AESG Insights: The Economics of Falling Birth Rates
THE ECONOMICS OF DECLINING US FERTILITY Recent proposals such as “baby bonuses” and expansions to the Child Tax Credit have cast increased attention on the issue of declining birth rates in the US. The AESG and its director Melissa S. Kearney have repeatedly highlighted the significant social and economic consequences of the country’s falling birth ...
Aligning High-Skilled Immigration Policy with National Strategy
The United States’ innovative edge depends on its ability to draw on the best talent from around the world. However, the laws that govern high-skilled immigration are outdated and misaligned with the needs of today’s economy. Only a small share of green cards, which provide immigrants permanent resident status in the United States, are allocated ...
Introduction: Advancing America’s Prosperity
The United States stands at a pivotal moment in economic policymaking. The Trump administration has profoundly reshaped America’s approach to international economics, adopting a more confrontational stance on trade and retreating from long-standing multilateral agreements. In April 2025, the Trump administration announced tariffs on goods from every US trading partner, ranging from 11 to 50 percent, ...
Current Evidence on Household Financial Well-Being
Despite strong economic conditions, survey data reveal substantial economic worry and discontent among Americans. Pew survey data from 2024 indicated that “strengthening the economy” was Americans’ top policy priority, above “defending against terrorism,” “reducing crime,” and “dealing with immigration” (Pew 2024). A separate Pew survey from that same year found that only 53 percent of ...
Top 12 Charts of 2025 from the AESG
Happy holidays from the Aspen Economic Strategy Group! Thank you for your continued interest and support of our work. As a group devoted to advancing evidence-based economic policy, we appreciate the powerful role that charts play in telling the story of our economy. Enjoy twelve figures that showcase the AESG’s work in 2025! Figure 1: ...
Three Takeaways from the Census Bureau’s New Population Estimates
Last week, the US Census Bureau released new estimates of the US population over the past five years. Overall, the US population rose by 0.5 percent (by 1.8 million) from mid-2024 to mid-2025, a sharp slowdown from the prior 12 months, when the population grew at double that rate at 1.0 percent. Below, I highlight ...
Aspen Economic Strategy Group Welcomes Four New Members
Aspen Economic Strategy Group Welcomes New Members Leading business executives and academics join bipartisan group dedicated to promoting evidence-based solutions to America’s economic challenges. WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 10, 2026 – The Aspen Economic Strategy Group (AESG), co-chaired by former U.S. Secretaries of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr. and Timothy F. Geithner, today announced four ...
Austan D. Goolsbee
AUSTAN GOOLSBEE is president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In this capacity, he serves on the Federal Open Market Committee—the Federal Reserve System’s monetary policymaking body—and leads the Chicago Fed, which conducts research and monitors local economic conditions in support of the formulation of monetary policy, supervises and regulates ...
Greg Ip
GREG IP is chief economics commentator and deputy economics editor for The Wall Street Journal. He writes about domestic and global economic developments and policy in the weekly Capital Account column. From 2008 to January, 2015, he was United States economics editor for The Economist, based in Washington, D.C. Ip has won or shared in ...