Author

Writer & Journalist

JONATHAN RAUCH, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, is the author of nine books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer for The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. His latest book, published in 2025 by Yale, is Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy, which argues that Christianity’s failure is making America ungovernable.

Rauch’s other books include The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth (2021); The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50 (2018); Denial: My 25 Years Without a Soul (2013); Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America (2004); Government’s End: Why Washington Stopped Working (2000); Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought (1993). Although much of his writing has been on public policy, he has also written on topics as varied as adultery, agriculture, economics, gay marriage, height discrimination, biological rhythms, number inflation, and animal rights.

His multiple-award-winning column, “Social Studies,” appeared from 1998 to 2010 in National Journal. Among the many other publications for which he has written are The New Republic, The Economist, Reason, Harper’s, Fortune, Reader’s Digest, Time, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, Slate, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Public Interest, National Affairs, The Advocate, The Daily, and others.

In addition to the National Magazine Award, his honors include the 2010 National Headliner Award, one of the industry’s most venerable prizes. In 1996 he was awarded the Premio Napoli alla Stampa Estera for his coverage, in The Economist, of the European Parliament. In 2011 he won the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association prize for excellence in opinion writing. He has also won two second-place prizes (2000 and 2001) in the National Headliner Awards. His articles appear in The Best Magazine Writing 2005 and The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004 and 2007. He has appeared as a guest on many television and radio programs.

Rauch serves on the board of directors of the University of Denver National Academy of Free Expression and Pluralism and the board of directors of Civic Life. He does not like shrimp.