For years, conventional wisdom — backed by academic research — has held that authoritarian political behavior is a distinctively right-wing characteristic. In The Atlantic, Sally Satel analyzes a new study that challenges this belief. Without dismissing the seriousness of right-wing authoritarianism, Satel argues that few studies engage with left-wing authoritarianism because of a monolithic academic culture. "This political imbalance makes truth-seeking harder," she concludes, which is bad for both science and American politics.

AEI scholars also question the reigning conventional wisdom in foreign policy. Hal Brands and Michael Beckley challenge the notion that the primary source of friction between China and the United States is "the replacement of one hegemon by another" — that is, China's rise and America's decline. They attribute the tense relations between the two countries instead to a "peaking power trap" and point to historical examples to suggest that China's decline is actually what could cause the trap to spring shut.

In a new report, Benedic N. Ippolito studies the drivers of commercial health care costs and concludes that although the high cost of employer-based insurance reflects inefficiencies, identifying which prices are too high, and by how much, is no easy task. Ippolito outlines a policy that "ensure[s] that employees have at least one lower-cost option available to them and that they accrue any cost savings from choosing it," thereby influencing bargaining dynamics and reducing overall costs.

The United States and members of the European Union met in Pittsburgh this week to discuss a shared approach to digital regulation. Shane Tews and James A. Lewis advise the president and Congress to make sure they don't "lean too heavily on their European counterparts," who have demonstrated "regulatory zeal" that would inhibit the innovation of American tech companies.

M. Anthony Mills addresses a similar situation facing federal science agencies. As the federal government prepares to spend more money on research and development (R&D), he warns that money alone will not cure what ails R&D in the United States: "A growing number of federal rules and regulations . . . hamper research productivity." Mills provides suggestions for how lawmakers can make sure that increased funding doesn't mean excessive regulation.