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Jack McPherrin

Senior Policy Analyst, Research Fellow

Jack is a Senior Policy Analyst and Research Fellow at The Heartland Institute. His work focuses on institutional governance, constitutional structure, and the conditions necessary for effective and legitimate self-government.

His analysis examines how shifts in institutional authority affect public trust and policymaking, including congressional abdication; the expansion of the administrative state; executive aggrandizement; the normalization of emergency powers; and degradations of federalism. He also explores how extraterritorial regulatory regimes can undermine domestic accountability. Across these areas, his work emphasizes the importance of durable institutional design and the risks posed by concentrated or unaccountable authority.

Jack applies this analytical framework across policy domains including technology, finance, health care, and energy, with a focus on how structural issues manifest in real-world governance challenges.

He produces both long-form policy analysis and concise public-facing writing, and regularly leads research projects from development through publication. His work engages policymakers at the state and federal levels, as well as media and other stakeholders.

His writing has appeared in The Hill, Fox News, RealClearMarkets, and the Washington Examiner, among other outlets. He is also the coauthor of The Next Big Crash, which examines the legal and institutional foundations of the modern financial system and their implications for property rights and investor security.

Jack lives in Chicago and holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Loyola University Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Boston College.