Think tank · Policy · K Street N.W., Washington · Est. 2012
R Street Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank focused on advancing free markets and limited, effective government through policy research and outreach. It operates with a “principled pluralism” approach—defending classical liberal principles while creating space for cross-partisan dialogue and coalition-building.
Within technology and innovation, R Street’s work targets regulatory and governance approaches that it argues can “curb regulatory impediments” to innovation while protecting free speech, individual liberty, and economic progress. The institute’s AI work is described as spanning technology policy, cybersecurity, electoral policy, and other issue areas, emphasizing flexible governance rather than an “all-or-nothing” regulatory approach. In practice, R Street’s strategy combines (1) published policy research (policy studies, explainers, and other analysis), (2) public statements and testimony in federal and state policymaking contexts, and (3) convening and engagement activities (including events and issue-focused communications) intended to move policy discussions toward market-oriented solutions.
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Author Table of Contents Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org Kratom policy should not be a referendum on whether kratom is good or bad. It should be a practical effort to reduce harm in a market that already exists
Ending the Cigarette Century: What Sweden, Japan, and New Zealand Reveal About Accelerating the Global End of SmokingAuthor Table of Contents Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org The global tobacco epidemic is not a force of nature. It is a market, sustained by specific regulatory choices and capable of being unmade by others. The
Mental Health and Mental IllnessAuthor Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org MENTAL WELL-BEING Differentiating between “mental health” and “mental illness” has important policy implications. For example, regardless of their overall mental health, a
The R Street Institute’s Election Policy 50Author View the comprehensive scorecard here. Table of Contents Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org Executive Summary American elections are highly decentralized across the 50 states, which results in a wide variet
Impact of Decriminalizing Buprenorphine DiversionAuthor Table of Contents Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org Decriminalizing the possession of diverted buprenorphine has received broad support from people who use substances as well as healthcare providers who tr
The Juvenile Justice Resource Desert: Quantifying Rural-Metro Disparities and Opportunities in FloridaAuthor This research was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and we thank them for their support; however, the findings and conclusions presented in this report are those of the author(s) alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Foundation. Table of Contents
Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration in the United States: Managing Risk and Advancing Cyber Readiness in Critical InfrastructureAuthors Table of Contents Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org PQC migration is not merely a future-proofing exercise—it is a present-day risk-management imperative. Organizations must begin making decisions now abo
AI Writers on Community Notes: An Evaluation of Seven Months of DataAuthors Table of Contents Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org Executive Summary One of the central problems in content moderation policy is how best to correct misinformation at scale. Three major options for doing
How Occupational Licensing Requirements Affect Access to Middle-Skills PathwaysAuthors Table of Contents Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org Introduction In recent years, U.S. lawmakers at both state and federal levels have increased investment in pathways to “middle-skills” jobs. These occup
Two Distinct Tools for Release: Parole vs. ResentencingAuthors Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org When a person is in prison, they rarely—if ever—remain behind bars for every day of their imposed sentence. This is true for many reasons. More often, early release from
R Street published a statement responding to breaking news about House Budget Committee markup of a reconciliation-related package described as “Reconciliation 3.0,” including discussion of debt and budgeting implications.
Statement on the Trump administration’s proposed stake in OpenAIR Street posted a news statement referencing the Trump administration’s proposed stake in OpenAI.
New R Street Study Warns U.S. Critical Infrastructure Is Running Out of Time to Prepare for Quantum ThreatsR Street released a policy study on post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration for critical infrastructure, describing it as a present-day risk management problem and outlining risk-based policymaking priorities.
Statement on executive order to secure the U.S. against advanced cryptographic attacksR Street issued a statement discussing a White House executive order directing federal agencies to migrate high-value systems to post-quantum cryptography by 2030 and describing planned policy study findings.
New R Street Study: AI Note Writers Outperform Humans on X’s Community Notes PlatformR Street released a study evaluating AI-powered X accounts and their performance within X’s Community Notes fact-checking program using publicly available data spanning September 2025 through March 2026.
R Street published content associated with a keynote by Executive Director Erica Schoder at the OTT Conference 2026, titled “The Knowledge In This Room.”