We are excited to introduce AEI’s newly launched public historical archive. Curated and presented by Karlyn Bowman and Joseph Kosten, this archive makes available online for the first time thousands of documents, including public lectures, magazines, and policy analyses, along with video footage, going back to AEI’s founding.

Environmental, social, and governance investing is threatening to undermine the foundations of modern capitalism by sacrificing the pursuit of the highest returns on investment for social and environmental justice. In a new AEI report, Phil Gramm and Terrence Keeley trace the historical roots of this movement, explain its shortcomings, and make the case that targeted philanthropy and impact investing do far more for environmental and social outcomes.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is trying to turn around the US Postal Service’s ailing finances by transforming it primarily into a package deliverer, away from its traditional emphasis on paper mail. Writing in The Atlantic, Kevin R. Kosar emphasizes that this is the right business decision but that the post office needs more government support to successfully make this transition and survive as an institution.

If Congress continues to rely on continuing resolutions to fund the government in January, the Fiscal Responsibility Act will lower funding levels by 1 percent, leaving the defense budget almost $40 billion below the Biden administration’s request for financial year 2024. In a new working paper, Todd Harrison lays out the various budgetary options Congress has and surveys the serious consequences sequestration would have for defense spending.

As 2023 comes to a close, AEI scholars recommended their favorite books of the year for AEIdeas. The list is expansive, including everything from the latest fiction to proposals for health policy reform to work from our own scholars. The choices reveal the character and taste of some of our most prominent scholars.

AEI This Week will be off next week but will resume on January 6.