The Cato Institute has long worked toward solutions for many of the problems addressed within Believe in People. Towering barriers are holding millions of people back, and the institutions that should help everyone rise are not doing the job. Crumbling communities. One‐​size‐​fits‐​all education. Businesses that rig the economy. Public policy that stifles opportunity and emboldens the extremes.

Today’s challenges call for nothing short of a paradigm shift—away from a top‐​down approach that sees people as problems to be managed and toward bottom‐​up solutions that empower people to realize their potential and foster a more inclusive society. Such a shift starts by asking: What would it mean to truly believe in people?