EXTERNAL LINKS & RESOURCES
CLASSICAL LIBERAL THINK TANKS
To discover, develop and support intellectual entrepreneurs worldwide who have the potential to create independent public policy institutes and related programs, which advance our vision; and to provide ongoing support as such institutes and programs mature.
(Over 400 other sites available via the Think Tank Directory link on the Atlas Foundation website)
The Cato Institute was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane. It is a non-profit public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institute is named for Cato’s Letters, a series of libertarian pamphlets that helped lay the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution.
The Cato Institute seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace. Toward that goal, the Institute strives to achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, concerned lay public in questions of policy and the proper role of government.
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute – a think tank – whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
STATE FOUNDATIONS
The Goldwater Institute was founded in 1988 by a small group of entrepreneurial Arizonans with the blessing of Sen. Barry Goldwater. Like our namesake, the Goldwater Institute board and staff share a belief in the innate dignity of individual human beings, that America is a nation that grew great through the initiative and ambition of regular men and women, and, that while the legitimate functions of government are conducive to freedom, unrestrained government has proved to be a chief instrument in history for thwarting individual liberty. Through research and education, the Goldwater Institute works to broaden the parameters of policy discussions to allow consideration of policies consistent with the founding principles of free societies.
The John Locke Foundation believes that our society must return to our founding principles:
–We are a land of liberty where natural rights of individuals precede and supersede the power of the state.
–We are a constitutional republic in which government power is limited and employed for the purpose of providing legitimate public goods rather than for the benefit of insiders and narrow interest groups.
–We are a free market in which persons, individually or collectively, have the natural right to sell goods and services to willing buyers, and in which the individual pursuit of economic opportunity benefits all.
–And we are a free society where citizens solve social problems not only through government but also by working together in families, neighborhoods, churches, charities, and other private, voluntary organizations.
We are an independent, non-partisan association of writers, speakers and thinkers who analyze state and local public policy in Kentucky, and suggest alternatives more in concert with the ideas of our founders: Individual liberty, economic freedom, personal responsibility and a respect for others.
EDUCATION
Hillsdale College continues to carry out its mission today as it has every year since 1844. It teaches its students the skills to be productive citizens and the moral virtues to be good ones. Today this small college continues to “go it alone,” to do things its own way, even when that way is neither profitable nor popular, but right.
The Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice was founded upon the ideals and theories of Nobel Laureate economist Milton Friedman and economist Rose D. Friedman. They envisioned the concept in the 1950’s, far before the need was perceived by most Americans, in an incredible example of forward-thinking intellectualism that has characterized the Friedmans’ work through the years. The Friedman Foundation strives to educate parents, public policy makers and organizations about the desperate need for a shift of power to the disenfranchised parents of America who have limited choices and voices in the education of their children. The Foundation serves as an indispensable resource for parents and community groups who want parental choice in education, and are ready to fight for it.
ECONOMICS
The Ludwig von Mises Institute is the research and educational center of classical liberalism, libertarian political theory, and the Austrian School of economics. Working in the intellectual tradition of Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973) and Murray N. Rothbard (1926-1995), with a vast array of publications, programs, and fellowships, the Mises Institute, with offices in Auburn, Alabama, seeks a radical shift in the intellectual climate as the foundation for a renewal of the free and prosperous commonwealth.
INTERNATIONAL
The Margaret Thatcher Foundation was formed in 1991 to advance the cause of political and economic freedom. The Foundation has five broad goals:
1. To promote the widest possible acceptance of democracy, market principles, the rule of law, and strong defence
2. To encourage strong transatlantic links between Britain, Europe, and North America
3. To assist and encourage the peoples of the former communist countries and other oppressive regimes across the world as they adopt democracy
4. To foster greater contact between Western nations and those of the Middle East in the region’s search for a lasting peace with security
5. To further free trade throughout the world