Stuart Butler
Encyclopedia
Stuart Butler is the Director of the Center for Policy Innovation at The Heritage Foundation
, a conservative
think-tank in Washington, D.C.
He is a health care analyst and commentator, and he has also written extensively about urban policy and welfare, credited with introducing the idea of urban enterprise zone
s to the United States
. Butler is an associate professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute
.
in 1975. He holds bachelor’s degrees in physics
and mathematics
, a master’s degree in economics
and a doctorate
in American economic history from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland
.
in 1979 as a policy analyst specializing in health care and urban issues. After visiting tenements in the South Bronx
and Washington, D.C. to discuss with residents how best to address problems with public housing, Butler published a paper for Heritage that introduced the idea Urban Enterprise Zone
s in the United States. The idea caught the attention of many politicians, including Jack Kemp
and later the Reagan Administration
. By the mid-1990s more than 30 states and the District of Columbia had instituted enterprise zones in depressed urban areas.
During the 1980s, Butler wrote three books for Heritage: Enterprise Zones: Greenlining the Inner Cities (1981), Privatizing Federal Spending (1985), and Out of the Poverty Trap (1987), co-authored with Anna Kondratas. In 1989, Butler also co-authored A National Health System for America with Edmund Haislmaier.
Butler has played a prominent role in the debate over health care reform, arguing for market-based solutions to high numbers of uninsured individuals and high health care costs. Heritage and Butler formulated an alternate proposal to President Bill Clinton’s 1993 plan to overhaul health care. Michael Kinsley
, then editor of The New Republic
, called the Heritage proposal “the simplest, most promising, and in an important way, the most progressive idea for health care reform.” In 1999, The National Journal named Butler as one of 12 "key players" in Washington in the health care debate.
In the fall of 2002, Butler was a fellow for one semester at the Harvard Institute of Politics
. Butler also received the George Washington Honor Medal for his work on urban policy and the Valley Forge Honor Certificate from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
for a book on privatization.
Starting in 2005, Butler was a major participant in the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour
- a group traveling the country to build public support for reforming Medicaid
, Medicare
and Social Security
. Other experts involved in the tour include U.S. Comptroller General
David Walker
and analysts from the Brookings Institution
and the Concord Coalition
. The tour continued up to September 2010.
Butler became director of the Center for Policy Innovation at The Heritage Foundation
in August 2010. He is the co-author of a plan designed to balance the budget within 10 years called Saving the American Dream: Heritage’s Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity, which was released by Heritage in May 2011, one of six plans put forward by research organizations to address the U.S. financial crisis
.
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
, a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
think-tank in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He is a health care analyst and commentator, and he has also written extensively about urban policy and welfare, credited with introducing the idea of urban enterprise zone
Urban Enterprise Zone
In the United States, Urban Enterprise Zones , also known as Enterprise Zones, are intended to encourage development in blighted neighborhoods through tax and regulatory relief to entrepreneurs and investors who launch businesses in the area. UEZs are areas where companies can locate free of...
s to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Butler is an associate professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute
Georgetown Public Policy Institute
Georgetown Public Policy Institute is a leading public policy program affiliated with Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.. GPPI offers master's degrees in public policy and policy management as well as administers several professional certificate programs and boasts five affiliated research...
.
Early life and education
Butler was raised in Shropshire, England and emigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1975. He holds bachelor’s degrees in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, a master’s degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in American economic history from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Career
Butler joined The Heritage FoundationThe Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
in 1979 as a policy analyst specializing in health care and urban issues. After visiting tenements in the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
and Washington, D.C. to discuss with residents how best to address problems with public housing, Butler published a paper for Heritage that introduced the idea Urban Enterprise Zone
Urban Enterprise Zone
In the United States, Urban Enterprise Zones , also known as Enterprise Zones, are intended to encourage development in blighted neighborhoods through tax and regulatory relief to entrepreneurs and investors who launch businesses in the area. UEZs are areas where companies can locate free of...
s in the United States. The idea caught the attention of many politicians, including Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp
Jack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms as a congressman for Western New York's 31st...
and later the Reagan Administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
. By the mid-1990s more than 30 states and the District of Columbia had instituted enterprise zones in depressed urban areas.
During the 1980s, Butler wrote three books for Heritage: Enterprise Zones: Greenlining the Inner Cities (1981), Privatizing Federal Spending (1985), and Out of the Poverty Trap (1987), co-authored with Anna Kondratas. In 1989, Butler also co-authored A National Health System for America with Edmund Haislmaier.
Butler has played a prominent role in the debate over health care reform, arguing for market-based solutions to high numbers of uninsured individuals and high health care costs. Heritage and Butler formulated an alternate proposal to President Bill Clinton’s 1993 plan to overhaul health care. Michael Kinsley
Michael Kinsley
Michael Kinsley is an American political journalist, commentator, television host, and pundit. Primarily active in print media as both a writer and editor, he also became known to television audiences as a co-host on Crossfire...
, then editor of The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, called the Heritage proposal “the simplest, most promising, and in an important way, the most progressive idea for health care reform.” In 1999, The National Journal named Butler as one of 12 "key players" in Washington in the health care debate.
In the fall of 2002, Butler was a fellow for one semester at the Harvard Institute of Politics
Harvard Institute of Politics
Harvard Institute of Politics was created to serve as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy and inspire Harvard students into careers in politics and public service, much as President Kennedy was inspired during his days as a student at Harvard. The IOP also brings together the academic...
. Butler also received the George Washington Honor Medal for his work on urban policy and the Valley Forge Honor Certificate from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is a national, non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization, founded in 1949. The Foundation is located adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, U.S., and sits on ground that was once part of...
for a book on privatization.
Starting in 2005, Butler was a major participant in the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour
Fiscal Wake-Up Tour
The Fiscal Wake Up Tour was a joint public engagement initiative by The Concord Coalition, The Brookings Institution, and The Heritage Foundation. U. S. Comptroller General David M. Walker was an advisor and participated in each of the Tour's public events...
- a group traveling the country to build public support for reforming Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
, Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
and 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...
. Other experts involved in the tour include U.S. Comptroller General
Comptroller General of the United States
The Comptroller General of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office , a legislative branch agency established by Congress in 1921 to ensure the fiscal and managerial accountability of the federal government...
David Walker
David Walker
-Musicians:* Dave Walker , British musician, member of the band Fleetwood Mac* David Walker , American opera singer* David Walker , American singer of Southern Gospel music...
and analysts from the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
and the Concord Coalition
Concord Coalition
The Concord Coalition is a political advocacy group in the United States, formed in 1992. A bipartisan organization, it was founded by former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman, former Secretary of Commerce Peter George Peterson, and the late U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas. The Concord Coalition's advocacy...
. The tour continued up to September 2010.
Butler became director of the Center for Policy Innovation at The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
in August 2010. He is the co-author of a plan designed to balance the budget within 10 years called Saving the American Dream: Heritage’s Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity, which was released by Heritage in May 2011, one of six plans put forward by research organizations to address the U.S. financial crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
.