National Affairs

National Affairs is a quarterly publication that features essays focused on domestic policy, political economy, societal issues, culture, and political philosophy. Its goal is to encourage Americans to think clearly about public matters and to enhance their ability to engage in self-governance. Housed at the American Enterprise Institute, the journal includes contributions from a wide range of authors, including academics, journalists, policy specialists, and political professionals, each bringing their unique perspectives. While the journal has a consistent viewpoint, it does not adhere to any specific political party. It is rooted in a confident and proud vision of America, believing that our strengths can help us tackle our weaknesses. Key strengths highlighted include our democratic capitalism, our commitment to liberty and equality under the law, and our ties to Western traditions. Each issue presents engaging yet serious essays covering a variety of domestic topics, from economics and healthcare to education and welfare, as well as current legal debates and persistent societal challenges. The journal pays special attention to the fundamental theoretical questions surrounding American self-governance, aiming to challenge conventional wisdom, clarify complex issues, provide actionable proposals, and highlight influential ideas in politics. In this effort, we draw inspiration from The Public Interest, a journal that significantly contributed to public discourse with its clarity and insight for many years. Our hope is to offer similar support to Americans as they navigate the challenges of a new era and to provide a platform for emerging thinkers and writers eager to impact national discussions.

National

English

Journal

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#515685

United States

#178436

Law and Government/Law and Government

#431

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Monthly visitors

Articles

Job Assignment

1 week ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

Findings April 11, 2025 Artificial Intelligence and the Labor MarketMenaka Hampole et al. NBER Working Paper, February 2025Abstract:We leverage recent advances in NLP to construct measures of workers' task exposure to AI and machine learning technologies over the 2010 to 2023 period that vary across firms and time.
Running the Company

2 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

April 10, 2025 Silent Suffering: Using Machine Learning to Measure CEO DepressionSung-Yuan (Mark) Cheng & Nargess GolshanJournal of Accounting Research, May 2025, Pages 689-767Abstract:We introduce a novel measure of CEO depression by applying machine learning models that analyze vocal acoustic features from CEOs' conference call recordings. Our research was preregistered via the Journal of Accounting Research's registration-based editorial process.
Border Flows

2 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

April 09, 2025 US Enforcement Politics and Remittance Dynamics in MexicoMatthew Smoldt, Valerie Mueller & Cameron ThiesJournal of Politics, January 2025, Pages 143-157Abstract:Prior research indicates the enforcement of immigration policy by the host country affects immigrants’ political behavior. Yet, its effect on their economic behavior -- namely, remittances -- remains understudied. To fill this gap, we theorize on remittances’ political determinants in the host country.
Rational

2 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

April 08, 2025 Differences in Learning Across the Lifespan Emerge via Resource-Rational ComputationsRasmus Bruckner et al. Psychological Review, forthcomingAbstract:Learning accurate beliefs about the world is computationally demanding but critical for adaptive behavior across the lifespan.
The Left’s Embrace of Minority Rule

2 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Howe Whitman III |Daniel Wiser |Jon Askonas

Media April 13, 2025 The left in America has long accused the right of advancing minority rule and rejecting the principles of democracy. Though there is some truth to that charge, it applies as much to the left itself as it does to the right. A closer look at housing and infrastructure regulations, public-employee unions, professional licensing, and the governance of higher education suggests that "minoritarianism" pervades our politics.
Preferred Providers

2 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

April 07, 2025 The Rise of Healthcare JobsJoshua Gottlieb et al. NBER Working Paper, March 2025Abstract:Healthcare employment has grown more than twice as fast as the labor force since 1980, overtaking retail trade to become the largest industry by employment in 2009. We document key facts about the rise of healthcare jobs.
Nurture

2 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

April 06, 2025 The Social Division of Care Work Time Over Half a CenturyPilar Gonalons-Pons & Zohra Ansari-ThomasDemography, forthcomingAbstract:This study introduces a demographic framework to analyze the social division of care work time, defined as the sum of paid and unpaid care work time provided to children and adults in a population.
Social Questions

2 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

Findings April 05, 2025 Self-Invitation Hesitation: How and Why People Fail to Ask to Join the Plans of OthersJulian Givi et al. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, forthcomingAbstract:Spending time with others affords numerous benefits. One way a person can spend time with others is through a self-invitation -- asking to join the plans of others.
Electoral Mandate

2 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

April 04, 2025 Who Runs When? Federica IzzoJournal of Politics, forthcomingAbstract:When are good candidates willing to run for office? I analyze a dynamic model of elections in which voters learn about politicians' competence by observing governance outcomes. In each period, the country faces either a crisis or business as usual. A crisis has two key features: it exacerbates the importance of the officeholder's competence and, as a consequence, the informativeness of his performance.
Trending Opportunity

3 weeks ago | nationalaffairs.com | Kevin Lewis

April 03, 2025 Male coaches increase the risk-taking of female teams -- Evidence from the NCAARené Böheim, Christoph Freudenthaler & Mario LacknerLabour Economics, June 2025Abstract:We analyze the effect of the coach’s gender on risk-taking in women’s NCAA basketball teams. Coach’s gender has a sizable and significant effect on the team’s risk-taking, a finding that is robust to an instrumental variable approach.