The Archbridge Institute is a non-partisan, independent public policy think tank dedicated to lifting barriers to human flourishing. Founded in 2016, Archbridge seeks to inform research, policy, and cultural conversations by building a bridge between cutting-edge data insights and the narratives that drive individuals and society.
Our Mission
Lifting barriers. Lifting lives.
Through rigorous academic research, sound public policy solutions, and fostering a holistic vision of human flourishing, the Archbridge Institute works to empower individuals to achieve better, richer, and fuller lives by identifying and removing the barriers that constrain their potential and encouraging the aspirations and actions that cultivate their capabilities.
OUR WORK
We embrace a holistic vision of human flourishing. Our work focuses on three interconnected themes: the economics, psychology, and culture of flourishing. Each theme supports human flourishing while standing on a multidisciplinary foundation of principles such as freedom, agency, and responsibility. Similarly, barriers in any of these areas can spill over and obstruct progress in reaching one’s full potential.
In the pursuit of human flourishing, people can face both artificial and natural barriers. Artificial barriers are imposed by external factors and can be addressed by public policy, while natural barriers are the internal obstacles that individuals must overcome. At the Archbridge Institute, we seek to uncover both the artificial and natural barriers that stand in people’s way and provide resources to help lift people toward “the good life.” We are inspired by James Truslow Adams’ definition of the American Dream in The Epic of America:
ECONOMICS OF FLOURISHING
The study of how markets, people, organizations, and institutions support the economic foundations of social mobility and human flourishing.
CULTURE OF FLOURISHING
The shared beliefs, practices, norms, and narratives that support the holistic flourishing of individuals, families, communities, and society.
PSYCHOLOGY OF FLOURISHING
The personal characteristics, ideas, goals, and behaviors that support human progress and flourishing.
“that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.… It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”
JOIN OUR MOVEMENT
At the Archbridge Institute, we have become convinced of the need to build what we call a human flourishing movement. Human Flourishing should be at the center of a more unifying, uplifting, progress-oriented, and agency-driven narrative for a better future. We believe better understanding and promoting human flourishing is one of the most important endeavors of our times and could reduce polarization, increase social mobility, inspire a new era of dynamism, and help people discover their talents and reach their full potential, while at the same time push back against a nihilistic, divisive, and anti-freedom cultural movement that undermines flourishing.
This movement is based on a fundamental belief in human potential and hope for the future. It is about creating the individual and cultural conditions for embracing human progress, achievement, and aspiration. The current popular narrative advanced by many academics, media figures, and public intellectuals is a war on achievement and merit, a vision of the world that is pessimistic and focused on victimhood while ignoring agency and meaning.
In contrast, we’re building the scaffolding of a human flourishing movement that can inspire and unify people under the banner of classical liberal ideas. Our theory of change postulates that by engaging on three interrelated fronts of the economics, psychology, and culture of human flourishing, we will be able to provide more robust policy solutions and an alternative unifying and uplifting narrative centered on human flourishing and the American Dream.
By combining high-quality research, actionable public policy solutions, and a holistic approach to human flourishing, the Archbridge Institute is well-positioned to lift barriers to human flourishing and kickstart a human flourishing movement for current and future generations. Please join us in working to lift the barriers to human flourishing by following our work, collaborating on our research, or making a donation.
Gonzalo Schwarz
President and CEO, Archbridge Institute
