The Constitution divides war powers between Congress and the president, but according to Sarah Burns, one branch has largely walked away from that responsibility. Read more:

Moral panics keep failing to bring about the collapse they promise.

In a recent @liberalism.org piece, @jkuznicki.bsky.social makes a compelling case that many of the things people fear will unravel society are far harder to disrupt than the panic-merchants suggest. Read more 👇

Congratulations to JP Bastos (PhD, Texas Tech, '26), winner of the ninth annual Elinor and Vincent Ostrom Prize—sponsored by IHS and awarded at the Public Choice Society conference for the best combined graduate student paper and presentation.

Supreme Court’s tariff decision still leaves a ‘mess’ for companies trying to grab refunds Companies that had sued for tariff refunds are taking different approaches to getting their money back – or quitting the effort.

While the Supreme Court invalidated certain tariffs, the decision does little to clarify the process for businesses seeking restitution. Peter R. Crabb and Alison Graham Larson examines the legal and economic implications of this unresolved landscape.

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New federal student loan limits affect social work graduate students, with impacts for survivors of domestic violence in Colorado and elsewhere (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

New federal student loan limits could reshape access to the social work profession, and who gets the support they need.

In this piece, Kaitlyn M. Sims explores how these changes may hit social work graduate students, with effects for domestic violence survivors.

Read more 👇

hubs.ly/Q049v1k70

Free Society Grants | Institute for Humane Studies Free Society Grants support faculty seeking to develop or expand undergraduate programming grounded in the liberal tradition.

Free Society Grants for Undergraduate Programming support faculty developing programs that engage students in discussions about politics, economics, and civics in a free society—and help them take the next step into research, careers, and public life. Apply by June 15.

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Drug company ads are easy to blame for misleading patients and raising costs, but research shows they do help patients get needed treatment Officials and policymakers say direct-to-consumer drug advertising encourages patients to seek treatments they don’t need and raises heath care costs, but the true picture is more nuanced.

In @us.theconversation.com Anna Chorniy shows how the real impact of drug ads is more nuanced than critics suggest. While they may raise costs, they also help patients seek care and get needed treatment. Read more:

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Even if Trump Funds Airport Staff, Trust Has Gone The spectacle of ICE will be with us for a long time.

Substituting an immigration enforcement agency for the TSA undermines more than operations. Drawing on Ostrom's framework of co-production, @emilychamleewright.bsky.social argues that eroding checkpoint trust threatens the cooperative foundations of a free society.

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Get notified when the episode drops: www.liberalism.org/podcasts

BTS of the Liberalism.org show being filmed at Flourishing House neighborhood at SXSW.

Behind the scenes of the Liberalism.org Show at Arena Hall with guest Virginia Postrel.

From innovation to culture, we’re exploring how liberal ideas shape human flourishing, live from the Flourishing House neighborhood at @sxsw.com.

More liberal content coming soon.

Today, IHS Is Beginning a New Chapter | Institute for Humane Studies

“The ideas that changed the trajectory of human history will not sustain themselves. Each generation must renew them.”
— @emilychamleewright.bsky.social

Read the full letter from our President, Emily Chamlee-Wright, here: bit.ly/4bfMGTf

Institute for Humane Studies | Institute for Humane Studies The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) develops and connects the brightest minds applying the principles of freedom to address society’s biggest questions and most complex challenges.

We’re also unveiling a redesigned TheIHS.org website, reflecting our commitment to make liberal ideas more visible, more connected, and more engaged with the world they seek to serve.

Introducing Liberalism.org — Renewing the Liberal Tradition YouTube video by Liberalismorg

So, today we’re stepping forward with a new project
We’re launching Liberalism.org, a new public forum for the liberal tradition.

youtu.be/DNTpB-YJfCE?...

We believe that if society is to reverse course, liberal voices must be at the forefront of public conversations.

These voices must remind people why these principles matter, how we’ve failed to adopt them in the past, and what society can achieve if we embrace them again.

That upstream work remains essential.

But it is not sufficient on its own.

Trust in institutions is falling.

Strongmen and top-down solutions are gaining appeal.

People are doubting whether liberal principles can solve the challenges of our moment.

Summer Seminar II

Hayek at IHS

Baetjer at IHS

Liberty and Society, 1988

For six decades, @TheIHS has worked upstream:

☑️Filling research gaps
☑️Building intellectual fields
☑️Strengthening networks
☑️Preparing ideas for the moment they’re needed

In this time, we've built a network of 7K+ scholars and practitioners, driving progress across sectors.

Ideas shape institutions long before laws do. They influence what we teach, what we debate, and what we believe is possible.

We invest in ideas because when ideas are refined and improved, the policies, classrooms, and culture built on them improve too.

Four corners of liberalism

At @theihs.org , we believe human progress is built on liberalism, and liberalism works as a system.

Political, economic, cultural, and intellectual freedom all reinforce one another.

When these four stay in balance, they expand the space for human dignity.

The World as 100 People

The result was the sharpest and most sustained rise in human well-being the world has ever seen.

This led to:
Longer lives.
Greater prosperity.
More self-fulfillment.

History's Hockey Stick

At @theihs.org , we’ve spent years obsessing over this curve.

For most of human history, life was defined by subsistence survival, disease, and tyranny.

Then, around 1700, the Enlightenment happened.

Ideas about political freedom, markets, the rule of law, and open inquiry took root.

For 65 years, @theihs.org has worked upstream, building the intellectual foundations of a free society.

Today, we take that work to the next level and begin a new chapter.

🧵

At SXSW, you’ll find music, film, and innovation. Here you might find your people.

A retreat for renewal by day.
A tavern for sharing ideas by night.
A space for builders who care about abundance, and human flourishing.

Limited capacity. Invite-only. Reach out to learn more: events@theihs.org.

Human flourishing begins with freedom.
Liberalism.org - 3/12/26

An Efficient Government Is A Limited Government If we want an institution to be good at what it does, we must first define its role.

During California wildfires, many residents relied on a nonprofit app, not government, for real-time alerts. In this piece in Persuasion, @emilychamleewright.bsky.social examines what this reveals about trust, institutional competence, and the proper scope of government. bit.ly/40qCb97

Polarization may dominate national headlines, but it isn’t inevitable. In this piece, Lauren Hall explores how local governments work across differences to address shared community needs. A free and resilient society depends on institutions that bring people together.

Read more: bit.ly/46pZBPr

The Soviet-Born Scholar Who Took on Trump’s Tariffs Somin's story is a reminder that freedom is fragile, but worth defending—in classrooms, in courts, and in everyday life.

Congrats to IHS scholar @ilyasomin.bsky.social on today’s Supreme Court decision! Read more about how this Soviet-born scholar turned constitutional ideas into action, challenging presidential tariff power and defending limits on executive authority in court:

www.theihs.org/blog/the-sov...

Colorado has emergency domestic violence shelters in only half its counties, leaving survivors without safe housing options A lack of shelters and affordable housing means survivors of domestic violence have few places to go.

Safe housing is foundational to security and opportunity. In Colorado, emergency domestic violence shelters exist in only half of the counties. IHS scholar @kaitsims.bsky.social examined the impact of housing shortages and policy constraints.

Read More: theconversation.com/colorado-has...

Reversing the Great Forgetting: Cultural Economy as a way of seeing the liberal order The freedoms we enjoy weren’t inevitable. They were built on liberal principles like free speech, equal rights, and constitutional limits. IHS president Emily Chamlee-Wright warns what happens when…

Watch the full keynote address: youtu.be/1Z3qstyDbhE?...

The freedoms we enjoy weren’t inevitable. They were built on liberal principles like free speech, equal rights, and constitutional limits.

IHS President @emilychamleewright.bsky.social warns what happens when we stop defending them. The principles behind human progress still matter.

IHS Launches Initiative to Strengthen the Foundations of Self-Government IHS will draw on its network of more than 7,000 scholars to support research aimed at strengthening the foundations of self-government.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, IHS is investing in research on energy abundance, AI technology and human agency, and constitutional resilience to secure the future of self-government. Learn more: www.theihs.org/blog/ihs-lau...