Institute for Humane Studies Launches Liberalism.org, a New Forum for the Liberal Tradition
New platform brings together scholars, practitioners, and engaged citizens to reason through the open questions of a free society
Arlington, Virginia, March 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARLINGTON, VA — The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) today announced the launch of Liberalism.org, an online magazine dedicated to exploring, advancing, and revitalizing the liberal tradition. The magazine publishes essays and podcasts and hosts conversations that model how thoughtful people navigate the open questions of a free society.
At a moment when the intellectual foundations of open societies face pressure from multiple directions, Liberalism.org creates a shared space for scholars, policy practitioners, public intellectuals and other engaged citizens who are committed to constrained government, open inquiry, and human dignity. Liberalism.org will draw many of its contributors from IHS’s network, the largest community of liberal academics in the world.
“For 65 years, IHS has invested in the scholars and ideas that sustain free societies,” says Emily Chamlee-Wright, President of the Institute for Humane Studies. “Liberalism.org is how that work enters the public square. We are building a home for people who believe that liberal principles are not relics of a previous era but living answers to the challenges we face today.”
The platform is organized around four interlocking dimensions of the liberal project — political, economic, intellectual, and cultural liberalism — each grounded in the equal moral worth of all people. With this as the starting point, the magazine welcomes principled disagreement among its contributors as a feature of a living intellectual tradition and a robust liberal order. Liberalism.org will publish original essays from leading liberal thinkers, podcast conversations, and symposia on questions facing open societies.
“An open society creates a positive feedback loop that actively rewards tolerance, curiosity, mutual respect, and delight in others’ success — the very traits that lead to ethical, happy, and flourishing lives,” says Aaron Ross Powell, Senior Director of Liberalism.org. “The path forward isn’t reactionary nostalgia or angry polemics, but reimagining and actively building a robust liberal future.”
“We understand liberalism to be under threat today, not just in the United States, but globally. Its defense could not be more urgent,” says Jason Kuznicki, Editor in Chief of Liberalism.org. “Liberalism underwrites many of the good things that all Americans, and all people of goodwill, take for granted.”
Liberalism.org is designed to reach beyond IHS’s existing academic network into the broader public conversation. The platform’s founding contributors represent a range of perspectives within the liberal tradition, unified by a commitment to rigorous argument, intellectual humility, and the conviction that free societies are worth defending and improving.
The platform’s 2026 Liberalism Fellows include:
- Radley Balko — Independent journalist and author of Rise of the Warrior Cop. Award-winning civil liberties reporter whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Reason. At Liberalism.org, Balko will write on criminal justice, police accountability, and the institutions that protect individual liberty from state overreach.
- Janet Bufton — Writer, editor, and co-founder of the Institute for Liberal Studies (Ottawa). A contributor to Econlib, The UnPopulist, and Liberal Currents. Bufton will cover intellectual movements on the right, as well as international trade, economic regulation, and the application of liberal ideas to contemporary policy debates.
- Michael C. Munger — Professor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and former chair of Political Science. Author of Tomorrow 3.0 and The Sharing Economy. Munger will write on public choice, market institutions, and how liberal principles navigate collective decision making.
- Sarah Skwire — Senior Program Officer at Liberty Fund. Researcher and writer on the intersection of literature, economics, and liberty, with work in academic journals and outlets including Reason and Newsweek. Skwire will contribute cultural and humanistic perspectives on liberal ideas and their expression in art, literature, and everyday life.
- Ilya Somin — Professor of Law at George Mason University and author of Free to Move and Democracy and Political Ignorance. A regular contributor to The Volokh Conspiracy. Somin will write on the law and ethics of immigration, as well as other topics in constitutional law.
- Matt Zwolinski — Political philosopher at the University of San Diego and co-author of The Individualists (Princeton). Director of USD’s Center for Ethics, Economics, and Public Policy and Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center. Zwolinski will explore the political theory of today’s liberal coalition, universal basic income, and contested questions at the intersection of philosophy, markets, and justice.
Liberalism.org is available now at www.liberalism.org. Readers can subscribe for updates and explore founding content at launch. Press inquiries and partnership requests may be directed to Info@Liberalism.org.
About the Institute for Humane Studies
Founded in 1961, the Institute for Humane Studies is an educational nonprofit that advances human flourishing through freedom. IHS maintains the largest network of classical liberal academics and researchers in the world, with more than 7,000 scholars, professors, and public intellectuals. Through grantmaking, fellowships, and strategic programming, IHS cultivates the talent and intellectual infrastructure that sustains liberal ideas over time. Learn more at theihs.org.
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