Think tank · Policy · Washington, D.C. · Est. 2012
R Street Institute (R Street) is a non-profit, nonpartisan public policy research organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It describes its mission in terms of advancing classical liberal principles—supporting free markets and limited, effective government—and fostering evidence-based policy discussions across policy areas where many other groups focus less.
R Street organizes its policy work into major issue areas including criminal justice and civil liberties, cybersecurity and emerging threats, energy and environment, finance and trade, governance, health/behavioral health and harm reduction, insurance, and technology and innovation. In addition to publishing research, analysis, explainers, and policy studies, the organization engages with policymakers through federal and state government affairs and provides public-facing commentary and outreach. Strategically, R Street positions itself as a cross-partisan coalition-builder (“principled pluralism”) rather than a single-ideology movement; it emphasizes relationships, credibility, and dialogue in its policy process. Recent work areas visible on its site include technology governance and innovation policy (including AI and online content policy), cyber and privacy/security policy (including themes like post-quantum migration and data privacy/security priorities), and elections/governance-related policy. R Street is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 26-3477125) and states that it does not accept government funding. Its funding profile (from IRS Form 990-derived aggregations) indicates that it receives multi-year philanthropic grant support from foundations and other grantmakers, with its largest reported funder being the Hewlett Foundation.
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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 The current moment offers a rare opportunity—crime rates are falling, crime data is steadily improving, and public fear is finally beginning to ease. Tog
From Queue to Quality: Using AI to Modernize FDA TobaccoAuthor Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org Introduction The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has a history of taking years to decide tobacco-product applications—decisio
Renewing the House of RepresentativesThis study was originally published by Protect Democracy United and the R Street Institute. How a More Participatory Legislative Process Could Benefit Both Members and Leaders The U.S. House of Representatives has become nearly impossible to lead, deeply frustrating to serve in,
Custody to Community: Expanding MOUD Access Across the Criminal Justice SystemAuthor Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org Reducing the overregulation of MOUD, allowing for more flexible care provisions, developing better data collection and record-sharing systems, and making use of diverse fu
People With an Opioid Use Disorder Need Treatment OptionsAuthors Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org Millions of Americans are living with an opioid use disorder (OUD), and despite recent progress fighting the overdose crisis, tens of thousands still die annually. The ha
Why Treating OUD with Medication is Not Just Replacing One Addiction with AnotherAuthor Media Contact For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: pr@rstreet.org In the United States, untreated opioid use disorder (OUD) contributes to tens of thousands of deaths and costs almost $1 trillion annually. Methadone and buprenorphine are
Beyond the Leaf: A Risk-Based Framework for Kratom, 7Author 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
R Street published a policy statement addressing the debt implications of “Reconciliation 3.0.”
Statement on the Trump administration’s proposed stake in OpenAIR Street published a statement responding to 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 study warning that U.S. critical infrastructure is running out of time to prepare for quantum threats.
Statement on executive order to secure the U.S. against advanced cryptographic attacksR Street published a statement on an executive order intended to secure the U.S. against advanced cryptographic attacks.
New R Street Study: AI Note Writers Outperform Humans on X’s Community Notes PlatformR Street released a study asserting that AI-generated note writing outperforms humans on X’s Community Notes platform.
Erica Schoder’s Keynote at the OTT Conference 2026: The Knowledge In This RoomR Street published an item about Erica Schoder’s keynote at the OTT Conference 2026.