Economic Security and Resilience Initiative
Helping governments and organisations navigate economic security in an era of strategic competition
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The RAND Europe Economic Security and Resilience Initiative (ESRI) helps policymakers, businesses and international partners understand and respond to the economic dimensions of strategic competition. We provide rigorous, evidence-based analysis of the risks and opportunities arising from an increasingly complex global environment, where trade, technology, investments and supply chains have become central to both national security and economic prosperity.
Economic security is no longer a niche policy concern. Competition over critical technologies, supply chains, investment, data and industrial capabilities is reshaping Europe's strategic landscape. Addressing these challenges requires approaches that integrate economics, security and strategy rather than treating them as separate policy domains. Governments and businesses face difficult choices about how to safeguard resilience while maintaining openness, competitiveness and innovation. ESRI was established to help governments and organisations develop that integrated understanding and translate it into effective action
Policy themes
ESRI conducts policy-oriented research and analysis across the full spectrum of economic security issues, including:
- Economic security strategy and governance
- Geoeconomic competition
- Supply chain resilience and critical dependencies
- Industrial policy and technological competitiveness
- Export controls and sanctions
- Investment screening and foreign direct investment
- Economic coercion and strategic vulnerabilities
- Critical infrastructure resilience
- International cooperation on economic security and resilience
Our work combines economic, geopolitical and technological analysis to help clients understand risks, assess policy options and develop effective responses to emerging challenges.
What we do
Recent projects
Research and commentary
Media and podcasts
Our methods
ESRI brings together RAND Europe’s multidisciplinary expertise in defence and security, economics, technology policy, resilience, futures analysis and strategic planning. Drawing on RAND's longstanding tradition of rigorous policy research, we combine quantitative and qualitative methods, stakeholder engagement, scenario analysis, wargaming and foresight to generate actionable insights for decision-makers.
Team spotlights
Connect with us
We are always on the lookout for collaborators and partnership opportunities. Please contact us via this form so we can start a conversation.