Skip to content
R Street InstituteR Street Institute
  • Research
    • All Research
    • Our Policy Areas
    • Policy Studies
    • Explainers
    • R Sheets
    • External Policy Studies
  • Commentary
    • All Commentary
    • Real Solutions Blog
    • Op-Eds
    • Podcasts
  • Outreach
    • All Outreach
    • Letters
    • Testimony
    • Regulatory Comments
    • Amicus Briefs
  • Events
  • Connect with R Street
  • Home
  • Our Issues

American Institutions Network

From 2019-2019, R Street’s American Institutions Network (AIN) focused on the protection of democratic norms and American institutions by fostering discussions, partnerships and action. A collaborative discussion group, AIN aimed to shift today’s policy discussions away from politically-charged headlines to focus on the underlying institutional and cultural shifts that are threatening America’s form of government. Our points of focus were:

 

Congress as the First Branch: Congress must provide a real check of power to the executive branch and assert its place as the “first branch”, ensuring that the executive operates within legal, ethical and statutory bounds. Congress must retain its ability to legislate through normal, established, and traditional legislative procedure and channels.

 

Professional, Honest Government Institutions: Government agencies must not be used to monitor, attack, or punish political opponents. Regulatory structures must be appropriate, unilateral, and long-term. Information that is being used to inform decision making must be reliable and accurate. Information provided by government officials should be honest and grounded in empirical fact.

 

An Independent Judiciary: America’s judicial branch must be respected as apolitical, including, but not limited to, rejecting outcome-based views of justice and politicization.

 

A Free Press: The press must be identified and seen as a viable check on political power rather than a political propaganda tool itself. It must be re-established as an institution of our republic.

 

Civil, Loyal Opposition: Political dialogue and debate are essential to America’s form of government. As such, mutual tolerance, the understanding that competing parties accept one another as legitimate, should be consistently practiced. Information that is released to the public and used in public discourse by our political leaders must be trusted as true and accurate. Additionally, forbearance, or the idea that election-winners exercise respectful and appropriate restraint when wielding power rather than treating politics as winner-take-all, is necessary for the continuation of national stability.

Filter Listing

News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Governance

How Pluralism-Friendly School-Choice Policies Engage with Civil Society

Corinne Day March 11, 2020
Policy Studies American Institutions Network, Federal Government Affairs, Governance

Does Educational Pluralism Build Civil Society? A Case Study Of Indianapolis, 2001-2019

March 11, 2020
Op-Eds American Institutions Network, Governance

Who am I to judge? The case for classical liberal education

Clare Basil March 5, 2020 Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Policy Studies American Institutions Network, Federal Government Affairs, Governance

Charter Schools Program: Federal Investment In Educational Opportunity

Feb 19, 2020
News American Institutions Network, Federal Government Affairs, Governance

Why the Federal Government Must Continue Investing in the Charter Schools Program

Corinne Day Feb 19, 2020
Op-Eds Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Governance

There Is No App for Self-Government

James Wallner Feb 11, 2020 Law & Liberty
Testimony American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Governance, Restoring the First Branch

Testimony on Federal Whistleblowers

Paul Rosenzweig Jan 28, 2020
Policy Studies American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Governance, Northeast, State Policy

Civil Society Series: Delaware Pathways

Jan 23, 2020
News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Governance, Northeast, State Policy

New Report Shows Pathways to a Brighter Future in Delaware

Corinne Day Jan 23, 2020
News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs

116th House of Representatives Impeaches President Trump along Party Lines

Aubrey Neal Dec 19, 2019

R Street Institute

1411 K Street N.W., Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20005

Media Inquiries: pr@rstreet.org

(202) 525-5717
feedback@rstreet.org

  • Link to Twitter
  • Link to Linkedin
  • Link to Youtube

Sections

  • Column 1
    • Research
    • Commentary
    • Outreach
    • Events
  • Column 2
    • About R Street
    • Employment
    • Support R Street
    • Connect with R Street

Subscribe

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest research and learn about upcoming events.

Explore:

  • Research
  • Commentary
  • Outreach
  • Events
  • Connect with R Street
  • Support R Street
  • Our Issues
    • Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties
    • Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats
    • Energy and Environment
    • Federal Government Affairs
    • Finance and Trade
    • Governance
    • Harm Reduction
    • Insurance
    • Project for Women and Families
    • State Policy
    • Technology and Innovation
    • Our Organization
  • About R Street
    • Team
    • Employment
    • Media Relations
    • Projects
  • Support R Street
  • Connect with R Street
  • Link to Twitter
  • Link to Linkedin
  • Link to Youtube
  • Research
    • Research Overview
    • Policy Studies
    • Explainers
    • R Sheets
    • External Policy Studies
  • Commentary
    • Commentary Overview
    • Real Solutions Blog
    • Op-Eds
    • Podcasts
    • R Street Responds
  • Outreach
    • Outreach Overview
    • Letters
    • Testimony
    • Regulatory Comments
    • Amicus Briefs
    • Books
  • Events
  • Connect with R Street
  • About R Street
    • About R Street
    • Team
    • Federal & State Affairs
    • Media Relations
    • Projects
    • Employment
  • Support R Street
  • Our Issues
    • Issues Overview
    • Criminal Justice & Civil Liberties
    • Competition Policy
    • Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats
    • Energy and Environment
    • Federal Government Affairs
    • Finance and Trade
    • Governance
    • Harm Reduction
    • Insurance
    • State Policy
    • Technology and Innovation
  • Link to Twitter
  • Link to Linkedin
  • Link to Youtube