Skip to page content

Economics

Featured

Economics is a discipline concerned with the consumption, production, and transfer of wealth by and among individuals (microeconomics) and communities or nations (macroeconomics); subspecialties range from economic development and planning to health economics and international economic relations. RAND's many economists contribute to multidisciplinary research projects by exploring the intersections where economics informs social, military, and governmental policy decisions.

Commentary
The Global Movement Against China's Economic Coercion Is Accelerating
There is much the West can do to push back against Chinese economic pressure, and many reasons to do so. Doing so is a core interest of the United States, which now places itself in competition with China over the shape of the international order.
Jun 9, 2023
Essay
Insomnia: The Multibillion-Dollar Problem Sapping World Productivity
From the doctor's office to the office at work, good sleep is often overlooked as a key part of well-being. We pay for that. Chronic insomnia is associated with an average loss in workplace productivity of 45–54 days, resulting in estimated annual losses in GDP of more than $200 billion.
Sep 8, 2023

Explore Economics

Commentary
America's Pacific Island Summit: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The United States hosted its first Pacific Islands Summit in September. Pacific Island leaders and observers from over a dozen states participated in the event and pledged to jointly tackle various challenges. But this historic summit was hardly an absolute success, and should be put within its proper context.
Nov 7, 2022
Commentary
Russia's Su-35: Are Its Military Aircraft Exports Headed for a Fall?
Squeezed by sanctions and pressed to replace equipment destroyed in Ukraine, Russia's aerospace sector isn't likely to have combat aircraft to sell, even if it wants to. If purchasing countries start to change their minds and invest in drones and other less-expensive precision guided munitions, the market for Russian combat aircraft might start to rapidly decline.
Oct 20, 2022
Journal Article
Advancing a Well-Being Narrative: Expanding How Decision-Makers Think About Progress in Order to Transform Priorities and Actions, and Appendix
We developed a summary of research on well-being narrative testing, which has not yet been pursued in this way in the U.S., along with ideas for experimentation and early action.
Oct 20, 2022
Report
Modeling and Measuring the Effects of Economic Shocks on a Defense Industrial Base
The purpose of this report is to assist Department of Defense decisionmakers called upon to respond to adverse economic shocks by identifying opportunities for improving analysis of shocks and their effects on U.S. defense postures.
Oct 18, 2022
Commentary
Xi Jinping Is Weaker Than You Think
Although Xi wields significant influence over Chinese domestic politics—certainly more than his most recent predecessors—he still needs support from the Party elite. And on that front, some cracks are showing.
Oct 14, 2022
Commentary
American Investment in Mideast to Stay Focused on Larger Economies Amid Ukraine War
China is often viewed as the economic powerhouse in the Middle East, but the United States has extensive trade, investment, and financial links. U.S. economic involvement in the Middle East is likely to stay focused on larger markets in line with economic growth, without dramatic shifts in location or magnitude.
Sep 30, 2022
Report
Health Care Consolidation: What Does the Evidence Say?
Hospital horizontal consolidation is associated with higher prices paid to providers. And there is some evidence of the same for vertical consolidation of hospitals and physician practices. What effect might the No Surprises Act—created to protect consumers from surprise medical bills—have on consolidation trends?
Sep 30, 2022
Report
A New Approach to U.S. Security Policy in the Middle East
U.S. interests in the Middle East and the risks posed to them have evolved in ways that call for a modified set of priorities. The United States should not disengage from the region, but instead protect its interests by relying less on military operations and more on diplomacy and other civilian tools.
Sep 22, 2022
Journal Article
Higher Medicare Spending On Imaging And Lab Services After Primary Care Physician Group Vertical Integration
This study highlights how the growing trend of vertical integration, combined with differences in Medicare payment between hospitals and nonhospital providers, leads to higher Medicare spending.
Sep 20, 2022
Blog
National Security After Roe, Women Veterans, COVID-19's Lasting Effects: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how overturning Roe could affect national security, supporting women veterans, responding to the next pandemic, and more.
Sep 16, 2022
Commentary
Sanctioning Business Leaders in Russia
Western sanctions are ensnaring more Russian business leaders, some of whom say they are unjustly targeted. Can those in the private sector reduce their risks of being designated? Perhaps, if they make difficult choices.
Sep 12, 2022
Dissertation
Three Essays on HIV Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa
Examines the HIV-related health decisions and investments that are made by people living with HIV as well as the institutions that serve them, and it assesses their indirect effects.
Sep 6, 2022
Journal Article
The Gross Developmental Potential (GDP2): A New Approach for Measuring Human Potential and Wellbeing
The Gross Developmental Potential (GDP2) is proposed as a new capabilities-based framework for assessing threats to thriving and understanding progress in achieving lifelong health and wellbeing.
Sep 2, 2022
Report
Economic Benefits of U.S. Alliances and Military Engagement
Decisions about alliances and forward military presence should be based on a range of factors beyond potential economic benefits. But there is evidence that military engagement has historically helped the U.S. economy by promoting international commerce.
Sep 1, 2022
Multimedia
North Korean Sanctions Evasion
The United Nations imposed increasingly restrictive sanctions on North Korea after each of the six nuclear weapons tests that it conducted between 2009 and 2016. In this film, experts discuss the threats posed by North Korean proliferation and the importance of enforcing sanctions.
Aug 15, 2022
Announcement
James P. Smith, Economist and Former Director of RAND's Labor and Population Studies Program, Dies at 79
James P. Smith, an economist and expert on aging who directed the Labor and Population studies program at the RAND Corporation for nearly two decades, shaping a research agenda that focused on domestic labor markets, demographic trends in the United States, and economic development in developing countries, died on August 4. He was 79.
Aug 10, 2022
Commentary
Got a Labor Shortage? Make It Easier to Work
If the United States wants to avoid a long-term worker shortage, it should look to what policy can—but has failed to—fully address. We have a long history using carrots and sticks, but this is a problem we may not be able to cajole or punish our way out of. Finding workers can be as simple as giving more people a chance to work.
Aug 2, 2022
Blog
Gun Storage, the Dangers of Replacement Theory, War in Ukraine: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how Americans store their guns, why
Jul 15, 2022
Journal Article
Improving Diet Quality in U.S. Adults: A 30-Year Health and Economic Impact Microsimulation
Microsimulation (Future Adult Model) predicted 30-year improved diet quality impacts across 12 demographic groups. Diet improvement reduced prevalence of heart disease by 7.6% to 13.8% across groups and reduced healthcare costs by $10B in year 30.
Jul 12, 2022
Journal Article
Diet Quality Improvement and 30-Year Population Health and Economic Outcomes: A Microsimulation Study
Microsimulation (Future Adult Model) predicted 30-year US population changes from improved diet quality. Diet improvement reduced prevalence of diabetes, heart disease and stroke by 11%, 7%, and 10%, and reduced healthcare costs by $144B in year 30.
Jul 12, 2022

Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next

RAND Topic:
Economics

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Jonathan Lamb

Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Jonathan Lamb is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student at Pardee RAND Graduate School. He has a B.Sc. in human-centered design and systems thinking from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and M.Phil in policy analysis from Pardee RAND with a focus in economic and…
Shannon Prier

Quantitative Analyst

Shannon Prier is a quantitative analyst at the RAND Corporation. She is interested in macroeconomics, econometrics, supply chains, logistics, and homeland security. She has worked in diverse topic areas at RAND including chemical security programs, post-disaster price forecasting, extremism in…

Explore Our People »