Renewed Institutions. Effective Government. Shared Prosperity.
Strengthening liberal democracy through innovative policy solutions.
Recent Analysis
2025 didn’t close the transmission gap, and 2026 won’t either without change
A new era of load growth will require a far more abundant supply of electricity. Yet on its current trajectory, the U.S. risks falling short of meeting rising demand.
What predicts midterm election results?
A premortem on OPM’s HR 2.0 initiative: Imagining failure in order to support success
We can build infrastructure and habitat at the same time
Featured Analysis
Immigration beyond the extremes: a blueprint that actually works
By aligning enforcement, admissions, government effectiveness, and core values, we can remake immigration into a strategic tool that advances U.S. interests.
Back to the base-ics: How taxable wage base reforms can strengthen unemployment program solvency
Implementing new licensing pathways that work for international doctors and American patients
In this paper, we will outline how states can design laws that better attract highly trained international doctors and that can be implemented without unnecessary, restrictive, and burdensome mandates.
Opportunity by design: How states turn immigration into economic advantage
HOME field advantage: Leveraging HUD dollars to build more housing
Highlights
Hypertext
A Niskanen Center journal that debates how to best renew America’s political, economic, social, and cultural institutions.
The Permanent Problem
A blog, podcast, and forthcoming book by Brink Lindsey about the challenges of capitalist mass affluence — in particular, how to make it sustainable, and how to translate material plenty into a society where most people can expect, in the words of John Maynard Keynes, to “live wisely and agreeably and well.”
The Realignment
The United States is in the midst of a dramatic political realignment with shifting views on national security, economics, technology, and the role of government in our lives. Saagar Enjeti and Marshall Kosloff explore this with thinkers, policymakers, and more.
The Vital Center
The podcast focuses on current politics seen in the context of our nation’s history. It highlights the policy initiatives of the Niskanen Center and other non-partisan institutions while drawing upon current academic scholarship and political literature from years past — including Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.’s 1949 classic “The Vital Center.”
The Science of Politics
The Science of Politics features up-and-coming researchers delivering fresh insights on the big trends driving American politics and policy today. In 30 minutes, you’ll get beyond punditry to data-driven understanding. Each episode goes in-depth on one hot topic in the news with two researchers who have just published relevant empirical studies. Hear about their new discoveries and get the broader context that’s lost in the daily news shuffle.
Events
Webinar: What’s next for state pathways for internationally trained doctors?
Webinar: From green goals to black ink: Reforming carbon accounting for a new era of competition
Virtual event: Family benefits in America: 2024 report card
WEBINAR: How states can improve UI eligibility verification
Virtual Event: Unlocking HVDC: How Congress can enable a more resilient grid
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