Economic policies are the end results of economic planning: the decisions governments make to influence the production, consumption, and sharing of wealth. RAND research has explored economic policies from the local to the international level, including their effects on international trade and foreign relations, their relation to policies focusing on public health and the environment, and their impact on economic growth and recessions.
Commentary
The experience to date strongly suggests that the reactions and behavior of private investors and consumers to stimulus in the U.S. and austerity in the EU critically affected each policy's tarnished record, writes Charles Wolf.
Commentary
Charles Wolf asks: Can the NPO sector contribute to easing the U.S. fiscal imbalance, while helping rather than hindering the dynamic free enterprise system, and retaining societal benefits provided by nonprofits?
Commentary
America's fiscal predicament and the seeming inability of its political system to resolve these matters may be taking a toll on the instruments of U.S. “soft power” and on the country's ability to shape international developments in ways that serve American interests, writes C. Richard Neu.
Research Brief
This study identifies areas that are negatively affecting U.S.-Mexico relations and suggests that the two countries might take a binational approach to improving their long-term partnership.
Journal Article
This Article seeks to broaden the revenue discussion about marijuana legalization with respect to policy goals, types of taxes, and components of revenue.
Blog
At RAND's Politics Aside event, Robert Hormats, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and environment, goes toe to toe with Nobel laureate Edmund Phelps on whether the government should spend on infrastructure to bolster the economy or cut spending.
Commentary
Budget reductions must be applied in ways that pose the least risk to national security. We need to shrink force structure carefully, reduce or delay procurement of some weapons systems, streamline management and cut personnel costs, writes Harold Brown.
Blog
At RAND's Politics Aside event, Reuters Editor-at-Large Sir Harold Evans moderates a discussion on whether the government should slash or boost spending to try to bolster the economy that includes Nobel laureate Edmund Phelps and Undersecretary of State Robert Hormats.
Commentary
The urgency with which the fiscal cliff question must be addressed should not excuse faulty calculations when it comes to the U.S. military's operational and personnel needs, write Tim Bonds and Lauren Skrabala.
Blog
During a discussion with RAND president and CEO Michael Rich at RAND's Politics Aside event, Ret. Gen. Peter Chiarelli says budget cuts could strike the military unevenly, hurting vital programs.
Research Brief
This study identifies areas that are negatively affecting U.S.-Mexico relations and suggests that the two countries might take a binational approach to improving their long-term partnership.
Announcement
Susan Everingham, director of RAND's Pittsburgh office, will be the opening speaker at the inaugural INVESTPennsylvania Equity Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Thursday, Dec. 6.
Commentary
The mixed picture of income inequality around the world reinforces the point that it is more important to know the underlying explanations for inequality across countries and within them, rather than the amount of inequality or changes in it, write Charles Wolf, Jr., and John Godges.
Periodical
Income inequality became the principal concern of the Occupy Wall Street movement and has been a prominent issue throughout the U.S. presidential campaign season. The ongoing debate emphasizes the magnitude of inequality, neglecting why income gaps occur and what, if anything, to do about it.
Report
This binational reference for U.S. and Mexican policymakers presents the interrelated issues of Mexican immigration to the United States and Mexico's economic and social development.
Journal Article
The author reviews Why Nations Fail, by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson.
Report
A preliminary assessment of the impact of the financial crisis on the civil justice system finds that litigation demands on some parts of the system have increased, that funding for state courts may be trending downward, and that there have been disruptions in the legal services economy, in the provision of legal aid, and in the operation and staffing of courts.
Commentary
Publicly funded R&D investment is a coherent policy to support long term economic growth. Our only note of caution is about how far and how fast that growth can be delivered because the evidence we have is out of date and skewed towards the experience of just one country, write Jonathan Grant and Jon Sussex.
Commentary
Failure to consider the potentially adverse effect of government spending on the preexisting level of aggregate demand was and remains a disabling flaw in Keynesian theory—then and now, writes Charles Wolf, Jr.
Report
The authors explore six potential approaches to pricing the use of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wind-tunnel test facilities, and they evaluate each approach against three criteria -- efficiency, fiscal impact, and fairness.
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