The mission of the Independent Institute is to boldly advance peaceful, prosperous, and free societies, grounded in a commitment to human worth and dignity. From its start in 1986 as the first garage think tank, Independent has taken on the most important challenges of the day and proposed innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems. The resulting studies are published and widely distributed as books, articles in "The Independent Review," Policy Reports, Working Papers, and other publications. Events sponsored by Independent bring together scholars and policy experts to debate issues and discuss their implications.