Institute for Humane Studies

What does it take to keep a society capable of building solutions to problems that don't exist yet? Flourishing House was IHS's day-long gathering at @sxsw where scholars, builders, and entrepreneurs sat down together to work through that question across health care, AI, energy, and policy. A free society is the most powerful engine for human flourishing ever built. But it doesn't run on its own. Read what came out of the day. hubs.la/Q04hJzTb0

Most "dark patterns" are annoying, not illegal. Gregory M. Dickinson explains why consumer protection law draws a careful line between hard selling and genuine deception, and why that distinction matters for anyone who wants digital regulation to actually work. hubs.la/Q04hxDqm0

217 new professors. Nearly 100 Supreme Court citations. One million Americans with better access to health care. Those aren't separate wins. They're what happens when you invest early in the right people and give their ideas room to travel. The IHS Annual Report 2025 is live. See how the network is working. 👉 hubs.la/Q04hpSRk0

Are you developing a program for students about self-governance, civic responsibility, and pluralism in a free society? If so, you may be eligible for Free Society Grants for Undergraduate Programming. These grants support faculty running innovative programs including reading groups, discussion colloquia, research workshops, and more. Apply by June 15. hubs.la/Q04gPTZw0

🔗 to watch the full event: youtu.be/6S2_wLoh7f0

At an event with the Heterodox Academy at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, @ECWIHS discussed the danger of "The Great Forgetting"—when a free society functions well for long enough but loses the ability to articulate and defend the very foundations that made it possible.

IHS has opened new research funding. We're inviting scholars to examine one of three defining questions in American life right now: the rising cost of living, digital governance, and nuclear energy's regulatory future. Learn more and apply: hubs.la/Q04ftnLS0

When NBC's Chuck Todd asked about a young person losing faith in democracy, @ECWIHS had a direct answer: the system has to become worthy of trust. Her remarks at Beyond the Noise II explored what that standard actually requires. Read more: hubs.la/Q04flnyn0

When the US conducted strikes on Iran, Congress was largely absent from the decision. IHS-supported scholar Sarah Burns and Robert Haswell argue that this wasn't an aberration but the latest step in a seven-decade erosion of legislative war authority. hubs.la/Q04dhtvv0

Announcing Progress Conference 2026 Hosted by @rootsofprogress with @abundanceinst @foresightinst @JoinFAI @HumanProgress @IFP @TheIHS and @WorksInProgMag. Speakers include @tylercowen @dmitri_dolgov Michael Kremer, John Martinis, Stephen Winchell. Oct 8-11 • Berkeley, CA Other fantastic speakers: @A_G_I_Joe @jasoncrawford @erika_alden_d @kesvelt @_alice_evans @bobbyfijan @Gena_I_Gorlin @akoustov @moxie @AndrewMillerYYZ @Brendan_McCord @patio11 @ryanzip @UrbanCourtyard @KelseyTuoc @brianpotter @rSanti97 @noor_siddiqui @mspringut @Vernon3Austin @Scott_Wiener … and more to come. A big thanks to our early sponsors: @coeff_giving @AsteraInstitute @JaneStreetGroup Ken Broad @WorksInProgMag @LENSDetect @MNX_fi @ArchbridgeInst @GoodSciProject @TheIHS @CirculateSD @feeonline (Sponsorship opportunities still available). Four days of intellectual exploration, inspiration, and interaction that will help shape the progress movement into a cultural force. Tracks this year explore Human Talent & Potential, AI & Robotics, and Security & Resilience. Participants will attend talks on topics ranging from drone delivery to housing construction to psychology and philosophy of builders, organize and run unconference sessions, mingle in garden, and more. Thursday and Sunday are add-on days, with optional gatherings for interest groups and other activities like factory tours to Bay Area startups. We're excited to continue this regular gathering of the progress community. Let's get together again in Berkeley this fall!

The debate over AI and jobs often assumes a zero-sum trade-off. Christos Makridis finds that industries most exposed to AI are actually seeing stronger employment and wage growth. hubs.la/Q04cKl0R0

The Constitution divides war powers between Congress and the president, but according to Sarah Burns, one branch has largely walked away from that responsibility. Read more: hubs.la/Q04bpMjp0

Moral panics keep failing to bring about the collapse they promise. In a recent @liberalismorg piece, Jason Kuznicki makes a compelling case that many of the things people fear will unravel society are far harder to disrupt than the panic-merchants suggest. Read more 👇

Congratulations to JP Bastos (PhD, Texas Tech, '26), winner of the ninth annual Elinor and Vincent Ostrom Prize—sponsored by IHS and awarded at the Public Choice Society conference for the best combined graduate student paper and presentation. JP's winning paper, "The Private Gains from Political Office: Evidence from Close Mayoral Elections in Brazil," was shaped in part by feedback he received at an IHS Job Market Papers Workshop at the Southern Economic Association conference.  This fall, JP joins the faculty at the University of Austin. Congratulations, JP!

While the Supreme Court invalidated certain tariffs, the decision does little to clarify the process for businesses seeking restitution. Peter R. Crabb and Alison Graham Larson examine the legal and economic implications of this unresolved landscape. hubs.ly/Q049T7TT0

New federal student loan limits could reshape access to the social work profession, and who ultimately gets the support they need. In this piece, Kaitlyn M. Sims explores how these changes may hit social work graduate students hardest, with ripple effects for survivors of domestic violence who rely on these critical services. Read more 👇 hubs.ly/Q049tJMv0

Free Society Grants for Undergraduate Programming support faculty developing programs that engage students in discussions about politics, economics, and civics in a free society—and help them take the next step into research, careers, and public life. These grants support a variety of entrepreneurial programs for undergraduate students. Apply by June 15. hubs.la/Q049fQbp0

In @ConversationUS, Anna Chorniy shows how the real impact of drug ads is more nuanced than critics suggest. While they may raise costs, they also help patients seek care and get needed treatment. Read more: hubs.ly/Q0491GFB0

Substituting an immigration enforcement agency for the Transportation Security Administration undermines more than operations. Drawing on Ostrom's framework of co-production, @ECWIHS argues that eroding checkpoint trust threatens the cooperative foundations of a free society. hubs.ly/Q048Yx9x0

"I don’t think most people who have pent up frustrations are saying I’m really frustrated with liberal democracy. They say my grown children who are gainfully employed can’t afford to live in the place that they want to live in without an hour long commute.” — @ECWIHS