Baxter Lecture

2020: The Tarnishing of the Golden State (Dr. Lee E. Ohanian)

The Tarnishing of the Golden State: How Poorly Designed Policies Killed the California Dream

2020 Baxter Lecturer: Dr. Lee E. Ohanian
Professor of Economics
University of California, Los Angeles
Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution

Abstract: The presentation will discuss changes in the focus of California public policies over time, how those changes have raised the cost of living for Californians and reduced quality of life, and how they disproportionately have affected historically disadvantaged groups.

2022: Rethinking Capitalism and Freedom (Dr. Jennifer Burns)

Rethinking Capitalism and Freedom: Milton Friedman in Retrospect

2022 Baxter Lecturer: Dr. Jennifer Burns
Associate Professor of History, Stanford University
Research Fellow, Hoover Institution

Moderator: Dr. Gabriel Lenz
Professor of Political Science
University of California, Berkeley

Abstract: Drawing on research from her forthcoming biography of Friedman, Stanford historian Jennifer Burns revisits the iconic debate on the legacy of economist Milton Friedman. How did Friedman understand...

2025: Can the Constitution Unify Americans? (Dr. Yuval Levin)

Can the Constitution Unify Americans?

2025 Baxter Lecturer: Dr. Yuval Levin
Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy
Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies
Editor in Chief of National Affairs

Abstract: In a polarized, divided era, many Americans have grown frustrated with a system of government that feels stuck and unresponsive. More and more on both the right and the left have come to blame the Constitution for the resulting discord. But...

2023: What is Conservatism Today? (Matthew Continetti)

What is Conservatism Today?

2023 Baxter Lecturer: Matthew Continetti

Matthew Continetti is a senior fellow and the inaugural Patrick and Charlene Neal Chair in American Prosperity at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where his work is focused on American political thought and history, with a particular focus on the development of the Republican Party and the American conservative movement in the 20th century.

2019: Politics and the Power of Education Reform (Dr. Terry M. Moe)

Politics and the Power of Education Reform: Learning from Katrina

2019 Baxter Lecturer: Terry M. Moe
William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science
Stanford University
Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution

Respondent: Bruce Fuller
Professor of Education and Public Policy
UC Berkeley

Abstract:

HOW HAS KATRINA REVOLUTIONIZED EDUCATION IN NEW ORLEANS?
Hurricane Katrina physically destroyed New Orleans' school buildings; in the process, it also lifted constraints of power....

2018: The Three Worst Ideas in the World (Dr. Jonathan Haidt)

The Three Worst Ideas in the World, and How They Shape American Education

2018 Baxter Lecturer: Dr. Jonathan Haidt
Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership
New York University Stern School of Business

Respondent: Dr. Steven Hayward
Senior Resident Scholar
Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley
Thomas Smith Distinguished Fellow
John M. Ashbrook Center at Ashland University

2016 - Sex, Violence, and Revolution (Greg Lukianoff)

Sex, Violence, and Revolution: Academic Freedom and the Law of Free Speech on Campus

2016 Baxter Lecturer: Greg Lukianoff
Greg Lukianoff is an attorney and the president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). He is the author of Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate and Freedom from Speech, and is co-author of The Atlantic's September 2015 cover story, "The Coddling of the American Mind." His work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington...