Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution shares videos intended to encourage discussion, generate ideas, and disseminate information related to peace, the human condition, and the role of government.
Experience Made Thomas Sowell’s Arguments About Agency More Persuasive
In a Hoover Institution discussion, Kimberley Strassel, Kemi Badenoch, Mike Steadman and Eli Steele traced Thomas Sowell’s influence to arguments that people are not defined by their identities or circumstances—and to readers’ ability to test those arguments against experience. They said wider media access has helped Sowell’s work reach new audiences, while noting that access does not guarantee equal visibility or make his ideas persuasive at every stage of life.
Renewed US-Russia Cooperation Depends on Verifiable Mutual Gains
Rose Gottemoeller argues that the International Space Station shows how practical cooperation between the United States and Russia can persist despite deep political conflict. In her account, the partnership endured because both sides gained from it and working-level teams built trust through years of joint operations. She says any broader renewal should wait until Russia ends the war and joins a fair peace process, and then proceed through focused, reciprocal projects whose results can be verified.
Economic Markets Follow Terrain and Transport Technology, Not Fixed Grid Cells
Fixed latitude-longitude grid cells can obscure the markets within which people make economic decisions: unlike cells, markets change in reach with terrain and transport technology. Stephen Haber and Jordan Horrillo propose measuring markets as contiguous areas shaped by those conditions, then use the method to test Adam Smith’s claim that economic development is bounded by market extent. Their analysis of cities in Eurasia and Africa around 1800 finds that market reach helps explain the distribution of urban population, though it is not the only factor.
Taiwan’s Alternatives to Chinese Suppliers Still Depend on Chinese Inputs
Taiwan’s supply-chain exposure extends beyond advanced chips: moving production away from China does not necessarily remove dependence on Chinese-controlled suppliers operating abroad or on Chinese feedstock and processing. In a Hoover Institution roundtable, researchers from Taiwan’s Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology institute argue that resilience depends on building and qualifying alternatives without disrupting production before those substitutes are ready.
Global Fertility Has Fallen Below Replacement, Though Population Keeps Growing
Economist Jesús Fernández-Villaverde says global fertility has fallen below replacement, though demographic momentum is expected to keep the world’s population growing for decades before it peaks and declines. The sharpest declines in many middle-income countries challenge the familiar link between rising income and smaller families, while the cause remains uncertain; his own explanation—that modern life makes a third child costly and childlessness easier—is speculative. He argues that the eventual population decline and aging will strain public budgets and reduce the pool of potential innovators.
George Shultz Combined Cold War Pressure With Diplomacy
At a Hoover Institution memorial lecture, Condoleezza Rice, Philip Taubman, Michael Boskin and Abraham Sofaer portrayed George Shultz’s Cold War diplomacy as a combination of pressure on the Soviet Union and efforts to keep negotiations open. They argued that Shultz strengthened the U.S. position and helped Ronald Reagan pursue arms agreements, while his influence depended on persuading a president who retained the authority to decide. The panel also differed over whether the 1986 Reykjavik summit could have produced a workable deal.
Medicare’s Fiscal Burden Extends Beyond the Part A Trust Fund
Hoover policy fellow Tom Church argues that Medicare’s fiscal problem extends beyond the projected shortfall in its hospital trust fund: taxpayer subsidies for Parts B and D are adding heavily to federal debt. Incremental savings, he says, will not resolve the program’s broader design questions, including how much beneficiaries should pay and whether subsidies should be reduced for higher-income seniors. Church also contends that reform is unlikely without bipartisan action led by elected officials, even as current political incentives favor expanding benefits or postponing hard choices.
U.S. Energy Exports Could Strengthen Allies and Advance National Interests
John Deutch argues that U.S. energy resources and technology can advance national interests by helping allies meet their energy needs through supply and cooperation. He points to the shift from expectations of U.S. gas imports to major LNG exports as evidence that energy markets can change quickly, altering the assumptions behind energy planning. India is a central example of how he believes U.S. energy trade and nuclear cooperation could benefit both countries.
Peru’s Security Crisis Requires Targeted Enforcement, Not a Military Crackdown
Former Peruvian president Francisco Sagasti argues that governing requires preparation, a clear program and leaders who understand both the limits and obligations of power. In a discussion with Hoover fellow H.R. McMaster, he says Peru’s mineral-led stability rests on external prices and coexists with illegal mining, while organized crime demands more than a show of force. Sagasti also contends that democratic governments can rebuild trust only by responding to people’s needs and working effectively within the law.
The Declaration Made Independence a Risky Decision, Not an Inevitable Outcome
Michael Auslin, a Hoover Institution distinguished research fellow and author of *National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America*, argues that the Declaration’s significance lies partly in the uncertainty surrounding its creation: in 1776, the colonies had no guarantee they would win the war or remain united. He traces how an improvised act of separation became a lasting standard for judging whether government acts legitimately.
The Case That Government Intervention, Not Markets, Threatens Economic Freedom
In *The Triumph of Economic Freedom*, Senator Phil Gramm and economist Donald J. Boudreaux argue that familiar accounts of industrialization, the Great Depression, trade and inequality misread the evidence in favor of expanding government. They contend that economic change often improved living standards and widened individual choice, while government interventions and failed policies posed a greater threat to economic freedom. At a Hoover Institution book talk, John Cochrane joined the authors in presenting their case for judging economic outcomes against the alternatives people actually faced.
Hoover’s Policy Boot Camp Marks a Decade of Preparing Civic Leaders
At its tenth anniversary, the Hoover Institution Summer Policy Boot Camp made the case that civic leadership is a present responsibility, not a future role. Speakers raised distinct questions about public judgment, participation and career uncertainty, while Condoleezza Rice pointed to the continuing need for informed, passionate and compassionate leaders.
DOGE’s Legacy Is Spending Controls That Persist Inside Federal Agencies
In his account of DOGE, former team member Tyler Hassen argues that its significance lies less in the spending it cut than in showing how much government money could go unexamined. At the Department of the Interior, he says, his team built a clearer picture of contracts and grants, required review of new commitments and reorganized support functions, though court challenges disrupted plans to reduce staffing. Hassen acknowledges that DOGE did not solve the deficit; he argues its controls and practices should continue inside agencies and beyond them.
Stablecoins and Tokenization Could Cut Payment Costs, but Safeguards Lag
OECD Chief Economist Stefano Scarpetta argues that distributed ledgers, stablecoins and tokenized assets could reduce payment costs and widen access to financial markets, but that those gains depend on safeguards, clear accountability and systems that work across borders. Speaking with Steven Davis at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, Scarpetta also points to nearer-term benefits from digital payment records, which could help lenders assess small businesses. The technology’s promise, he says, does not remove the need to protect consumers and manage risks to financial stability.
China’s Detention System Joins Forced Labor With Ideological Reform
At a Hoover Institution discussion, historian Frank Dikötter argued that China’s system of political detention has changed its methods but not its core purposes: forced labor and ideological reform. Orville Schell, Rowena He and Glenn Tiffert examined how imprisonment and the threat of it affect families, constrain speech and shape public memory, while Dikötter cautioned against assuming that exposing abuses will bring political change. The speakers also traced the system’s reach into international supply chains and surveillance technology.
China’s Arctic Military Presence Is Limited, but Its Capabilities Are Growing
Glenn Tiffert, a Hoover Institution research fellow, argues that China’s military role in the Arctic remains limited, but its ability to operate there is growing through research, ice-capable ships and commercial activity. Those investments can build knowledge and options with potential military uses, even as China seeks greater influence over regional governance. Tiffert says restrictions on Chinese investment in Western Arctic states have narrowed Beijing’s path there and redirected more of its activity toward Russia.
Thomas Sowell Used Economic History and Evidence to Challenge Conventional Wisdom
Hoover economists John Cogan, Michael Boskin and David Henderson trace Thomas Sowell’s influence to a method that joined economic history with close scrutiny of assumptions and evidence. They argue that Sowell used that method to challenge ideas from Say’s Law to Keynesian economics, then brought economic reasoning to a broad readership through clear prose and concrete examples.
Deterring Iran Requires Economic Pressure, Alliances, and Public Resolve
In *Lessons from the Iran War*, historian Barry Strauss argues that the conflict showed why military damage does not necessarily produce a decisive political outcome. Iran was weakened, but its use of the Strait of Hormuz, economic ties and unevenly supportive alliances exposed the limits of relying on force alone. Strauss says deterrence also depends on economic pressure, flexible planning, stronger partnerships and public support sustained over time.
Thucydides’ Famous Maxims Lose Meaning When Read Outside Their Context
Historian Andrew Novo argues that Thucydides is most useful to readers of politics and war when his famous lines are read in context, not treated as timeless rules. In a discussion with Andrew Roberts, Novo says the history of Athens and Sparta offers lessons about recurring motives such as fear, ambition and the pursuit of power—but applying them to current rivalries requires attention to specific interests, alliances and decisions.
White House Press Room Exclusions Face a Clear Rule Against Viewpoint Discrimination
Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer argue that the legal question in the White House’s exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and Politico turns on where reporters were barred. A 1977 D.C. Circuit precedent protects access to the press briefing room from viewpoint-based exclusion, they say, while a newer ruling treats the Oval Office as the president’s own space, where he can choose whom to meet. A judge restored the reporters’ access on due-process grounds without deciding the broader First Amendment claim.
Public Choice Tests Government Against the Politicians Who Wield Its Power
Economist Mike Munger argues that public choice begins by treating government not as a benevolent whole but as institutions run by people with their own information limits and incentives. In a conversation with Russ Roberts, he says voters’ rational inattention and politicians’ pressure to win elections make political decisions harder to assess than appeals to “the will of the people” suggest. Munger’s test for new government powers is to replace “government” with the name of a politician you distrust and see whether the proposal still appeals.
California’s Rail Project Faces a 2027 Cash Deadline and No Clear Funding
The Paramount settlement may keep the company in Los Angeles, but it does not promise production in California or reverse the state’s loss of entertainment work, Bill Whalen and Lee Ohanian argue. Their account points to a broader gap between preserving a major company and resolving the state’s underlying problems: Ohanian says high-speed rail lacks a sound business case, while Whalen warns that the project may run out of cash by December 2027. Whalen also reads Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent political moves as positioning for a possible 2028 presidential run.
Low Real Rates Were No Basis for Treating Government Debt as Cheap
Kenneth Rogoff argues that policymakers mistook a decade of low real interest rates for a durable feature of the economy, despite the historical volatility of rates and the difficulty of forecasting them. In a discussion with Steven Davis, he says that uncertainty should make governments wary of treating cheap borrowing as a reason to let debt rise without limit: higher rates can increase servicing costs and leave less room to respond to future shocks. Rogoff’s case is for fiscal prudence, not a ban on borrowing.
The Fed Should Respond When Supply Shocks Keep Inflation Elevated
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee argues that the Federal Reserve should not automatically look through negative supply shocks when they are likely to keep inflation above target. Unlike demand-driven overheating, a supply shock leaves the Fed to restrain demand against reduced productive capacity, risking larger losses in employment and output. In a conversation with Steven Davis, Goolsbee makes the case for responding to persistent supply-driven inflation, but not with the same force as to excess demand.