Skip to section navigation
Skip to page content

RAND > Topics >

Economic Policy

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.

Journal Article

Journal Article

In with the Big, Out with the Small: Removing Small-Scale Reservations in India

Our analysis suggests that the removal of small-scale reservations increased overall employment by encouraging the growth of younger, larger establishments—those that are most likely to pay higher wages, create more investment, be more productive, and generate growth in employment.

Aug 8, 2017
Essay

Are America's Overseas Security Commitments Worth It?

A growing debate has called into question U.S. international security commitments and whether their economic value outweighs their costs. Research suggests that the magnitude of the benefits could be substantial.

Jul 7, 2017
Brochure

Brochure

Innovating for Answers: Social and Economic Policy Research at RAND

This publication highlights recent RAND social and economic policy research projects that have produced important new policies, framed issues in new ways, balanced multiple priorities and difficult trade-offs, and prompted meaningful change.

May 31, 2017
News Release

News Release

Unification Could Be Good for North Korea

While Korean unification is a major issue in South Korea, North Korean propaganda suggests that an ROK-led unification would be a disaster for North Korean elites, using this fear to bind elites closer to the regime and make them more hostile and resistant to ideas of unification. Without changing those views of North Korean elites it is difficult to imagine how peaceful unification could be achieved.

Apr 27, 2017
Report

How to Prepare North Korean Elites for Unification

North Korean propaganda suggests that unification led by the South would be a disaster for Northern elites. Unless the elites are convinced otherwise, peaceful unification may be impossible. What could South Korea do to help them feel better about, or at least less resistant to, unification?

Apr 27, 2017
Report

Report

The impact of the National Minimum Wage on employment: A meta-analysis

The report considers the effects of the UK national minimum wage on different labour market sub-groups since 1999. The findings suggest that increases in the national minimum wage had no negative employment effects on the overall UK labour market.

Apr 20, 2017
Commentary

Discount Justice: Fiscal Austerity and State Courts

Budget cuts at the state court level can mean courthouse closures, hiring freezes and layoffs, leading to longer wait times for the public. Educating the public about the role and importance of the state courts is key to preventing more budget cuts in the future.

Apr 18, 2017
Dissertation

Dissertation

Let There Be Light: Green Industrial Policy and Energy Access in India

Explores the competitiveness of India's domestic manufacturing across the supply chain; barriers and enablers to developing a domestic industry; and the cost of industrial policy support.

Feb 27, 2017
Commentary

Trends in Inequality and the World's Eight Richest Men

While Oxfam reports have done a good job of bringing attention to the problem of inequality, they may give the false impression that global inequality has been rising instead of falling. Global inequality has actually been on the decline while inequality within the developed world is increasing.

Feb 10, 2017
Multimedia

Harvard's Martin Feldstein on "Measuring Real Income Growth and Income Distribution"

On January 30, 2017, Pardee RAND welcomed Martin Feldstein, the George F. Baker Professor of Economics at Harvard University, as part of the Charles Wolf, Jr., Endowed Lecture Series.

Jan 30, 2017
Report

Report

Calculating the Gross Regional Product of the Kurdistan Region — Iraq: Arabic translation

Estimates the gross regional product (GRP) of the Kurdistan Region -- Iraq in 2012 (excluding natural resources) and describes efforts to set up a system for data collection and analysis to support future annual GRP calculation.

Dec 21, 2016
News Release

News Release

China Invests Warily in Middle East

China endeavors to protect its expanding interests in the Middle East by not taking sides in conflicts and controversies. The United States should encourage China to become more involved in efforts to improve regional stability while reassuring partners of its own commitment to the region.

Dec 5, 2016
Report

China Invests Warily in the Middle East

China endeavors to protect its expanding interests in the Middle East by not taking sides in conflicts and controversies. The United States should encourage China to get more involved in efforts to improve regional stability while reassuring partners of its own commitment to the region.

Dec 5, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Using the Pareto Distribution to Improve Estimates of Topcoded Earnings

Using Pareto estimation methods with less-censored internal data, we create an enhanced cell-mean series to capture top earnings in the public-use data.

Nov 4, 2016
Report

Report

Calculating the Gross Regional Product of the Kurdistan Region — Iraq: Kurdish translation

Estimates the gross regional product (GRP) of the Kurdistan Region -- Iraq in 2012 (excluding natural resources) and describes efforts to set up a system for data collection and analysis to support future annual GRP calculation.

Oct 21, 2016
Multimedia

Conversation at RAND: U.S. International Economic Strategy

In this Events @ RAND podcast, RAND President and CEO Michael Rich and Howard Shatz, RAND senior economist, discuss the economic policy choices facing the next administration.

Sep 27, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Brexit: What Have We Learned So Far?

On 23 June 2016, the British electorate defied the expectations of political leaders, financial markets and foreign allies by voting to withdraw from the European Union.

Sep 26, 2016
Q&A

Estimating the Impacts of the Trump and Clinton Health Plans

Donald Trump wants to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Hillary Clinton wants to maintain and modify it. How could each proposal impact coverage, out-of-pocket costs, and the deficit?

Sep 23, 2016
News Release

News Release

Cutting U.S. Overseas Security Commitments Could Cost U.S. World Trade Billions

Reducing U.S. overseas security commitments, including troops and security treaties, could lead to greatly reduced trade, with the economic costs estimated to be more than triple any associated savings in U.S. defense spending.

Sep 22, 2016
Research Brief

Research Brief

Economic Benefits of U.S. Overseas Security Commitments Could Far Outweigh Costs

Amid intensifying debate over U.S. funding and resources, RAND researchers find that the economic benefits of U.S. overseas security commitments could far exceed the costs.

Sep 22, 2016

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Next