Science
Research capacity, evidence standards, public health, energy systems and the governance of consequential discovery.
Explore scienceWSOI Institute
Research for a more capable future.
WSOI Institute is a self-funded, nonpartisan think tank examining how science, technology and political institutions can deliver measurable public value.
Evidence before ideology.
We distinguish what the record establishes, what remains uncertain, and which policy choices follow from explicit goals and tradeoffs.
Research areas
Three systems shaping public life
We study institutions at the point where technical capacity, public authority and real-world consequences meet.
Technology
Artificial intelligence, infrastructure, cybersecurity and the rules that turn innovation into accountable public capability.
Explore technologyPolitics
Institutional design, public administration, democratic accountability and policies measured by outcomes rather than slogans.
Explore politicsFeatured paper
Current research
When Open Standards Meet State-Scale Influence
AI systems increasingly mediate political and historical knowledge. This paper examines how open standards for machine-readable evidence can improve information integrity—and how similar techniques can be repurposed to manufacture the appearance of consensus.
Research library
Latest publications
The Grid Is the Bottleneck: A Practical U.S. Agenda for Transmission, Interconnection, and Local Resilience
Electricity demand is accelerating while generation and storage projects wait behind slow interconnection studies and fragmented transmission planning. A practical response must connect regional planning, queue reform, interregional capacity and…
Buying AI for the Public: A Federal Procurement Standard for High-Impact Systems
Federal AI contracts should define evidence, testing, human authority, logging, incident response and exit rights before an automated system can shape consequential public decisions.
Our standard
Analysis readers can audit.
WSOI makes the reasoning visible, not merely the conclusion.
Start with the strongest evidence
Primary records, official data and direct documentation come before narrative convenience.
Separate findings from choices
Facts, inferences, value judgments and recommendations are labeled for what they are.
Design for correction
Sources, dates, limitations and material updates remain visible and reviewable.
Research agenda
Questions next in line
- How should governments report serious AI incidents?
- How can infrastructure move faster without treating public consent as a procedural obstacle?
- What public systems make research, supply chains and technical expertise resilient before the next shock?