Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch,[5] chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.[nb 1] Cato was established to focus on public advocacy, media exposure and societal influence.[6]
For other uses, see Cato (disambiguation).Established
1977[1]
501(c)(3) non-profit think tank
23-7432162
Public advocacy, media exposure and societal influence
- 1000 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Peter N. Goettler[2]
Vacant
$31,695,000[3]
$31,726,000[3]
$85,585,000[3]
100 staff
46 faculty
70 adjunct faculty
Charles Koch Foundation; Cato Foundation
Cato advocates for a limited governmental role in domestic and foreign affairs as well as strong protection of civil liberties. This includes support for lowering or abolishing most taxes, opposition to the Federal Reserve system and the Affordable Care Act, the privatization of numerous government agencies and programs including Social Security and the United States Postal Service, demilitarization of the police, open borders and adhering to a non-interventionist foreign policy.
According to the 2019 Global Go to Think Tank Index Report (revised June 2020 Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, University of Pennsylvania), Cato was number 20 in the "Top Think Tanks Worldwide" and number 13 in the "Top Think Tanks in the United States".[7]
History[edit]
The institute was founded in January 1977 in San Francisco, California;[1] named at the suggestion of cofounder Rothbard after Cato's Letters, a series of British essays penned in the early 18th century by John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon.[8][9]
In 1981, Murray Rothbard was removed from the Cato Institute by the board.[10] The board wanted to move Cato into political policy making. Rothbard thought it should be devoted to scholarship.[11]
Cato relocated to Washington, D.C., in 1981, settling initially in a historic house on Capitol Hill.[12]: 446 The institute moved to its current location on Massachusetts Avenue in 1993. Cato Institute was named the fifth-ranked think tank in the world for 2009 in a study of think tanks by James G. McGann, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, based on a criterion of excellence in "producing rigorous and relevant research, publications and programs in one or more substantive areas of research".[13]
By 2011, the Cato Institute had a budget of $39 million.
Ideological relationships[edit]
Libertarianism and classical liberalism[edit]
Many Cato scholars have advocated support for civil liberties, liberal immigration policies,[49] drug liberalization,[50] and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and laws restricting consensual sexual activity.[51][52] The Cato Institute officially resists being labeled as part of the conservative movement because "'conservative' smacks of an unwillingness to change, of a desire to preserve the status quo".[53]
Cato has strong ties to the political philosophy of classical liberalism.[54][55][56] According to executive vice president David Boaz, libertarians are classical liberals who strongly emphasize the individual right to liberty. He argues that, as the term "liberalism" became increasingly associated with government intervention in the economy and social welfare programs, some classical liberals abandoned the old term and began to call themselves “libertarians”.[57] Officially, Cato admits that the term “classical liberal” comes close to the mark of labeling its position, but fails to capture the contemporary vibrancy of the ideas of freedom. According to Cato's mission statement, the Jeffersonian philosophy that animates Cato's work has increasingly come to be called 'libertarianism' or 'market liberalism.' It combines an appreciation for entrepreneurship, the market process, and lower taxes with strict respect for civil liberties and skepticism about the benefits of both the welfare state and foreign military adventurism.[58][59]
In 2006, Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos proposed the term "Libertarian Democrat" to describe his particular liberal position, suggesting that libertarians should be allies of the Democratic Party. Replying, Cato's vice president for research Brink Lindsey agreed that libertarians and liberals should view each other as natural ideological allies,[60] and noted continuing differences between mainstream liberal views on economic policy and Cato's "Jeffersonian philosophy".
Some Cato scholars disagree with conservatives on neo-conservative foreign policy, albeit that this has not always been uniform.[61]
Prizes[edit]
Recipients of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences at Cato[edit]
The following recipients of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences have worked with Cato:[156]
Affiliations[edit]
The Cato Institute is an associate member of the State Policy Network, a U.S. national network of free-market oriented think tanks.[171][172]
Rankings[edit]
According to the 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report (Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, University of Pennsylvania), Cato is number 27 in the "Top Think Tanks Worldwide" and number 13 in the "Top Think Tanks in the United States".[7] Other "Top Think Tank" rankings include # 13 (of 85) in Defense and National Security, #5 (of 80) in Domestic Economic Policy, #4 (of 55) in Education Policy, #17 (of 85) in Foreign Policy and International Affairs, #8 (of 30) in Domestic Health Policy, #14 (of 25) in Global Health Policy, #18 (of 80) in International Development, #14 (of 50) in International Economic Policy, #8 (of 50) in Social Policy, #8 (of 75) for Best Advocacy Campaign, #17 (of 60) for Best Think Tank Network, #3 (of 60) for best Use of Social Networks, #9 (of 50) for Best External Relations/Public Engagement Program, #2 (of 40) for Best Use of the Internet, #12 (of 40) for Best Use of Media, #5 (of 30) for Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals, #11 (of 70) for the Most Significant Impact on Public Policy, and #9 (of 60) for Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Programs. Cato also topped the 2014 list of the budget-adjusted ranking of international development think tanks.[173]