Economic Planning

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Be Wary of Proposals for Less Defense Budget Transparency

The Pentagon has asked Congress to end the requirement that it make public an unclassified version of the Future Years Defense Program—the department's budget plans for at least the next five years. Although some information needs to be classified, the value of transparency for public debate and oversight in a democracy outweighs the marginal intelligence gains to U.S. adversaries.

Miranda Priebe @MirandaPriebe

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Defense Budget Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a dramatic toll on the U.S. economy. This could have significant medium-term implications for the U.S. defense budget. The U.S. Department of Defense will need to find efficiencies that are of at least the same magnitude as the recent sequestration.

Daniel Egel, Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz, et al.

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On the Horns of the COVID-19 Dilemma

COVID-19 poses two dire threats to the United States: the potential deaths of many thousands of Americans, and the devastation of the $22 trillion annual economy. Protecting the health of as many people as possible by shutting down ordinary life seems completely justifiable, but that necessarily inflicts damage to the economy. This is truly a dilemma.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein, James Giordano

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Investing in Russia's Future

Russia's economic problems can be traced to sanctions, lack of investment, and lack of reform. The Kremlin has the power to address these problems. Reforms could unlock economic potential and enable Russians to improve their living standards.

William Courtney @courtneywmh

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The Olympic Legacy — What Can Rio Learn?

Rio will spend $14.4 billion on the Olympics. Like other host cities, it hopes to achieve an “Olympic legacy” to ensure that this investment pays dividends after the games and provides long-term economic, social, sporting, and cultural benefits.

Richard Warnes

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Improving DHS Accountability for Acquisitions

While management at the Department of Homeland Security progressed in many areas during the past decade, there is still plenty of room for growth and improvement, especially in the area of acquisition management.

Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis, Jeffrey A. Drezner, et al.

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Tax the Nonprofits

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?

Charles Wolf, Jr.

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U.S. 'Soft Power' Abroad Is Losing Its Punch

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.

C. Richard Neu

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Big Defense Cuts Are Coming, Regardless of the Fiscal Cliff

The prudent approach is to decide on a strategic direction that provides a framework for prioritizing which forces and equipment the United States should preserve and determining which can be trimmed or eliminated with limited risk to security, write Stuart Johnson and Irv Blickstein.

Stuart Johnson, Irv Blickstein

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Economic Battle Royale: Infrastructure Spending vs. Austerity

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.

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Can Austerity Fix the Economy?

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.

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Bad Stats Skew Defense Needs

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.

Timothy M. Bonds, Lauren Skrabala

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Research Funding and Economic Growth

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.

Jonathan Grant, Jon Sussex

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Public Libraries Are Needed Now More Than Ever

What Pittsburgh attraction provides $3 of economic output for every public dollar invested? The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. If you find this factoid unlikely, it is because the research that discovered it received an astounding lack of attention, write Susan Everingham and Sally Sleeper.

Susan M. Sohler Everingham, Sally Sleeper

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It's 2018, and the Economy's Hot...

If the nation is to emerge from a recession in a position of strength, we should chart our course carefully now. The government bailout of the banking sector could yield a substantial payout one day - and now is the time to earmark that money for our knowledge sector, writes Jonathan Grant.

Jonathan Grant