# Alec Stapp

> Alec Stapp is the co-founder and co-CEO of the Institute for Progress (IFP), a nonpartisan Washington, D.C. think tank he launched in 2022 with Caleb Watney to turn progress studies into concrete policy. He works at the intersection of metascience, high-skilled immigration, biosecurity, and infrastructure permitting, arguing that America's biggest obstacle to progress is not a shortage of ideas but a surplus of veto points. A George Mason economist by training, he became one of the most-followed voices of the abundance movement, translating dense regulatory questions into widely shared arguments for building more.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Co-CEO at Institute for Progress
- **Organizations:** Institute for Progress, Progressive Policy Institute, International Center for Law and Economics, Niskanen Center, Mercatus Center, The Progress Network
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Master's in Economics, George Mason University, Bachelor's degree, University of Arizona
- **Known for:** Co-founded the Institute for Progress (IFP) in 2022, a nonpartisan D.C. think tank focused on scientific, technological, and industrial progress, Helped popularize 'progress studies' and the abundance agenda among policymakers, Work published in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, MIT Technology Review, and Politico

## Career timeline

- **—** — Graduate research fellow at the Mercatus Center
- **—** — Technology policy fellow at the Niskanen Center
- **—** — Research fellow at the International Center for Law and Economics
- **—** — Director of Technology Policy at the Progressive Policy Institute
- **2022** — Co-founded the Institute for Progress with Caleb Watney; became Co-CEO

## Achievements

- Co-founded the Institute for Progress (IFP) in 2022, a nonpartisan D.C. think tank focused on scientific, technological, and industrial progress
- Helped popularize 'progress studies' and the abundance agenda among policymakers
- Work published in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, MIT Technology Review, and Politico
- Cited in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and New York Times
- Co-authored IFP reports on permitting reform, pandemic preparedness, and high-skilled immigration

## Latest updates

- **2024-04** — Highlighted the BLM's NEPA categorical exclusion for geothermal exploration as a major permitting-reform win.
- **2024-06** — Continued leading IFP's research agenda across infrastructure, metascience, immigration, and biosecurity.

## Links

- Website: https://ifp.org/author/alec-stapp/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alec-stapp-20804b45/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/AlecStapp

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alec-stapp
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02