area

Opportunity and Social Mobility

Senior Fellow; Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy; Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies; and Editor in Chief, National Affairs

Yuval Levin

Policy Area

Society and Culture

Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy
Director of Economic Policy Studies

Michael R. Strain

Policy Area

Economics

Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies

Kori Schake

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Director of Domestic Policy Studies
Patrick and Charlene Neal Chair in American Prosperity

Matthew Continetti

Policy Area

Politics and Public Opinion

Jeane Kirkpatrick Visiting Fellow

Yvonne Chiu

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Nonresident Fellow

Thomas Smith

Policy Area

Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies

Senior Fellow

Will Rinehart

Policy Area

Center for Technology, Science, and Energy

Senior Fellow

Roger Pielke Jr.

Policy Area

Center for Technology, Science, and Energy

Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow

Audrye Wong

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow

Kyle Balzer

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Carole Hooven

Policy Area

Center for Technology, Science, and Energy

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Joseph S. Tracy

Policy Area

Housing

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Technology Policy Studies

Clay Calvert

Policy Area

Center for Technology, Science, and Energy

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Ferdinando Monte

Policy Area

Economics

Nonresident Fellow

Boris Vabson

Policy Area

Health Care

Senior Fellow

Paul Lettow

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Practice of Public Policy

Rob Portman

Policy Area

Economics

Senior Fellow
Deputy Director, Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility

Kevin Corinth

Policy Area

Opportunity and Social Mobility

Nonresident Fellow

Brian J. Miller

Policy Area

Health Care

Adjunct Fellow

Robert Cherry

Policy Area

Opportunity and Social Mobility

Senior Fellow

Joshua T. Katz

Policy Area

Society and Culture

Nonresident Fellow

Dustin Walker

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Adjunct Fellow

Michael Brickman

Policy Area

Education

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Chris Miller

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Nonresident Fellow

Jeffrey A. Rosen

Policy Area

Legal and Constitutional

Nonresident Fellow

Dan Slater

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Senior Fellow

Jenna Silber Storey

Policy Area

Society and Culture

Senior Fellow

Benjamin Storey

Policy Area

Society and Culture

Nonresident Fellow

J. Joel Alicea

Policy Area

Legal and Constitutional

Nonresident Fellow

William Haun

Policy Area

Legal and Constitutional

Nonresident Senior Fellow

James W. Coleman

Policy Area

Center for Technology, Science, and Energy

Senior Fellow

Chris Stirewalt

Policy Area

Politics and Public Opinion

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Klon Kitchen

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Nonresident Fellow

Tunku Varadarajan

Policy Area

Society and Culture

Nonresident Fellow

Thomas Chatterton Williams

Policy Area

Society and Culture

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Technology, Science, and Energy

M. Anthony Mills

Policy Area

Center for Technology, Science, and Energy

Nonresident Fellow

Eric Sayers

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Nonresident Senior Fellow

John G. Ferrari

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Senior Fellow

Christopher J. Scalia

Policy Area

Society and Culture

Senior Fellow
Director, Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility

Scott Winship

Policy Area

Opportunity and Social Mobility

Senior Fellow

Kevin R. Kosar

Policy Area

Legal and Constitutional

Senior Fellow

Steven B. Kamin

Policy Area

Economics

Senior Fellow

Philip Wallach

Policy Area

Legal and Constitutional

Senior Fellow

Elaine McCusker

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Amitabh Chandra

Policy Area

Health Care

Visiting Fellow

Robert Kulick

Policy Area

Economics

Senior Fellow

Robert Pondiscio

Policy Area

Education

Senior Fellow

Ian Rowe

Policy Area

Opportunity and Social Mobility

Nonresident Fellow

Ross Douthat

Policy Area

Society and Culture

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Michael Beckley

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Senior Fellow

Kyle Pomerleau

Policy Area

Economics

Nonresident Fellow

John D. Maurer

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Nonresident Fellow

Kirsten Axelsen

Policy Area

Economics

Nonresident Fellow

Mason M. Bishop

Policy Area

Opportunity and Social Mobility

Senior Fellow

Hal Brands

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Director, Survey Center on American Life
Senior Fellow in Polling and Public Opinion

Daniel A. Cox

Policy Area

Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies

Senior Fellow and Rowe Scholar

Matt Weidinger

Policy Area

Opportunity and Social Mobility

Senior Fellow

Giselle Donnelly

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy

Senior Fellow

Zack Cooper

Policy Area

Foreign and Defense Policy