Will Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Will Wilkinson is a Canadian American libertarian
writer. Until August 2010, he was a research fellow at the Cato Institute
where he worked on a variety of issues including Social Security
reform and, most notably, the policy implications of happiness
research. He is currently working on a paper on how to think about economic inequality
. Wilkinson was also the managing editor of the Cato Institute's monthly web magazine, Cato Unbound. Previously, he was Academic Coordinator of the Social Change Project and the Global Prosperity Initiative at The Mercatus Center
at George Mason University
, and, before that, he ran the Social Change Workshop for Graduate Students for The Institute for Humane Studies
. His political philosophy is described by The American Conservative
magazine as "Rawlsekian"; that is, a mixture of John Rawls
's principles and Friedrich von Hayek's methods.
, and grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa
. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa
in 1995, received his M.A.
in Philosophy
from the Northern Illinois University
in 1998 and did work toward a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland
.
, Reason, TCS Daily
, National Review
, the FoxNews website, and on The Economist
's Free Exchange economics blog, where he was a regular contributor from 2007 onwards. As of 2010, he is one of the contributors of The Economist's Democracy in America blog under the pseudonym W.W.
Journalist Ryan Blitstein
regards Wilkinson as an expert in the relationship of happiness research to public policy. He has been cited on happiness and public policy in articles in Forbes
, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post
.
Wilkinson appears as a commentator every other week on American Public Media
's widely syndicated radio show Marketplace
. He is also the host of a weekly show, Free Will, on the current affairs diavlog site Bloggingheads TV. The show runs every Sunday and features discussions of new books and ideas with writers and intellectuals.
Wilkinson frequently appears in public forums and debates with leading intellectuals. In November 2007, Wilkinson, teamed with George Mason University economist Tyler Cowen
, was pitted against Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs
and University of Pennsylvania economist Betsey Stevenson in a highly publicized public debate on the economic and politics of happiness sponsored by The Economist
newspaper. Wilkinson has recently appeared with University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein
and Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo
at Cato Institute book forums where he offered critical comments on their recent books.
On June 27, 2008, Wilkinson was cited by David Brooks
as a member of a "group of young and unpredictable rightward-leaning writers" who have "emerged on the scene" in recent years. He calls their emergence a "genuine bright spot" for the conservative movement.
in the United States than less religious people.
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
writer. Until August 2010, he was a research fellow at the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
where he worked on a variety of issues including Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
reform and, most notably, the policy implications of happiness
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
research. He is currently working on a paper on how to think about economic inequality
Economic inequality
Economic inequality comprises all disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income. The term typically refers to inequality among individuals and groups within a society, but can also refer to inequality among countries. The issue of economic inequality is related to the ideas of...
. Wilkinson was also the managing editor of the Cato Institute's monthly web magazine, Cato Unbound. Previously, he was Academic Coordinator of the Social Change Project and the Global Prosperity Initiative at The Mercatus Center
Mercatus Center
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University in the United States is a non-profit market-oriented research, education, and outreach think tank affiliated with the Koch family. It works with policy experts, lobbyists, and government officials to connect academic learning and real-world practice...
at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, and, before that, he ran the Social Change Workshop for Graduate Students for The Institute for Humane Studies
Institute for Humane Studies
The Institute for Humane Studies is a classical liberal non-profit organization whose stated mission is “to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in...
. His political philosophy is described by The American Conservative
The American Conservative
The American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....
magazine as "Rawlsekian"; that is, a mixture of John Rawls
John Rawls
John Bordley Rawls was an American philosopher and a leading figure in moral and political philosophy. He held the James Bryant Conant University Professorship at Harvard University....
's principles and Friedrich von Hayek's methods.
Biography
Wilkinson was born in Independence, MissouriIndependence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
, and grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa
Marshalltown, Iowa
Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,552 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 26,009 population in the 2000 census. -History:...
. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
in 1995, received his M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from the Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
in 1998 and did work toward a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
.
Writing and Commentary
His writing has appeared in SlateSlate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, Reason, TCS Daily
TCS Daily
TCS Daily is an online magazine with commentary and analysis on current news from a free-market perspective.TCS is an initialism that now stands for "Technology, Commerce, Society"; when the Web site was founded in 2000, those three letters stood for its original name, "Tech Central Station." The...
, National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, the FoxNews website, and on The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
's Free Exchange economics blog, where he was a regular contributor from 2007 onwards. As of 2010, he is one of the contributors of The Economist's Democracy in America blog under the pseudonym W.W.
Journalist Ryan Blitstein
Ryan Blitstein
Ryan Blitstein is Executive Director of the Chicago philanthropic organization SCE and a former American journalist...
regards Wilkinson as an expert in the relationship of happiness research to public policy. He has been cited on happiness and public policy in articles in Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
.
Wilkinson appears as a commentator every other week on American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
's widely syndicated radio show Marketplace
Marketplace (radio program)
Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
. He is also the host of a weekly show, Free Will, on the current affairs diavlog site Bloggingheads TV. The show runs every Sunday and features discussions of new books and ideas with writers and intellectuals.
Wilkinson frequently appears in public forums and debates with leading intellectuals. In November 2007, Wilkinson, teamed with George Mason University economist Tyler Cowen
Tyler Cowen
Tyler Cowen is an American economist, academic, and writer. He occupies the Holbert C. Harris Chair of economics as a professor at George Mason University and is co-author, with Alex Tabarrok, of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution...
, was pitted against Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs
Jeffrey Sachs
Jeffrey David Sachs is an American economist and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. One of the youngest economics professors in the history of Harvard University, Sachs became known for his role as an adviser to Eastern European and developing country governments in the...
and University of Pennsylvania economist Betsey Stevenson in a highly publicized public debate on the economic and politics of happiness sponsored by The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
newspaper. Wilkinson has recently appeared with University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein
Cass Sunstein
Cass R. Sunstein is an American legal scholar, particularly in the fields of constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and law and behavioral economics, who currently is the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration...
and Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo
Philip Zimbardo
Philip George Zimbardo is an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He is president of the Heroic Imagination Project...
at Cato Institute book forums where he offered critical comments on their recent books.
On June 27, 2008, Wilkinson was cited by David Brooks
David Brooks (journalist)
David Brooks is a Canadian-born political and cultural commentator who considers himself a moderate and writes for the New York Times...
as a member of a "group of young and unpredictable rightward-leaning writers" who have "emerged on the scene" in recent years. He calls their emergence a "genuine bright spot" for the conservative movement.
Personal life
Wilkinson is an atheist. He has stated that he does not "like religion very much" in general and believes that less religious cultures or groups of people become better off. However, he has acknowledged that more religious people may be more likely to favor libertarianismLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
in the United States than less religious people.
External links
- Cato Unbound, Cato's Online Monthly Magazine
- The Fly Bottle, Wilkinson's personal weblog
- Happiness & Public Policy, Wilkinson's blog on the political implications of happiness research
- Wilkinson's biography at his blog
- Cato bio, Wilkinson's official Cato Institute page
- Wilkinson video interviews and conversations at Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...