Empowering State and Local Governance

Empowering State and Local Governance

Significant policy making doesn’t just take place in the domain of the federal government. The Hoover Institution is committed to the idea that policy research should focus on solutions at the state and local level, where governments are best positioned to improve educational outcomes, stimulate economic growth, spur innovation, and respond to other needs of its citizens. To accomplish this goal of empowering states and localities across America, the Hoover Institution partners with a diverse range of state agencies and lawmakers. The aim of these collaborations is to produce data-driven policy recommendations on key issues such as economic development, public sector pensions, energy policy, tax and fiscal policy, and many others.  

Hoover fellows conduct data-driven research and deliver recommendations to our extensive network of policymakers and other stakeholders in states and cities across the nation with the goal of helping ordinary Americans improve their lives and achieve prosperity.

Condoleezza Rice

What our Fellows are saying

Joshua D. Rauh

Senior Fellow

Stephen Haber

Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow

Eric Hanushek

Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow in Education

“But while Sacramento may be most concerned with the amount of revenue filling its coffers, the losses to overall economic prosperity associated with out-migration are perhaps best reflected in the taxable income that may be lost when people leave the state. A person living in the state likely spends a large share of their income within the state, thereby producing other revenues for the state through property, sales, and gas taxes. Their spending also supports California businesses, employment, and general economic opportunity within the state. When an individual moves to a new state, California loses out on more than just income tax revenues; it also misses out on that future income and the spending that comes with it.”

—Senior Fellow Josh Rauh and Jillian Ludwig in Defining Ideas, February 18, 2022

“Politics in DC have become quite dysfunctional. Policy making can be easier at the state and local levels because the cross-cutting coalitions tend to be simpler, meaning that it is easier to affect meaningful change. I think also that some of the wisdom we gained from the COVID-19 experience is that one-size-fits-all policies don’t work for a country as diverse as the United States. Public health responses implemented in New York certainly weren’t appropriate for Topeka, Kansas.”

—Senior Fellow Stephen Haber in a Hoover Institution Q&A, September 23, 2021

“The long-run development of Alabama is closely tied to the skills of its population. And the skills of the population depend crucially on Alabama schools. Alabama students currently fall significantly behind students in other states. This learning gap is not solely attributable to the schools, but the schools are the primary force that can be employed to improve the outcomes. Improving the quality and impact of the schools is not something that can be done quickly, because there is no simple blueprint for how to get the gains in learning that are needed. Improvement is something that has a large local element, depending on both local demands and local capacities. It is nonetheless something that can be required, aided, and facilitated by the state.”

—Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow Eric Hanushek in a Hoover Institution report to the Alabama Innovation Commission, October 19, 2021.

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Joshua D. Rauh

Joshua D. Rauh

Senior Fellow

Joshua Rauh is the Ormond Family Professor of Finance at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He leads the…

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Stephen Haber

Stephen Haber

Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow

Stephen Haber is the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the A.A. and Jeanne Welch Milligan Professor in the School of Humanities…

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Lee Ohanian Hoover Headshot

Lee Ohanian

Senior Fellow (adjunct)

Lee E. Ohanian is a senior fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution and a professor of economics and director of the Ettinger Family Program in…

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John Cogan Hoover Headshot

John F. Cogan

Leonard and Shirley Ely Senior Fellow

John F. Cogan is the Leonard and Shirley Ely Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. His research is focused on US budget and fiscal policy and federal…

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Michael Boskin Hoover Headshot

Michael J. Boskin

Wohlford Family Senior Fellow

Michael J. Boskin is the Wohlford Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Tully M. Friedman Professor of Economics at Stanford. He is also a…

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Eric Hanushek Hoover Headshot

Eric Hanushek

Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow in Education

Eric Hanushek is the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. He is internationally recognized for his economic…

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Jonathan Rodden Hoover Headshot

Jonathan Rodden

Senior Fellow

Jonathan Rodden is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a professor in the political science department at Stanford. Rodden was a fellow at the…

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State and Local Governance Initiative

State and Local Governance Initiative

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The Renewing Indigenous Economies Project

Renewing Indigenous Economies Project

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Hoover-Alabama Innovation Initiative

Hoover-Alabama Innovation Initiative

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