I wrote the preface to a new edition of Edward C. Banfield’s classic book, Government Project. It is a terrific history and assessment of a well-intentioned program to help the poor. Government Project tells the story of an attempt by the US government to remake the lives of some of its citizens by establishing a cooperative farm in Pinal County, Arizona, in 1937. These individuals were among the most desperately poor and disadvantaged in the nation. Casa Grande Valley Farms was… (Read more)


Congress today is falling short. Fewer bills, worse oversight, and more dysfunction. But why? In a new volume of essays, the contributors investigate an underappreciated reason Congress is struggling: it doesn’t have the internal capacity to do what our constitutional system requires of it. Leading scholars chronicle the institutional decline of Congress and the decades-long neglect of its own internal investments in the knowledge and expertise necessary to perform as a first-rate legislature.  (Read more)


Over the past century, the United States has developed a large administrative state within its governance system, one the Founders could never have imagined.

How can the imperatives of day-to-day complex regulatory policy be reconciled with our constitutional system? Can Congress play a meaningful role in regulatory policy? Can the courts strike a balance to improve upon Chevron deference? Adam White, Oren Cass, and Kevin Kosar… (Read more)


You might think moonshine only comes from ramshackle stills hidden away in the Appalachian Mountains, but the fact of the matter is we’ve been improvising spirits all around the world for centuries.

No matter where you go, there is a local bootleg liquor, whether it’s bathtub gin, peatreek, or hjemmebrent. In this book, Kevin R. Kosar tells the colorful and, at times, blinding history of moonshine…(Read more)


Ronald Reagan entered the presidency promising to return K-12 education policy back to states and localities. Ironically, Reagan ended up both expanding and legitimizing the federal role in schooling.

How did this happen? Kevin R. Kosar, author of Failing Grades and the creator of the Federal Education Policy History website, answers this riddle and provides a concise introduction to Reagan’s education record…(Read more)


“‘Whiskey,’ at 144 pages, is the perfect primer for the person who wants to quickly learn the basics.”—Washington Post

Be it bourbon, rye, corn, Irish, or Scotch, whiskey has an infamous and celebrated history from a sometimes lethal, herb-infused concoction to a high-quality, meticulously crafted liquor.

In Whiskey: A Global History, Kevin R. Kosar delivers an informative, concise narrative of the drink’s history, from its obscure medieval origins to…(Read more)


Presidents from both parties, supported by parents, teachers, and civic leaders have tried and generally failed to increase student achievement through federal policy-making. Supposedly path-breaking legislation to “leave no child behind” has hardly made a dent in the problem. What’s going on? Kevin R. Kosar delves into the political maneuvering behind the crafting of federal education standards policy and recounts the shifting framings of the troubles with America’s schools and remedies…(Read more)


Bridging the Gap: Higher Education and Career-Centered Welfare Reform, examines current welfare policy and considers the use of higher education as a tool for moving low-income persons into self-supporting careers. These conference proceedings feature contributions from a variety of stakeholders in the academic, political, not-for-profit, public administration… (read more)