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.
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.
Our Latest Research
Commentary
Read our latest commentary on human flourishing and social mobility.
A $15 minimum wage means fewer skills for younger workers
As part of ongoing efforts to pass another COVID-19 relief package, congressional Democrats are still including a proposal to more than double the current federal minimum wage, increasing it to $15 per hour by 2025.
In 2020, I became a proud American citizen. Native critics don’t know how good...
In today’s America it almost feels subversive to be proud of becoming — or being — a U.S. citizen.
This article was originally published on USA Today.
I closed out 2020 with one of the best...
The Biden administration should prioritize growth over redistribution
As President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepare their agenda, dealing with the pandemic and working to rebound the economy are certain to be key priorities. However...
Our Best Bet for Unity: Coalescing Around the American Dream
At its core, the American Dream is the vision statement for the United States. Its most common definition...
American Originals
American Originals traces the stories of those who charted their own paths, overcame barriers and achieved a better life for themselves and those around them by embracing personal responsibility, hard work, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
From Hero to Hated: America’s Most Tragic Entrepreneur
Few business leaders or entrepreneurs in American history have done more to enable progress and prosperity than Samuel Insull, a name little known today. Yet eighty years ago, he...
Walt Disney: Entrepreneur without Peer
Who was Walt Disney? What was truly different about this man, whose name is likely to remain famous for generations to come? How did he evolve? What were his priorities and thought processes?
Milton Hershey: Chocolate King, Confectioner, and Creator
Born in rural Pennsylvania in 1857, Milton Hershey attended seven different schools and never made it beyond the fourth grade. At fifteen, he found his passion in a Lancaster...
Workingman’s Friend, Industry Disruptor: The Walter Chrysler Story
The year 1921 was one of the worst years in the history of the American automobile business. Many companies folded in a brief but severe post-war recession as prices...
Overcoming Barriers through Purpose and Entrepreneurship: Lessons from 21 Amazing American Originals
Over the last two-and-one-half years, we at the Archbridge Institute, in conjunction with the American Business History Center, have written and published twenty-one biographical articles on “American Originals.” These men and...
