He is the Executive Director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Prior, Rothschild was director of state projects and a senior fellow with R Street Institute, a policy research organization. He has written articles and reviews that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Reason, Weekly Standard, Roll Call, The Hill, Chicago Policy Review, and Economic Affairs. 

Rothschild has a bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College, a master’s degree from the University of Manchester, and a master’s degree in public policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He is also a strategist and policy analyst.