Past Grants

Toshi Yoshihara will develop a set of potential competitive strategies vis-à-vis China’s defense strategy and military modernization program. He will research and analyze China’s defense economy and industrial base, develop a model of China’s defense budget and force structure, and create and test a set of possible competitive strategies. The project’s findings will appear in a report.

Julie Chernov Hwang will research and write a book that explores the potential of the spread of Islamist radicalism in Southeast Asia through an empirical assessment of extremist activism in Indonesia and Malaysia. She will conduct field work in Indonesia and Malaysia; collect and analyze primary source materials; and undertake a survey of former and current members of Islamist extremist groups.

Paul Huth will research and write a book that examines the challenges posed by enemy sanctuaries in irregular warfare. He will analyze a dataset on rebel sanctuaries and undertake a series of six case studies to test propositions on the role and impact of sanctuaries on subnational conflict.

Brent Orrell will direct the research and publications program of the New Skills Marketplace Initiative. The effort will seek to understand better how individuals access the kind of training they need for employment, the role of employers in providing such training, and how public programs could be reformed to better prepare individuals for today’s jobs. The project’s findings will appear in a series of reports, papers, and policy briefs.

Douglas Harris will direct the research and publications program of a policy lab assessing the role of market-based reforms in the performance of school districts across the country. The lab will build the National Longitudinal School Choice Database, which will include data on achievement growth for all public and charter schools in the country; parent reviews of public, charter, and private schools; and descriptions of state and local policies. The database will enable Harris and his colleagues to compare the performance of districts across the country and to examine the extent to which districts have created well-functioning markets that allow new schools to open, force the closing of low-performing schools, and provide parents with a variety of school options. The project’s findings will appear in a series of reports, articles, and policy briefs.

S.Frederick Starr and Svante Cornell will undertake and commission researchrelated to Central Asia and the Caucasus. The work will include: a reexamination of the efficacy of U.S. policy toward the region; an exploration of how toencourage regional collaboration; an analysis of Russia’s resurgent ambitions; anassessment of the nature and implications of the “Soviet hangover” that shapesthe region’s culture and politics; and the development of an initiative to help theAfghan government design a transport network to support regional trade andtransit. The project’s findings will appear in a variety of publications, publicevents, and briefings for the policy community.

Heather Conley will lead an effort to examine the potential trajectories of geopolitical competition in the Arctic and to identify the kinds of investments that would enable the United States to shape this contest. She will research current economic and military footprints of the major powers in the Arctic, project how they will evolve under varying assumptions, and develop recommendations for U.S. policy. The project’s findings will appear in a monograph.

C.Holland Taylor and Kyai Haji Yahya Cholil Staquf will convene a team ofMuslim scholars to develop interpretations of Islam that demonstrate itscompatibility with values such as tolerance, pluralism, and accountablegovernment. The project’s findings will appear in two books for audiences in theMuslim world and a monograph for Western audiences.

Tricia Bacon will research and write a book assessing the roles that foreign fighters play in local conflicts. She will examine whether and how insurgent capabilities change in the aftermath of an influx of foreign fighters and undertake interviews in Afghanistan and Somalia to understand better how foreign fighters can shape the outcome of conflicts.

Edmund Phelps will direct the research and publications program of the Center on Capitalism and Society. He and his colleagues will explore questions such as what has caused the decline in innovation in different sectors of the economy and how that decline may have contributed to wage stagnation. The center’s findings will appear in a series of research papers, reports, and policy briefs.