Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
Washington, D.C., USA
The R Street Institute is a center-right think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2012, it describes its mission as engaging in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government, and characterizes itself as a classical liberal organization.
R Street publishes policy research, testifies before legislatures, and builds cross-ideological coalitions on issues including insurance regulation, energy and environmental policy, finance, technology and cybersecurity, criminal justice, and governance. It maintains regional government-affairs staff across several states and operates programs such as the Center for the Seven Seas and a harm-reduction policy initiative covering tobacco, opioids and cannabis regulation. The institute has notably supported a revenue-neutral carbon tax and other market-based climate policies, distinguishing it from many other free-market think tanks.
R Street was founded on June 1, 2012, by Eli Lehrer and several colleagues who resigned from the Heartland Institute's Center on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate after Heartland launched a controversial billboard campaign comparing believers in mainstream climate science to the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. The founding group carried over Heartland's insurance-policy work, including the Green Scissors coalition on environmentally harmful government spending, and added climate policy as an early focus area. The institute takes its name from R Street in Washington, D.C., a residential street the founders selected as a metaphor for policy grounded in everyday concerns rather than partisan politics.
R Street is generally described as a center-right or libertarian-leaning think tank that supports free-market policy but has broken with many conservative organizations on issues such as carbon pricing, criminal-justice reform and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded vote-by-mail access. It has received funding from foundations across the ideological spectrum, including both conservative-aligned donors and funders such as the Energy Foundation that more commonly support left-of-center environmental organizations.
Eli Lehrer, a co-founder of the institute, serves as its President. Erica Schoder, R Street's first hire, serves as Executive Director. Susanna Dokupil chairs the institute's board of directors.
Address
1411 K Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005, USA
Phone
(202) 525-5717
Email
feedback@rstreet.org
Website
https://www.rstreet.org
R Street Institute
1411 K Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005, USA
Phone: (202) 525-5717
Website: rstreet.org
Sources
R Street Institute. About R Street
R Street Institute. Research
R Street Institute. An Interview With Eli Lehrer Of The R Street Institute: Part I
GuideStar. R Street Institute profile