Beth J. Asch
Overview
Biography
Beth Asch is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation and associate director of the Forces and Resources Policy Center within the RAND National Defense Research Institute. Her areas of study include labor economics and defense manpower. She has led numerous studies on compensation design in the military and in the federal civil service, and on military recruiting and personnel supply to the armed forces. Her most recent work includes the recruitment of minorities, enlistment standards, and military retirement reform. Asch's research has been widely disseminated as reports, briefings, and journal articles among the policy community, the media, and the academic community. She is also a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Asch received her B.A. in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.
Research Focus
Recent Projects
- Recruitment of minorities
- Enlistment standards
- Recruiting resource effectiveness
- Military retirement reform
- Retention of language professionals
Selected Publications
John Warner, James Miller, Beth Asch, "Economics and the All-Volunteer Force," in Better Living Through Economics, John Sigfried (Editor), Boston MA: Harvard University Press, 2009
Beth Asch, James Hosek, John Warner, "New Economics of Defense Manpower in the Post-Cold War Era," in The Handbook of Defense Economics. Volume 2. Chapter 32, Edited by Todd Sandler and Keith Hartley. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2007
Beth J. Asch et al., The Quality of Personnel in the Enlisted Ranks, RAND Corporation (MG-324-OSD), 2006
Beth J. Asch et al., What Factors Affect the Military Enlistment of Hispanic Youth? A Look at Enlistment Qualifications, RAND Corporation (DB-484-OSD), 2005
Beth J. Asch and James R. Hosek, Looking to the Future: What Does Transformation Mean for Military Manpower and Personnel Policy? RAND Corporation (OP-108-OSD), 2004
Beth J. Asch et al., Policy Options for Military Recruiting in the College Market: Results from a National Survey, RAND Corporation (MG-105-OSD), 2004
Robert Klitgaard and Paul C. Light, eds., "The Economic Complexities of Incentive Reforms," RAND
Recent Media Appearances
Interviews: Bloomberg News; CQ Weekly; The Economist; Los Angeles Times; Minnesota Public Radio; The Nation; New York Times
Commentary: Boston Globe
Economics
Biography
Beth Asch is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation and associate director of the Forces and Resources Policy Center within the RAND National Defense Research Institute. Her areas of study include labor economics and defense manpower. She has led numerous studies on compensation design in the military and in the federal civil service, and on military recruiting and personnel supply to the armed forces. Her most recent work includes the recruitment of minorities, enlistment standards, and military retirement reform. Asch's research has been widely disseminated as reports, briefings, and journal articles among the policy community, the media, and the academic community. She is also a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Asch received her B.A. in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.
Recent Projects
- Defense personnel issues
- Compensation
- Incentives
- Labor supply
- Retirement
Selected Publications
John Sigfried, John Warner, James Miller, Beth Asch, "Economics and the All-Volunteer Force," Better Living Through Economics, 2009
Beth Asch, James Hosek, Michael Mattock Christina Panis, Assessing Compensation Reform: Research in Support of the 10th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, RAND Corporation (MG-764-OSD), 2008
Beth Asch, Christopher Buck, Jacob Klerman, Meredith Kleykamp, and David Loughran, Enlistment of Hispanic Youth: Obstacles and Opportunities, RAND Corporation (MG-773-OSD), 2008
Todd Sandler and Keith Hartley, Beth Asch, James Hosek, John Warner, "New Economics of Defense Manpower in the Post-Cold War Era," The Handbook of Defense Economics, 2007

Should Uncle Sam Want You? — Feb 9, 2003