Media Release
In a recently published discussion paper from the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, Stephen Goldsmith and Ryan Streeter propose a new ideological framework for the conservative movement in the United States centered around aspiration, opportunity, and personal responsibility to help drive upward mobility.
Cambridge, MA – In a recently published discussion paper from the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, Stephen Goldsmith and Ryan Streeter propose a new ideological framework for the conservative movement in the United States centered around aspiration, opportunity, and personal responsibility to help drive upward mobility.
Goldsmith, the Derek Bok Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy at HKS, was the George W. Bush campaign’s chief domestic policy advisor in 2000. Streeter, the executive director of research and publications for the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, previously served as a special assistant for domestic policy to President George W. Bush at the White House.
Goldsmith and Streeter’s An Aspirational Path for American Conservatism lays the groundwork for what the pair term “aspirational conservatism,” rejecting what they argue are the false choices of culture-war populism and nationalism. Yet, the paper also warns against a return to what Goldsmith and Streeter dismiss as “conservatism-light,” with its anti-government as opposed to reform minded focus.
Rather, the paper call for elevating what they identify as a long running strain of conservative thought present in American politics, which has consistently argued for the central role of aspiration, opportunity, and personal responsibility in upward mobility. “Its followers display a strong preference for locally devolved problem solving, a safety net that incentivizes skill development and employment, and a commitment to removing barriers that disadvantage those with little financial and social capital,” Goldsmith and Streeter write.
The authors make the case that an overemphasis on blunt tax cuts and unfocused regulatory changes has done little to improve the individual happiness of most Americans. They lay out a vision of aspirational conservativism that believes upward mobility stems not only from a dynamic economy but also from educational environments that drive success, strong families and neighborhoods, workplaces that reward conscientiousness and achievement, and values-shaping institutions such as congregations and private charities.
“We argue here for conservative governance that is respectful of its citizens, supportive of America’s underlying values, mindful that significant challenges remain, and aware that good politics and good policy require an effective government that helps individuals achieve their aspirations.”
The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, a research center at Harvard Kennedy School is Harvard’s hub for the study, discussion, and analysis of democracy. The Ash Center’s mission is to develop ideas and foster practices for equal and inclusive, multi-racial and multi-ethnic democracy and self-government.
Policy Brief
The 2024 election saw Donald Trump make significant gains among young voters, increasing his support among 18- to 29-year-olds by 10 percentage points. This report aims to investigate the deeper issues at stake that are causing this historical shift.
Commentary
In its first 100 days, the Trump administration has taken sweeping, aggressive action against federal employees, impacting hundreds of thousands of workers and sending ripple effects across the country. Still, unions have stood strong, with the AFL-CIO, AFT, AFSCME, SEIU, and others filing over a dozen lawsuits to protect workers’ rights.
Commentary
Despite these unprecedented investments in mobilizing voters, overall trust in electoral health, democratic institutions, voter satisfaction, and electoral engagement have significantly declined. What might we be missing? Bruce Schneier and Hillary Lehr explore ways to enhance the voter experience in elections.
Policy Brief
In this paper, Mary W. Graham, co-director of the Center’s Transparency Policy Project, examines how unintended information inequities undermine critical health and safety alerts. Focusing on three key policies — wildfire alerts, drinking water reports, and auto safety recalls — she identifies common roots of these disparities and highlights efforts by policymakers to address them.
Commentary
Despite these unprecedented investments in mobilizing voters, overall trust in electoral health, democratic institutions, voter satisfaction, and electoral engagement have significantly declined. What might we be missing? Bruce Schneier and Hillary Lehr explore ways to enhance the voter experience in elections.
Feature
In their latest article for The Conversation, Justin de Benedictis-Kessner and Christopher Warshaw explain that there’s no empirical evidence linking crime trends to leadership by either political party.