R Street Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public policy research organization. Our mission is to engage in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government.
In addition to our D.C. headquarters, we have offices in Georgia, Texas, Ohio, California and Massachusetts.
We work extensively on both state and national policy, and focus on issues that other groups tend to neglect. Our specialty is tackling issues that are complex, but don’t necessarily grab major headlines. These are the areas where we think we can have a real impact.
We believe free markets work better than the alternatives. We also recognize that the legislative process calls for practical responses to current problems. To that end, our motto is “Free markets. Real solutions.”
We also differ from other groups in our dedication to building broad coalitions and working with a wide array of groups who share specific policy goals. This makes us uniquely capable of building support for pragmatic, free-market proposals that can earn bipartisan consensus.
R Street is a free-market think tank with a pragmatic approach to public policy challenges. We draw inspiration from such thinkers as Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Ronald H. Coase, James M. Buchanan and Arthur C. Pigou.
We favor consumer choice; low, flat taxes; regulation that is transparent and applied equitably and systems that rely on price signals rather than central planning. Thus, it is fair to say we are on the political right. At the same time, we recognize that public goods, natural monopolies and externalities are real concerns that governments must address. We also understand that life in a democratic society sometimes means reaching a compromise that doesn’t necessarily represent a first, best solution.
We offer research and analysis that advance the goals of a more market-oriented society and an effective, efficient government, with the full realization that progress on the ground tends to be made one inch at a time. In other words, we look for free-market victories on the margin.