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Lifting Barriers. Lifting Lives.
Increasing opportunities for social mobility and human flourishing is the defining challenge of our time. Through rigorous academic research, sound public policy solutions, and reviving the spirit of entrepreneurship, the Archbridge Institute works to empower individuals to achieve better, richer, and fuller lives by identifying and removing the barriers
that constrain their potential.
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HUMAN FLOURISHING LAB
Our Latest Research
The Archbridge Institute conducts multidisciplinary academic and policy research on artificial and natural barriers to social mobility and human flourishing, seeking to drive a consensus on these factors in the academic and policy community.

Universal Recognition: Labor Market Effects and Best Practices for Policymakers
Click here to open the PDF in a new tab. Introduction Universal recognition is the most widely adopted occupational licensing reform in U.S. history. Since 2013, 21 states have adopted the policy, which allows an individual with an out-of-state license to obtain a new...

State Occupational Licensing Index 2023
Click here to open the PDF in a new tab. Overview Occupational licensing affects more than 20 percent of workers in the United States. The extent of occupational licensing greatly differs across states. From both a research and public policy standpoint, it is...

Americans Yearn for Tradition—Old and New—This Holiday Season
This article was originally published in the Harris Poll. Before the start of the winter holiday season—defined as the period beginning in mid-November and running through New Year’s Day—The Human Flourishing Lab at The Archbridge Institute and The Harris Poll...
American Originals

Magnanimous Merchant: Julius Rosenwald
In this American Originals series, we’ve recounted the life stories of men and women who created great inventions and enterprises. None of them had more energy and drive than the shy Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish menswear merchant from Springfield, Illinois. A high...

The Greatest Businessman in American History: Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.
Many management scholars consider Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. as the greatest business leader in American history. If we exclude company founders, Sloan has few peers among those who led companies they did not found. After running a smaller company for twenty...

Ahmet Ertegun: America’s Greatest Music Man
Ahmet Ertegun did as much as anyone to shape the popular music that serves as the soundtrack for our daily lives. As the founder and leader of Atlantic Records for almost sixty years, he brought us artists from Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to Crosby, Stills, Nash,...
Happening Now

Louisiana’s Universities Aren’t Living Up to the Mobility Hype
This article was originally published in The Center Square. I am a Louisiana native who recently returned to Louisiana after spending a few years away at graduate school. I’ve reconnected with old friends who work in the private sector who also recently returned after...

A New Hope: ‘Star Wars as American Religion
This article was originally published by The Hill. May the Fourth be with you! Today, “Star Wars” fans from all over the world are celebrating their passion for the multi-billion-dollar science fiction franchise created by George Lucas 46 years...

Is Every American Getting Licensed to Work?
This article was originally published in The Washington Times. Tedy Okech, of Boise, Idaho, has braided hair almost her entire life. She was told she needed a cosmetology license to open a braiding salon in Idaho, requiring years of schooling and training and...

A Texas-Sized Licensing Problem
This article was originally published in Caller-Times. When it comes to promoting the best possible environment for business to thrive and people to prosper, Texas gets a lot of things right. Unfortunately for residents of the Lone Star state, licensing is not one of...

South Dakota Should Take Bigger Steps on Licensing Reform
This article was originally published in the DC Journal. South Dakota policymakers have a lot to be proud of. Coming in at 2.3 percent, South Dakota has the second-lowest unemployment rate in the nation — slightly higher than Utah....
The Archbridge Institute is a non-partisan, independent, 501(c)(3) public policy think tank. Our mission is to lift barriers to human flourishing.
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