American Enterprise Institute

Overview

The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) is a center-right think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. that conducts research on economics, foreign and defense policy, politics and social welfare. Founded in 1938, AEI describes its mission as expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening free enterprise.

Key functions and role

AEI employs roughly 185 resident and adjunct scholars who publish research, testify before Congress, and comment in the media on economic policy, foreign affairs, education, health care, and social and political issues. It is organized into research centers covering areas including economic policy, foreign and defense policy, and poverty studies, and it hosts the annual AEI World Forum along with regular public events and conferences in Washington.

History

A group of New York businessmen led by Lewis H. Brown founded the organization in 1938 as the American Enterprise Association, moving its main offices to Washington in 1943 to influence wartime and postwar economic policy. William J. Baroody Sr. became president in 1962, renamed the group the American Enterprise Institute, and built it into a major research organization, recruiting economists including Milton Friedman and, later, former President Gerald Ford as a distinguished fellow. After the withdrawal of major foundation funding pushed AEI toward bankruptcy in the mid-1980s, Christopher DeMuth became president in 1986 and led the institute for 22 years, followed by Arthur C. Brooks from 2009 to 2019.

Political positions

AEI is widely described as a center-right or conservative think tank associated historically with neoconservative foreign-policy thought, though it states that it does not take institutional positions or endorse candidates and that its scholars are free to reach independent conclusions. AEI drew criticism from environmental groups and some scientists in 2007 after reports that it had offered stipends to scientists for essays assessing an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.

Leadership

Robert Doar has served as President since 2019, succeeding Arthur C. Brooks. Daniel A. D'Aniello, chairman emeritus of The Carlyle Group, chairs AEI's Board of Trustees.

Location and contact info

Address
1789 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036, USA
Phone
202-862-5800
Website
https://www.aei.org