About the AJ Andrews Institute for Global Ideas
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Mission
The AJ Andrews Institute for Global Ideas is dedicated to the independent examination of the ideas, institutions, and social arrangements through which human societies govern themselves. At the centre of this work is the social contract — the shifting, contested, and often fragile agreements through which citizens and institutions negotiate power, trust, and legitimacy. Our work proceeds from the conviction that human societies are flawed but capable of honest self-examination, that the arrangements shaping modern life are neither inevitable nor permanent, and that independent inquiry must answer to no interest but the truth.
Who We Are
The AJ Andrews Institute for Global Ideas is an independent research institute based in Oslo, Norway. We examine the ideas, institutions, and social arrangements through which human societies — flawed, contested, and enduring — attempt to govern themselves.
Our work is international in scope and crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. We are committed to independent analysis, honest methodology, and inquiry that serves no interest but the truth.
Oslo
Oslo is among the world’s leading cities for independent research, international institutions, and public diplomacy. Home to the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and a dense network of independent research bodies, it provides the AJ Andrews Institute with a natural home — a city that takes ideas seriously and has built institutions to examine them honestly.
Alexander James Andrews (1928 – 2013)
The AJ Andrews Institute for Global Ideas is named in honour of Alexander James Andrews — naval radio operator, Korean War veteran, and Deputy Registrar of Flinders University, Adelaide. He was the founder’s grandfather.
He was not a famous man. He served his country as a young man, served his university for the better part of his career, and believed that institutions — properly built and honestly run — were among the most worthwhile things a person could dedicate themselves to.
The crooked timber of humanity produces imperfect institutions. It also produces the people who spend their lives trying to make them better. Alexander James Andrews was one of those people.