STUART BUTLER is Vice-President for Domestic and Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC. He plans and oversees the Foundation's research and publications on all domestic issues. He is an expert on health, welfare and Social Security policy. In his 20 years with Heritage, Butler has been widely recognized for his influence in shaping the policy debate and for his ability to work constructively with individuals of widely differing ideologies and backgrounds. During the Reagan Administration, he was included in the National Journal's list of the 150 individuals outside government who have the greatest influence on decisions in Washington. He has also been profiled in such newspapers as the Washington Post for his work on health and urban issues. According to The New York Times, he "provided the intellectual underpinnings for the [Reagan] administration's efforts to move [government services] into private control..." During the Bush Administration, he helped popularize the idea of "empowerment" and worked to articulate the case for radical change in the nation's welfare and housing policies.

Most recently, Butler has played a prominent role in the debate over health care and Social Security reform, arguing for solutions based on individual choice and market competition. His proposal for tax reform and other measures to achieve affordable universal health insurance coverage has earned praise across the political spectrum. In 1999 he was cited the by the National Journal as one of the "dozen key players" in the debate over how to deal with the uninsured. Butler has authored books and articles on a wide range of issues. A National Health System for America, co-authored with Edmund Haislmaier and published in 1989 by the Heritage Foundation, presented a blueprint for a national health system based on free market principles. Butler received the George Washington Honor Medal for his work on urban policy and the Valley Forge Honor Certificate for his book on privatization. Butler was born in Shrewsbury, England in 1947, and emigrated to the United States in 1975. He became an American citizen in 1995. He received his B.S. from St. Andrews University in Scotland in 1968, a master's degree in economics in 1971, and a Ph.D. in American economic history in 1978. He is married with two daughters and resides in Washington, DC.