Back to top
Civics
Economics

Policy Stories

The Policy Stories series features Hoover Institution scholars in 4-5 minute "mini-documentaries" discussing the real-life implications of public policy throughout the world. These segments offer insights into why these policies are relevant and important for today's public policy discussion.

0%

Politicians and pundits on both the right and the left cry foul over election laws like voter identification and mail-in voting.  Is it all political hype? Or do these laws actually have the power to impact races and swing elections?

0%

Can alternatives to government pension plans provide states an off-ramp from the $6.5 trillion in unfunded liabilities they face, and thereby narrowly avoid impending economic and fiscal crises?

0%

For the United States to successfully defend itself and its allies, prevail in global competition, and remain a force for good around the world, it must unlock its full innovative potential by connecting national security demands with the pace of commercially-driven technological innovation.

0%

Behind the scenes of its military buildup and economic competition China works tirelessly through television and social media to undermine the West, increase its own favorability through nonstop propaganda, and ultimately to manipulate our behavior here in the United States and across the globe. 

0%

Third party payers, such as employers and the government, negotiate healthcare costs behind the scenes, cutting out individual patients from the process and contributing to rising healthcare premiums.  Individual Health Accounts would allow patients to take ownership of their healthcare, lower healthcare costs, and help millions of uninsured afford health coverage.

0%

The Allied victory in World War II came at a moral cost, yet the majority of Americans and the majority of key officials, favored mercy and not revenge.

0%

It’s uncommon for the popular media to discuss how problematic our climate models are. Those uncertainties should make us skeptical of their ability to predict human influences on climate change.

0%

The federal government can prevent future bank bailouts by requiring risky financial institutions to raise capital through equity.

0%

Teachers' unions in the United States hold significant influence over local school board elections, but successful challenges in one state suggest a potential path forward for education reformers.

0%

Wargames have a long history of influencing policy and serve as valuable tools for understanding behavior and choices in both military and nonmilitary contexts.

0%

The use of relative terms like “fairness” muddies the discourse on taxes, leading people to reject absolutely efficient gains that they perceive as unfair—even though they may make everyone better off.

0%

The world is currently experiencing a democratic recession, with autocracies like China and Russia posing threats to democracies globally.

0%

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022 precipitated the largest set of Chinese military exercises in twenty years, raising the question: Why should America remain involved with Taiwan?

0%

The largest economic costs of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States will come from shortfalls in student learning, but effective teachers can help reverse those costs.

0%

The return of Taliban control in Afghanistan could create the biggest opportunity for al-Qaeda to reconstitute and reorganize in more than a decade.

0%

The results from an experiment called America in One Room show that respectful deliberation of opposing views can move the beliefs of individuals to the center.

0%

Is Russia inherently imperialist and expansionist? No. Russian aggression is not innate, it is a choice. And Russia’s rulers could make different choices.

0%

China’s central bank digital currency is part of a broader push by Beijing to establish global leadership in digital payments, assert independence from US power, and intensify control over Chinese society.

0%

Since 2013, China has been creating artificial islands in the South China Sea and turning them into military bases in an attempt to expand its strategic sphere of influence.

0%

Military history teaches us about honor, sacrifice, and the inevitability of conflict.

0%

Putin invaded Ukraine because, like all dictators, he is threatened by the expansion of democratic governments. 

0%

California’s strict regulatory environment, punitive legal climate, and high tax rates are causing businesses and residents to leave the state at an unprecedented rate.

0%

The United States must reconsider how it approaches thinking about space in order to prevent potentially devastating conflicts. 

0%

The US Department of Defense should defend its service members and their families from cyber-enabled information warfare.

0%

America can counter insidious efforts to inflame divisions in our society by discovering and calling out our adversaries when they use cyber-enabled deception operations.

0%

Contrary to popular belief, the political future of America is not preordained by demographic change, and it never has been.

0%

Better economic policy predating the coronavirus led to a sharp decline in wealth inequality.

0%

The bravery and patriotism of immigrants have been—and will continue to be—a vital component of a strong and safe America.

0%

The Great Recession shows us how crony capitalism can cause financial policies to stray from clearly defined rules and put undue power in the hands of regulators and special interests.

0%

Russell Berman offers insight into the role of the United States in the Middle East and steps we can take to promote freedom and defend American national interests.

0%
The response of the United States to China’s growing global power will profoundly affect the trajectory of the 21st century.
0%
Western democracies overcame a crisis of confidence decades ago. Can they do it again?
0%

Targeted household debt relief can effectively support the economy and accelerate economic recovery.

0%
Tax rate increases in California led many high earners to move, bringing in less revenue than expected.
0%

Niall Ferguson puts the 2020 pandemic into perspective and explains why we are getting worse, not better, at handling disasters.

0%

There is an important distinction between good and bad income inequality.

0%
China is systematically destroying Hong Kong’s autonomy, democracy, and rule of law.
0%

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the learning loss that typically occurs over summer vacation, and the impact has been more severe for disadvantaged children.

0%
The history of federal health care programs tells us that the public option would quickly become a costly program.
0%
Improving public education requires significantly enhancing teacher salaries, but also tilting compensation toward the most effective teachers.
0%

Limiting the growth in federal spending is difficult, but history tells us it is not impossible.

0%

The failure of California’s high-speed rail project demonstrates that everyone loses when politicians make promises they can’t keep.

0%

In the New Orleans school system after Hurricane Katrina, we get the rare opportunity to observe what happens when vested interest power is removed from the equation, and decision makers are free to do whatever seems to work in seeking real reform.