The Economic and Security Commons (also called the Commons Initiative) is the Hoover Institution’s most ambitious multi-year effort in decades, launched in April 2026. Drawing on a phrase favored by the late George P. Shultz, it asks how the United States and other free societies can respond to accelerating geopolitical shifts, rapid technological change, and eroding confidence in democratic institutions. At its core is a framework of voluntary cooperation among free peoples—one that addresses shared problems while reaffirming opportunity, the social contract, and American leadership.
