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American Exceptionalism in a New Era: Rebuilding the Foundation of Freedom and Prosperity (Hoover Institution Press Publication) PDF

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American Exceptionalism in a New Era American Exceptionalism in a New Era Rebuilding the Foundation of Freedom and Prosperity EDITED BY THOMAS W. GILLIGAN H O O V E R I N S T I T U T I O N P R E S S stanford university stanford, california With its eminent scholars and world- renowned library and archives, the Hoover Institution seeks to improve the human condition by advancing ideas that promote economic opportunity and prosperity, while securing and safeguarding peace for America and all mankind. Th e views expressed in its publications are entirely those of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the staff , offi cers, or Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution. www.hoover.org Hoover Institution Press Publication No. 686 Hoover Institution at Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, California 94305- 6003 Copyright © 2017 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher and copyright holders. For permission to reuse material from American Exceptionalism in a New Era: Rebuilding the Foundation of Freedom and Prosperity, ISBN 978- 0- 8179- 2124- 8, please access www.copyright.com or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978- 750- 8400. CCC is a not- for- profi t organization that provides licenses and registration for a variety of uses. Eff orts have been made to locate the original sources, determine the current rights holders, and, if needed, obtain reproduction permissions. On verifi cation of any such claims to rights in the articles reproduced in this book, any required corrections or clarifi cations will be made in subsequent printings/editions. First printing 2017 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Manufactured in the United States of America Th e paper used in this publication meets the minimum Requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48- 1992. O∞ Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. isbn: 978- 0- 8179- 2124- 8 (cloth. : alk. paper) isbn: 978- 0- 8179- 2126- 2 (epub) isbn: 978- 0- 8179- 2127- 9 (mobi) isbn: 978- 0- 8179- 2128- 6 (PDF) contents Foreword by Th omas W. Gilligan vii part one Foundations of American Exceptionalism 1. Is America Still the “Hope of Earth”? 3 Origins and Underpinnings of American Exceptionalism Paul e. Peterson 2. Legal Origins of American Exceptionalism 21 Michael McConnell 3. American Exceptionalism Due Principally to Secure Private Property Rights 31 Gary Libecap 4. Intellectual Property as a Pillar of American Exceptionalism 37 Stephen Haber part two American Exceptionalism and the Economy 5. Th e Exceptional Economy 47 Edward P. Lazear 6. Law and the Regulatory State 57 John Cochrane Contents 7. Whither American Exceptionalism? 71 Niall Ferguson 8. What Makes America Great? Entrepreneurship 89 Lee Ohanian part three American Exceptionalism on the World Stage 9. American Dominance of the International Order 103 Kori Schake 10. Th e Foundations of America’s Exceptional Role in the World 117 Victor Davis Hanson part four The Spirit of American Exceptionalism 11. Herbert Hoover and American Exceptionalism 135 George h. Nash 12. Ronald Reagan and American Exceptionalism 143 Annelise Anderson 13. Th e American Dream Is Alive in the Minds of Young Americans 151 William Damon About the Contributors 163 Index 169 vi foreword Twice a year, the Hoover Institution hosts a retreat for its supporters and benefactors. Th e purpose of these retreats is to showcase the vivid range of intellectual expertise and fl air within the Hoover fellowship. Th e presentations and discussions that comprise these retreats refl ect Hoover’s mission, which is to generate policy ideas that promote pros- perity, peace, and liberty in America and the wider world. Hoover is the home of ideas defi ning a fr ee society; many of these con- cepts are introduced at our semiannual retreats. Th e retreat in the fall of 2016 was organized around the topic of American exceptionalism. To be sure, the meaning and implications of American exceptionalism can elicit spirited debate and controversy, particularly if the concept is understood to imply superiority and preeminence. But at the most ele- mental level, three questions are central to this idea and how it relates to contemporary public policy. First, is America diff erent from other nations in ways that are good or preferable? For example, is the American economy more vibrant or dynamic? Is the pace of innovation or diff usion of new technologies more rapid than in other countries? Is labor mobility greater and eco- nomic opportunity more meaningful to people, particularly the young, in America than in other nations? Is America’s political system more responsive, representative, deliberative, and democratic than those found elsewhere? Are America’s educational institutions and civic cul- ture more conducive to producing a population fi t for democratic self - governance? Many of the essays contained in this volume confi rm that, indeed, America is exceptional in these signifi cant ways. vii Foreword Second, what are the sources of American exceptionalism? How im- portant is America’s unique history—the settling of the New World— to its desirable attributes? Do America’s ethnic diversity and history with immigration play a crucial role in its positive distinctiveness? What part do America’s constitutional and legal systems play in fostering the dynamism of the American political and economic culture? Are its gov- erning policies and organizational principles responsible for its diff eren- tial success among the nations of the world? Several of the essays contained in this volume attempt to pinpoint some of the key causal factors for American exceptionalism. Th ird, and most sensitive, is American exceptionalism in decline? Is America now, more than ever, just like other countries around the world? Is the performance of the American economy—its growth and productivity rates, its pace of technological innovation, and its provision of meaningful economic opportunity for broad swaths of its people— regressing toward the global mean? Is America’s leadership in sustaining the postwar liberal international order—encompassing peace, democ- racy, liberty, and prosperity—being assumed by other nations with decidedly diff erent values and goals? Is America, in fact, in retreat? Th e essays in this volume provide some stimulating, and generally positive, answers to these provocative questions. Discussions of American exceptionalism are central to America’s identity and role in the world and, therefore, essential for the formation of contemporary public policy, both foreign and domestic. Th is Hoover volume contributes to the critical conversation in varied and valuable ways. I am certain that you will enjoy these readings and hope that they will stimulate your thinking about the distinctive nature of the Ameri- can experiment and the productive roles that America can play in the world. Our thanks to the many individuals who assisted with this volume, beginning with the Hoover Institution’s supporters, whose generosity viii Foreword and engagement made the 2016 fall retreat possible and whose contribu- tions underlie the entirety of the institution’s work. We also thank Denise Elson for helping organize the conference program on which this volume is based, as well as Mary Gingell and her team for seamlessly executing that event. For developing the conference proceedings into a cohesive publication, we thank Tunku Varadarajan, Christopher Dauer, and Kyle Palermo, as well as Barbara Arellano and her team at the Hoover Institution Press. —Th omas W. Gilligan ix

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