Table Of ContentAmerican
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
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Hoover Institution Press Publication No. 686
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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
