RESEARCH AREAS

Social and Cultural Studies

AEI's research is informed by the understanding that freedom and prosperity depend on healthy social institutions. This section of the website gathers together AEI research, books, and events focused on social and cultural studies.

In the Spotlight

Frederick M. Hess (candid, color, facing front)

Resident Scholar
Director of Education Policy Studies
Frederick M. Hess

"Choice, in and of itself, doesn't fix any of [education's] problems, but it lets motivated people solve them outside of traditional K-12 systems, which hobble organizational focus and instructional coherence with their "little-bit-of-everything" mission, industrial-era contracts and staffing arrangements, ill-defined aims, balky governance structures, contested disciplinary arrangements, and the rest."

--Frederick M. Hess in an article on National Review Online, March 25, 2010

Research Areas
in Social and Cultural Studies

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Recent Publications

Stroll to the Top

By Frederick M. Hess
National Review
Monday, May 3, 2010

Even though the Department of Education's Race to the Top program has been endorsed by both liberals and conservatives, it has not been living up to its full potential.

Hot Britannia

By Geoffrey Smith
The American
Thursday, April 29, 2010

It would be ironic if the television debates, which began by imposing an expectation--almost an obligation--of courtesy on the combatants, were to end in more bitterness between the parties.

Arizona's Ugly but Necessary Immigration Law

By Jonah Goldberg
National Review Online
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Arizona's new immigration law is as ugly as many other government policies, but is equally as necessary.

"South Park" and the Informal Fatwa

By Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The recent threats against the creators of "South Park" demonstrate some of the damage that can be done to free society by Muslim fringe groups.

» List all Recent Publications

Books

American Politics, Then & Now and Other Essays

By James Q. Wilson
AEI Press
(June 2010)

James Q. Wilson is one of America’s preeminent public policy scholars. For decades, he has analyzed the changing political and cultural landscape with clarity and honesty, bringing his wisdom to bear on all facets of American government and society.

The Battle How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future

By Arthur C. Brooks
Basic Books
(June 2010)

Free enterprise embodies the values that define us as a nation: individual liberty, equal opportunity, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance. But the recent economic crisis has distorted these values.

Nomad

By Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Knopf of Canada
(May 2010)

Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells the stirring story of her search for a new life as she tries to reconcile her Islamic past with her passionate adherence to democracy and Western values.

» List all Books

Events

UPCOMING EVENTS

The World Turned Upside Down: The Global Battle over God, Truth, and Power

Monday, May 3, 2010
12:15 PM - 02:00 PM