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 ...
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 ...
A Proposal for an Enhanced Partially Refundable Child Tax Credit
This proposal was produced in collaboration with The Hamilton Project. The proposal will be presented by Wendy Edelberg at a Hamilton Project event on March 1st and can be viewed here. INTRODUCTION The economic case for expanded income assistance to low-income families with children in this country is exceptionally strong. We have ample evidence showing ...
Why Drug Pricing Reform Is Complicated: A Primer and Policy Guide to Pharmaceutical Prices in the US
Pharmaceutical pricing in the United States is a complicated and opaque process. Confusion over price setting and the method by which new drugs are brought to market can lead to ineffective and even harmful policies that decrease society’s access to innovative new treatments without providing sufficient decreases in spending to justify the cost. At its ...
Why and How to Expand US Immigration
Immigration has long been celebrated as an engine of America’s economic growth and cultural vibrancy, even as the changes it brings often cause concern among the populace. An estimated 13.7 percent of those living in the United States today were born outside its borders, nearly as high as the peak of 14.8 percent in 1890 ...
Aspen Economic Strategy Group Releases New Policy Analysis on Why and How to Expand US Immigration
Immigration helps address the US’ growing demographic challenges posed by declining fertility and aging population and spurs economic growth Contact: Kelly Friendly kellyfriendly@gmail.com Washington, DC — December 6, 2022 — The Aspen Economic Strategy Group (AESG) today released a paper, “Why and How to Expand US Immigration”, by Tara Watson, the David M. Rubenstein Fellow ...
New Insights for Innovation Policy
The US economy has been suffering from weak productivity growth, business dynamism, and competition for the past several decades. The loss of a vibrant economy is even more concerning as the economy faces new challenges such as the transition to green energy that call for novel technological advancements. Reduced technological diffusion in the economy has ...
Will Population Aging Push Us over a Fiscal Cliff?
The share of the US population age 65 and older is rising dramatically. In the year 2000, 12 percent of the population was over age 65; by 2050 that share will be 22 percent. Much of that aging has already occurred: in 2022, just over 17 percent of Americans are retirement age. Population aging is ...