This past year saw a host of global challenges converging across societies and governments, with each navigating an environment of profound technological change. In the geopolitical domain, we continued to witness a return to great-power competition; to confront it requires knowledge of how we got here as well as a deep understanding of the technological advancements that make the current conflicts like nothing we have seen before.
The scholars of the Hoover Institution are rising to meet this crucial moment, serving as a trusted source of high-caliber research for policy leaders and the public. Staying true to our founder Herbert Hoover’s mission of advancing freedom, the fellowship’s research aims to strengthen our democratic institutions, enhance our competitiveness, and bolster our national security. Over the past four years, we have brought into the Hoover fellowship fifteen new senior fellows who are among the world’s leading scholars in the fields of economics, history, political science, law, and climate science. These appointments are driving meaningful growth and momentum across the Institution.
Given Hoover’s home at Stanford University and in Silicon Valley, our scholars bring unparalleled insights and influence to questions around technological change and its policy implications. To navigate this complex landscape, Hoover, in partnership with Stanford’s School of Engineering, launched the Stanford Emerging Technology Review in fall 2023, bringing insights to policymakers and other key audiences on how frontier technologies are having a revolutionary impact on our societies, politics, and economies.
Domestically, we have observed a noticeable decline in trust and confidence in public institutions over recent decades. To address this decline, the Hoover Institution launched the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI). Early projects of RAI in civics education, election integrity, and congressional reform are advancing solutions and impacting policy debates.
At the February meeting of the Hoover Board of Overseers, we dedicated the new George P. Shultz Building on Hoover’s campus. The new building houses offices for Hoover fellows, conference spaces, and a state-of-the-art digitization studio that will enable greater access to Hoover Institution Library & Archives materials. Most importantly, the space honors the legacy of George Shultz as a great convener of interdisciplinary groups of scholars, policy practitioners, and thought leaders to generate solutions for America’s biggest challenges, an approach that is needed more today than ever.
Through your generous support and the tireless work of our fellowship, the Hoover Institution continues to serve as a trusted source for all who have a stake in advancing freedom.