RESEARCH AREAS

Economic Policy Studies

Understanding the functioning of free economies--how to preserve them, how to solve the problems that arise in them, and how to capitalize on their strengths--is one of AEI's primary goals. This section of the website is home to AEI research, books, and events focused on the basic facts and underlying trends that define the outlook for the U.S. and global economies.

In the Spotlight

Visiting Scholar
John H. Makin

"Proposals to boost marginal tax rates at a time of elevated budget deficits are a bad idea. Higher rates will only compound the drag on the economy tied to other burdens associated with larger budget deficits. Alternatively, increased congressional pressure on the Federal Reserve to accommodate additional debt finance can be harmful if the result is a rise in anticipated inflation."

--John H. Makin in an AEI Economic Outlook, February 2010

Publications

Research Areas
in Economic Policy Studies

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Recent Publications

Detour Ahead

By Desmond Lachman
The American Interest
Monday, March 1, 2010

The Great Recession of 2008-2009 differs fundamentally from the eleven postwar economic recessions that preceded it.

What Powers for the Federal Reserve?

By Martin Feldstein
Journal of Economic Literature
Monday, March 1, 2010

What powers should belong to the Federal Reserve?

More Stress Is Path Forward for New Bank Rules

By Kevin A. Hassett
Bloomberg.com
Monday, February 8, 2010

Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh's speech sketches a plan for fixing the financial system based on common sense and experience.

Trimming the Fat

By Karlyn Bowman
Forbes.com
Monday, February 8, 2010

Polls suggest Americans prefer personal responsibility to punitive taxes in combating the obesity problem.

» List all Recent Publications

Books

The Battle (forthcoming) How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future

By Arthur C. Brooks
Basic Books
(May 2010)

Free enterprise embodies the values that define us as a nation: individual liberty, equal opportunity, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance. But the recent economic crisis has distorted these values.

Policy and Economic Performance in Divided Korea during the Cold War Era: 1945-91 (forthcoming)

By Nicholas Eberstadt
AEI Press
(February 2010)

The prevailing economic development narrative--that centrally planned economies are doomed to fail against market-oriented alternatives--may require re-examination in light of the experience of the two Koreas during the Cold War.

From Poverty to Prosperity Intangible Assets, Hidden Liabilities and the Lasting Triumph over Scarcity

By Nick Schulz, Arnold Kling
Encounter Books
(November 2009)

Drawing on research from the world's most important economists, this volume tells a big picture story about the huge differences in the standard of living across time and across borders.

» List all Books

Events

UPCOMING EVENTS

Greece on the Skids: Can the Eurozone Survive?

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
02:00 PM - 04:00 PM

Due to current weather conditions, this event has been canceled; it will be rescheduled for a later date.

Canadian versus U.S. Housing Finance: Comparison and Implications

Thursday, February 18, 2010
02:00 PM - 04:00 PM