The Hern Policy Institute: Our Research Focus

The Hern Policy Institute (HPI) was founded to seek freedom-based solutions to halt cycles of poverty and foster generational prosperity within society. To achieve this purpose, HPI is directing its research and resources toward some of the largest factors impacting the fiscal and physical well-being of Americans today: education, healthcare, and economic policies.

This article will discuss our research focus and strategy for advancing the benefits of economic liberty within our families and communities.

Limited Focus for Unlimited Possibilities

Our country has no shortage of research institutions. According to one report from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the number of think tanks in the United States doubled from 1980 to 2020, growing to more than 2,200 institutions at the end of those four decades.

There is no denying that our nation leads the globe in studying ideas through traditional think tank institutions. Our country is blessed to have many of the most talented and intelligent researchers in the world, who are producing value for society every single day. However, despite the many large institutions that exist and the billions of donations that they collectively absorb to discuss ideas, lasting progress on some of the most impactful issues for real Americans has not materialized. For this reason, HPI was founded to execute a different strategy.

Our mission is ambitious. Our approach is concentrated.

HPI will not be everything to everyone. There is an important role for large institutions that research an enormous portfolio of issues and that workshop ideas at infancy, before directly advancing policies all the way through the process. While there is a place for that role in our system, that will not be the role of HPI.

Our work will focus on developing a deep understanding of issues, crafting practical and novel ideas, and sharing this research with society. Instead of taking a “do-it-all” approach, our work will be laser-focused on producing economic opportunity within society by researching the most relevant issues impacting Americans, their families, and their

communities.

Understanding Poverty to Unleash Prosperity

To effectively advance economic prosperity within society, you must also understand poverty. Researchers have known a clear-cut path for Americans to avoid poverty for many years. In fact, Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution revived the idea of the “Success Sequence” more than a decade ago.

The prescription provides that if someone does just three things in order, they can almost guarantee not living in poverty:

1. Finish high school.

2. Get a full-time job.

3. Get married before you have children.

This formula is shockingly accurate. According to researchers at The Institute for Family Studies and the American Enterprise Institute, 97 percent of millennials who accomplished those three things in that order avoided poverty when they reached adulthood. Yet, despite this knowledge, the prescription isn’t always followed by Americans and its positive impacts on people’s lives are not always fully realized.

On the one hand, this formula affirms the importance of personal responsibility within society. However, it also reveals the influence of culture on decision making, especially within modern America.

We live in a society ripe with comparison. Unlike previous generations, our decisions are influenced by technology that allows Americans to compare our economic progress with practically any other person on the internet. Thus, it is not unreasonable to expect many of us to focus on adjectives, rather than achievements. For example, it would be easy to

focus on which school a child needs to attend or which job a young person needs to get to avoid poverty, rather than the objective reality that a degree from any school or a paycheck from any full-time job can be helpful in making economic progress.

While this article only provides a limited conversation about a very complex topic, the discussion above provides evidence for a simple truth: understanding the reasoning, perspectives, and decision-making of Americans concerning poverty is just as important as understanding the circumstances that impact their economic well-being. For this reason, HPI will take a multifaceted approach to understanding the prevalence of poverty within our

communities, in an effort to properly craft ideas and policies that alleviate impoverishment and unleash prosperity.

Community-Centered Strategy

Our nation is a union of diverse, competing states that are each comprised of counties, cities, and towns. For this reason, HPI believes that we can only have a strong country if we have strong communities. Sadly, our “laboratories of democracy” – states – have often abrogated their role.

At HPI, we will research ideas from the ground up – real solutions often start at the dinner table, not a state capitol. However, when government reforms are necessary, we believe policies should be implemented at the level of government that is closest and most responsive to the people. While many institutions talk about returning power to states and communities from Washington, we hope to provide quality research, tested ideas, and well-crafted insights that actually empower individuals and families to expand liberty within their states and communities.

Our Three Primary Issues

We believe some of the greatest issues impacting the economic well-being of Americans today include healthcare, education, and government fiscal policy. For this reason, these issues will be the focus of our research portfolio.

Healthcare

The number one cause of personal bankruptcy in America is healthcare expenses. In fact, one study found that two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans filing for bankruptcy cited medical bills as the primary cause. Yet, an enormous amount of research indicates that American health outcomes our declining dramatically.

Addressing our crisis in healthcare costs and outcomes is one of the most pressing issues for Americans today. HPI will work to advance ideas that prioritize the relationship between physicians and patients, transparent pricing and services, choices within the marketplace, and the overall health of patients.

Education

Despite the enormous amount of literature showing the connection between educational factors, like literacy, and economic achievement, our American education system has undergone enormous challenges in recent years. For example, reading and math scores in the United States have declined, reaching their lowest point in decades. We believe that children in America need a quality education to equip them with the tools necessary to pursue their American Dream.

HPI will study and promote ideas that foster economic opportunity for students, through an education system that competently teaches core subjects, that is managed by local leaders and communities, and that empowers parents with choices.

Economic Policy

Over the last few years, America has witnessed significant domestic migration. Research shows that Americans are fleeing states that overtax, overregulate, and diminish economic opportunity. At HPI, we believe that a society cannot grow and thrive if their economic policies restrict economic freedom.

We will research economic policy to increase opportunity for Americans by identifying reckless government spending, harmful taxes, stifling regulations, and growing bureaucracies that halt the economic advancement of American families.

Using Technology to Advance Freedom

At HPI, we want to focus on building ideas, not building an institution. We will use advanced technology, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other data-analysis platforms, as a resource for knowledge growth and genuine problem solving.

While many institutions use technology, HPI is basing our entire research infrastructure around it.

As a result, we will follow a few guidelines for our work with AI:

1. All publications or media content will be written or produced by humans.

2. Cited primary sources used in publications will come from human authors.

3. All AI-generated responses will be verified and augmented by humans.

By taking this approach, we hope that HPI will empower people with research and innovation through the most efficient and effective manner possible.