Rebuilding American Institutions

Revitalizing American Institutions

As articulated in the beginning of Herbert Hoover’s statement to Stanford University’s board of trustees in 1959, the Hoover Institution supports the Constitution of the United States, its Bill of Rights, and its method of representative government. Our fellowship remains deeply committed to these foundations of government because only in a free society grounded in the rule of law, can human beings thrive and achieve prosperity.

The American system of government is not perfect, because the founders were imperfect men. However, it’s delivered freedom to more people than any other form of government devised in human history. It is a remarkable story. The institutions are not just worth preserving, they are worth fighting for and upholding to bring about progress.

Condoleezza Rice

What our Fellows are saying

John F. Cogan

Leonard and Shirley Ely Senior Fellow

Brandice Canes-Wrone

Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow

Niall Ferguson

Milbank Family Senior Fellow

“The economic governance principles that drove American peace and prosperity should serve as guideposts to navigate the balance of the twenty-first century. If we choose to empower the individual, encourage the development and dissemination of new ideas, and ensure the fidelity of institutions to their mission, then the United States can once again be a beacon to the world.”

—Leonard and Shirley Ely Senior Fellow John Cogan and Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow Kevin Warsh in “Reinvigorating Economic Governance,” an essay for the Hoover Institution, April 2022

“From its founding, America has developed an array of institutions to preserve and advance our nation’s liberty and prosperity. Yet today, many citizens have lost confidence in those institutions, challenging their legitimacy, and compromising their missions. In an objective, non-partisan spirit, and drawing on the scholarship, government experience, and convening power of the Hoover Institution, The Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI) will study the reasons behind the crisis in trust, analyze how American institutions are operating, evaluate proposals for reform, and offer policy recommendations to rebuild trust and increase their effectiveness.”

—Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow Brandice Canes-Wrone discussing the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI), May 2023

“The republic may well be in mortal danger if each of the two major parties aspires to make fundamental changes to the political system obviously designed to entrench itself permanently in power. It is especially dangerous that each side firmly believes that only the other side is trying to do this. Democracy works only when the basic rules of the game are accepted. When changing those rules becomes the central object of politics, the stakes become too high — the price of defeat too heavy.”

—Milbank Family Senior Fellow Niall Ferguson in Bloomberg, December 2021

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David Brady Hoover Headshot

David Brady

Davies Family Senior Fellow, Emeritus

David Brady is the Davies Family Senior Fellow, Emeritus at the Hoover Institution and the Bowen H. and Janice Arthur McCoy Professor of Political Science…

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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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David M. Kennedy

David M. Kennedy

Distinguished Visiting Fellow

David M. Kennedy, a 1963 Stanford University graduate, is the Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, Emeritus, and the founding faculty director of the…

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Justin Grimmer

Senior Fellow

Justin Grimmer is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a professor in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University. His current…

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Morris Fiorina Hoover Headshot

Morris P. Fiorina

Senior Fellow

Morris P. Fiorina is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Wendt Family Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. His current…

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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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Amit Seru Hoover Headshot

Amit Seru

Senior Fellow

Amit Seru is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Steven and Roberta Denning Professor of Finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business …

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Jim Mattis Hoover Headshot

General Jim Mattis

Davies Family Distinguished Fellow

General Jim Mattis, US Marine Corps (Ret.), is the Davies Family Distinguished Fellow, after having served as the nation’s 26th Secretary of Defense in…

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Michael McConnell Hoover Headshot

Michael McConnell

Senior Fellow

Michael W. McConnell is the Richard and Frances Mallery Professor of Law and the director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, and a…

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Brandice Canes-Wrone

Brandice Canes-Wrone

Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow

Brandice Canes-Wrone is the Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a professor in the Political Science department at Stanford…

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Terry M. Moe

Senior Fellow

Terry M. Moe is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the William Bennett Munro Professor of political science at Stanford University. He has…

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Peter Berkowitz

Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow

Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. In 2019-2021, he served as the Director of the…

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Jack Goldsmith Hoover Headshot

Jack Goldsmith

Senior Fellow (adjunct)

Jack Goldsmith is a senior fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution and the Henry L. Shattuck Professor of Law at Harvard University. From 2003 to 2004,…

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Paul Peterson Hoover Headshot

Paul E. Peterson

Senior Fellow (adjunct)

Paul E. Peterson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is a member of the Hoover Education Success Initiative, which focuses on the improvement…

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