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Economic Policy

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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

Will States Take the Wrong Lesson About Unemployment Insurance's Failings?

Mar 18, 2021

By shoring up all state-run Unemployment Insurance programs equally, Congress set a precedent that it will intervene to raise benefits at no cost to state trust funds. From the states' perspective, why hike taxes on businesses to maintain robust unemployment benefits if Congress will step in when the economy goes south?
Commentary

Shared Prosperity: The Crying Need for Inclusive Globalization

Feb 23, 2021

The disaffection of a wide swath of the American population has been linked to the political polarization of the country, as well as its divisive tendencies. While globalization is not the only reason for this disaffection, it is an apt lens through which to view the revolt against elitism, expertise, and changing demographics.

Explore Economic Policy

Commentary

An Economic Blueprint for North Korea

It would be simplistic to think that developing detailed blueprints for economic development in North Korea could on its own cut through decades of conflict and mistrust, triggering political and economic reform. But by expanding the terms of the debate it might move the needle on peace.

Jun 4, 2021
Report

From Hermit Kingdom to Open for Business

When the situation in North Korea becomes conducive to foreign investment and development, what might it take to kick-start the country's economy?

May 25, 2021
Report

How Does Defense Spending Affect Economic Growth?

Prioritizing defense spending over infrastructure investment might undermine economic growth. Given that the size and health of the U.S. economy are ultimately the basis for the nation's military power, policymakers should consider that the economic effects of defense spending have consequences for long-term security.

May 7, 2021
Research Brief

A New Approach to Measuring Income Inequality

A new method for measuring income inequality reveals that, from 1975 to 2018, the only group for which actual income gains exceeded U.S. GDP growth was the group near the 99th percentile of income distribution.

Apr 29, 2021
Multimedia

RAND Remote: Changing Unemployment and the Post-Pandemic Workforce

In this RAND Remote conversation, Kathryn Edwards discusses ways the pandemic is changing how we treat unemployment. She describes options for workforce recovery, including drawing women workers back into the labor force.

Apr 29, 2021
Commentary

The Pandemic Is Completely Changing the Way We Treat Unemployment

Unemployment insurance is the most important fiscal response the United States has during a recession, because it sends timely, targeted, and temporary financial assistance to those directly affected by the downturn. What the CARES Act created—remarkably high benefits for more workers—was a short-term experiment born of necessity, but it could have a lasting influence on public policy.

Feb 1, 2021
Commentary

A Bell That Can't Be Unrung: The CARES Act and Unemployment Insurance

The CARES Act broadcasted to everyone that Unemployment Insurance can do better by workers and employers. Congress can debate the hows of permanent reform, but its actions in 2020 proved the need.

Jan 7, 2021
Commentary

Unemployment Insurance and the Failure to Reform

Unemployment Insurance is the primary U.S. policy tool for sustaining workers during periods of high unemployment. But it has a history of being repeatedly neglected. Federal reform has been stalled for nearly 50 years.

Jan 5, 2021
Multimedia

Unemployment Insurance: Why Does It Vary Across States?

RAND economist Kathryn Edwards discusses the variance of unemployment insurance across states and its effect on how workers are financially supported.

Sep 28, 2020
Commentary

Georgia: From COVID-19 to a Critical Test of Democracy

Georgia has successfully dealt with the COVID-19 outbreak but now must meet the task of conducting free, fair, and transparent parliamentary elections on October 31 and dealing with the economic impacts of the pandemic.

Sep 23, 2020
Multimedia

Tracking the Effects of COVID-19 on Lives and Livelihoods

RAND's Shanthi Nataraj draws on key findings from the RAND American Life Panel to explore how the pandemic is affecting Americans' physical and mental health, their daily lives, and their financial well-being.

Sep 17, 2020
Report

How Does North Korean Leadership Make Decisions?

With talks between the United States and North Korea at a standstill, U.S. policymakers must consider what the regime might do next and know what signs or decisions to look for. Will Kim open the DPRK economy? What if conventional deterrence fails on the Korean Peninsula? And what could lead to the use of nuclear weapons?

Aug 20, 2020
Report

Economic Competition in the 21st Century

One can think of economic competition in two broad ways. The first is competition as an outcome: the ability to boost standards of living through domestic policies. The second is competition as an action, where economic policies also pursue geopolitical goals.

Jul 17, 2020
Multimedia

The Unequal Nature of the Damage from COVID-19

Shanthi Nataraj, senior economist with the RAND Corporation, explains which communities and businesses have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jul 7, 2020
Multimedia

When Should We Stop Social Distancing?

RAND's Jeanne Ringel describes a new decisionmaking tool that models the effect of non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 interventions on health and economic outcomes.

Jun 24, 2020
Commentary

What Elinor Ostrom Teaches Us About Avoiding the 'Tragedy of the Commons' in Delivering the Public Interest in the Post COVID-19 World

The public interest can be an elusive concept, especially when trying to distinguish between shared and individual interests, a problem brought into sharper focus as we try to find the right path to a post COVID-19 world. Governments are seeking to do the best for their societies with limited information. As more data is being acquired, how can public policy achieve common interest?

Jun 22, 2020
Multimedia

The Health and Economic Tradeoffs of Reopening America

In this Call with the Experts podcast, RAND researchers consider the health and economic effects of relaxing social distancing restrictions.

May 1, 2020
Commentary

Supply Chain Disruptions Due to COVID-19 and Social Distancing

There are significant epidemiological and economic risks and uncertainties with physical distancing policies put into effect in the United States to reduce the growth of COVID-19. We have estimated the economy-wide impacts of a set of these policies to provide a sense of their likely economic toll.

Apr 28, 2020

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