When we reject progress: China edition
For some reason, a great 2016 essay by economic historian Joel Mokyr, “Progress isn’t natural,” recently popped into my Twitter feed. In it, Mokyr reminds that the idea of progress — that through its...
View ArticleWe just had a global super-decade! Why doesn’t it feel like it?
There is a strong case to be made that things are getting better. Indeed, just before the 2010s began, Matt Ridley made the case in “The Rational Optimist” that things were better than they appeared,...
View ArticleReforming Congress for the 21st Century (with Rep. Derek Kilmer)
The topic of today’s episode is “Reforming Congress for the 21st Century.” My guest is Representative Derek Kilmer, Congressman of the 6th district of Washington State. He was first elected to...
View ArticleOverlooked reason for Capitol atrophy: Lack of a modern and more substantial...
For the past 15 years, public disapproval of the performance of Congress has averaged around 70 percent. Typically, when people look at Washington, as former Speaker Paul Ryan once observed, “It looks...
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Modernizing Congress: A conversation with former Reps. Brian Baird (D-WA) and...
Event Summary On January 29, AEI and Claremont McKenna College’s Salvatori Center hosted a panel discussion on how to modernize Congress so it can meet today’s complex challenges. Claremont McKenna...
View ArticleNew lawmakers’ rude awakening to the realities of Congress
Last month, the 117th Congress arrived in Washington with plenty of fresh faces and new ideas for governing. More than five dozen new members entered the House and Senate. Only a handful of them, such...
View ArticleA conversation with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith:...
Event Summary On April 22, AEI’s Mackenzie Eaglen hosted House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith to discuss the defense budget for fiscal year (FY) 2022, security threats facing the United...
View ArticleTransforming the US Army
LIVE Q&A: Submit questions to Hallie.Coyne@aei.org or on Twitter with #ArmyatAEI. The United States Army is undertaking its most aggressive modernization effort in 40 years. The stakes are high,...
View ArticleModernizing Congress: Congress overwhelmed
Congress is an underperforming institution—hindered by its own self-divestment, defied by Democratic and Republican administrations, and struggling to navigate deepening political polarization. The...
View ArticleWhat does the Committee on House Administration do? (with Rep. Rodney Davis)
The topic of this episode is, “What does the Committee on House Administration do?” And who better to answer this question than my guest, Representative Rodney Davis. He is the ranking member of the...
View ArticleUK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace discusses strategic priorities
In March 2021, the Integrated Review of the United Kingdom’s foreign, defense, development, and security policy established aims for the UK’s future defense capabilities and acknowledged necessary...
View ArticleAmerica’s ever-shrinking fighting force
The US defense budget is at its largest in decades, yet the Air Force’s combat-coded aircraft inventory, the Navy’s battle-force ship fleet, and the Army’s number of active-duty soldiers have all...
View ArticleAmerica’s ever-shrinking fighting force
The US defense budget is at its largest in decades, yet the Air Force’s combat-coded aircraft inventory, the Navy’s battle-force ship fleet, and the Army’s number of active-duty soldiers have all...
View ArticleFerrari on the Defense & Aerospace Report’s ‘Daily Podcast’
AEI’s John Ferrari joins host Vago Muradian on the Defense & Aerospace Report Daily Podcast to discuss key takeaways from Day One of the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting,...
View ArticleEpisode 413: Lugubrious bat-winged malcontents
Today’s Ruminant finds Jonah irritated by back pain, enamored with California roller coasters, and concerned for the health of his loyal spaniel (send her your love!). It also features a lengthy...
View ArticleDiscontents of the Modern Self: A Conversation with Carl R. Trueman, Benjamin...
Event Summary On March 29, Grove City College Professor Carl Trueman and Ethics & Public Policy Center President Ryan T. Anderson joined AEI’s Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey for a...
View ArticleThis Year, Congress Used the Spending Bill to Invest in Its Own Capacity
Much media and talking head attention has focused on the size of the recent omnibus spending package. This is understandable — 2,741 pages and $1.5 trillion is a lot of money. Much commentary...
View ArticleDiscussing the challenges facing the Navy: Ferrari on KSL NewsRadio’s ‘Inside...
Senior Fellow John Ferrari discusses the challenges facing the Navy: Ferrari on KSL NewsRadio’s ‘Inside Sources.’ The post Discussing the challenges facing the Navy: Ferrari on KSL NewsRadio’s ‘Inside...
View ArticleDoes the House of Representatives Need So Many Rules?
The other week I found myself testifying before the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Someone on the committee had seen my column grousing about the crazy process used to pass a half...
View ArticlePeter Lawler, Public Thinker
Abstract: The late Peter Lawler devoted a great deal of time and effort to public writing—work drawing on his deep knowledge and professional academic expertise but intended to shed light on events of...
View ArticleRevitalizing the Congressional Research Service for the 21st Century
Introduction Thank you, Chairwoman Stephanie Bice, ranking member Kilmer, and members of the subcommittee for holding this hearing. I am honored to testify once again before Congress about the...
View ArticleIt’s Time for Congress to Help the Congressional Research Service
During my two decades in Washington, D.C., I have met innumerable current and former Hill staffers. When I mention that I worked for more than a decade at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), I...
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ChatGOV: Harnessing the Power of AI for Better Government Service Delivery
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the private sector and offers the opportunity to transform the public sector by making it more efficient, responsive, and citizen-centric....
View ArticleThe Urgent 21st Century Upgrades Congress Needs to Do Its Job
The public has been really down on Congress for about 20 years. A Gallup poll in September found public approval of our nation’s legislature was a mere 17 percent. The ugly fight over the Speakership...
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