People often ask us whether the Institute is conservative, libertarian, or whether we fall under some other political label. Labels can sometimes provide helpful shorthand to make it easier for strangers to become better acquainted, but they also can be inaccurate or miss the bigger picture.

The Illinois Policy Institute is dedicated to promoting the principles of liberty in all levels of government. While the word liberty can be interpreted in many ways and applied to many different arenas we focus specifically on economic liberty and free market principles.

Policy truly does change lives.  Scholars have repeatedly documented that free societies with free markets allow people to flourish and prosper, producing more dynamic economies, greater political liberty, and better health and living standards for all citizens and particularly the poor and disadvantaged. We aim to promote those benefits in Illinois and beyond.

Our society often faces problems that require effective, sustainable solutions. Unfortunately, political discourse is currently dominated by a government-centric paradigm, which features the government as the number one problem-solver in society. Government solutions, however well-intentioned, have a long track record of failure in many areas. Sometimes these "solutions" exacerbate the problem or create new problems for people along the way and some also actively take away people's liberty and opportunities in the process.

The Illinois Policy Institute is working to promote liberty-based public policy in our state which, in turn, will generate better opportunities for all Illinois citizens. Whether it is improving our health care, expanding educational opportunities, discovering better transportation systems, or finding more effective tax and spending proposals, our research and educational efforts are dedicated to discovering effective, sustainable solutions for Illinois.

We invite you to join with us for better, liberty-based public policy and better opportunities for all citizens across the state.  To learn more about how you can help in Illinois and around the country, click here.