14 Facts about US Investments in Infrastructure and R&D
Bipartisan support in Congress is emerging for new strategic investments in science and technology, in addition to a trillion-dollar infrastructure deal. These proposals reflect an emerging consensus that large-scale government investments are necessary to support the US economy’s transition to sustainable energy sources, address underlying sources of domestic inequality, and promote American economic competitiveness. In ...
Internet Access and its Implications for Productivity, Inequality, and Resilience
The past year has brought an unprecedented change in the way Americans work, with millions of workers working from home and connecting to colleagues and clients virtually. In an AESG report titled “Internet Access and its Implications for Productivity, Inequality, and Resilience,” economists Jose Maria Barrero (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México), Nicholas Bloom (Stanford University), ...
Will the climate incentives in the IRA be enough to meaningfully reduce emissions?
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”) represents Congress’ most substantial attempt to date to lessen American reliance on fossil fuels and to transition the country’s power supply toward zero-emission sources. Per the Joint Committee on Taxation’s estimate, the Act commits approximately $369 billion toward measures aimed at improving energy security and mitigating the ...
Seven Recent Developments in US Science Funding
Over the past century, scientific research and development (R&D) has fueled US economic and military might and propelled the country’s status as a global superpower. These investments have helped to launch not only the technologies that define modern life, including the internet, mobile and personal computing, and artificial intelligence, but also the healthcare advances that ...
COP27 and Climate Inequality
Much of the conversation at COP27 has focused on economic compensation and assistance for developing countries who will likely bear the greatest damages from climate change but contribute little to overall global emissions. If carbon emissions are left unaddressed, the climate crisis will not only become more costly to global health and the global economy, ...
Aspen Economic Strategy Group Welcomes New Members
Aspen Economic Strategy Group Welcomes New Members Leading policymakers, business executives, and academics join bipartisan group dedicated to promoting evidence-based solutions to America’s economic challenges. WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 12, 2025 – The Aspen Economic Strategy Group (AESG) today announced that eleven new members have joined the bipartisan group of distinguished leaders and thinkers who are ...
An Energy Strategy for National Renewal
After two decades of relatively constant energy consumption, the nation faces a surge in power demand driven by artificial intelligence, domestic manufacturing, and continued electrification, developments that challenge an already-constrained electricity grid. In this way, the United States’ energy strategy must effectively bridge economic policy and geopolitical power while serving as a calibrated response to ...
State Capacity for Building Infrastructure
This paper, by Zachary Liscow, examines state capacity for infrastructure construction in the United States. It identifies three elements of state capacity that drive up costs and slow down timelines: insufficient personnel, onerous procedures, and a lack of adequate tools. Liscow offers specific suggestions about ways to address these challenges and improve US public capacity ...