Past Grants

David Figlio, Cassandra Hart, and Krzysztof Karbownik will examine whether competition created through charter school expansion can lead to improved performance by traditional public schools. Using student-level data in Florida during a period of charter school expansion, they will measure the effects of these changes on outcomes such as grades, test scores, and graduation rates. The project’s findings will appear in a series of papers and briefings for policy officials.

Adrian Karatnycky will research and write a book examining developments in Ukraine from the Orange Revolution of 2005 to the war now being waged over the country’s future.

Shruti Rajagopalan will research and write a book exploring how India’s laws governing property rights and land use hinder the growth trajectory of India’s economy. She will research India’s property rights laws and regulations for land, focusing on the weaknesses of the property rights system and the abuse of eminent domain laws.

John Norton Moore and Yoram Dinstein will commission papers on key international law issues related to the use of force and convene authors and experts to critique and refine the papers. The project’s findings will appear in a jointly authored manual setting forth the rules on the use of force, accompanied with commentary.

Umut Özek will examine whether a state policy requiring low-performing middle and high school students to take remedial classes can improve academic performance and raise high school graduation rates. He will analyze twelve years of data on Florida students in order to measure the academic progress of students who scored poorly on state reading and math assessments and were required to enroll in remedial classes in subsequent years. The project’s findings will appear in a report and a series of policy briefs.

Greg Duncan and Katherine Magnuson will assess whether provision of small amounts of unconditional financial resources to families with newborn children improves the children’s developmental outcomes at age three. The team will undertake an experimental evaluation of a program providing annual cash payments of $4,000 to families for three years and measure its effects on their children’s school readiness. The project’s findings will appear in a report and a series of papers.

Thomas Mahnken and Evan Montgomery will research and write a monograph that outlines a framework to evaluate current efforts by the U.S. armed services to develop innovative capabilities and operational concepts adapted to the new era of great power competition. They will undertake research, organize a pair of workshops, and conduct field work.

Margarita Assenova will examine the implications of a prospective land swap agreement between Serbia and Kosovo for the stability of the Balkans and for other territorial disputes in Europe. She will organize three workshops and conduct interviews in Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Albania. The project’s findings will appear in a report.

Jeffrey Kaplow will research and write a book examining lessons from past cases of nuclear proliferation to understand better the incentives for countries to develop nuclear arsenals in the current strategic environment.