CONSERVATISM CONSERVES LIBERALISM:

At the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, we describe ourselves as "a liberal think tank for the 21st century." While the term "liberal" has become associated with the left since the New Deal, it once meant something different:

All of us at FREOPP are big believers in the foundational importance of free inquiry, without which we won't come up with innovative new ways to improve Americans' lives. The broad tradition of political liberalism, as described in Wikipedia, is one of "liberty, consent of the governed, and equality before the law"; of evidence-based scientific knowledge; and of "more positive and proactive measures...required to ensure that every individual [has] an equal opportunity of success."

Today, this older form of liberalism--one that seeks to conserve the founding political tradition of the United States--has opponents on both the left and the right. And since FREOPP's policy reforms are rooted in using classical liberal principles--individual freedom and free enterprise--to improve the lives of Americans on the bottom half of the ladder, the broader contours of American politics are relevant to our mission.

That's why I recently helped to organize a group of around 150 signatories to publish what the group calls the "Freedom Conservatism Statement of Principles." Several of my FREOPP colleagues joined in the effort. It's an important initiative for many reasons, not least because the free-market reforms that FREOPP scholars have developed can only succeed if we build a network of alliances with those in both parties who share our mission.

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