Past Grants

Robert Moffitt will examine why the employment rate for women has declined since 2000 and consider the need for public policy responses. He will assess whether the decline results from changes in the demand for women’s labor; decisions based on family obligations, such as the care of young children; or the generosity of safety net programs, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. The project’s findings will appear in a series of papers.

Diane Levy and Rolf Pendall will explore the extent to which the reform of land use regulations can stimulate economic development by increasing the production of housing units and lowering rental costs. They will build a database of reforms undertaken to liberalize land use regulations across the country and then assess whether those reforms were associated with changes in housing permits issued, housing units constructed, and rental costs. They will also conduct analyses of how some reforms were implemented in order to understand how political obstacles to liberalizing land use rules can be overcome. The project’s findings will appear in a report and a series of policy briefs.

Leon Aron will research and write a book assessing whether Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy choices form a coherent “Putin Doctrine” and considering the implications for U.S. policymakers. He will conduct research and travel to Eastern Europe to interview scholars, national security experts, and Russian exiles.

Peter Pry will lead an effort to increase the resilience of the electric grid against natural or man-made electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events. He will work with federal policymakers, state legislatures and officials, and leaders of electric utilities and other interested corporations to educate them about the EMP threat and potential solutions. The project’s findings will appear in a report telling the story of efforts to advance national EMP preparedness.

Roger Robinson and Andrew Davenport will examine the extent to which the United States should restrict or regulate the access of Chinese firms to Western capital. They will track the presence of Chinese firms in U.S. debt and equity markets and assess whether those firms engage in activities undermining U.S. interests or violating human rights. The team will engage financial and government leaders to develop options, based on disclosure requirements or other regulations, to prevent malign actors from accessing Western capital markets. The project’s findings will appear in a monograph and a series of briefings.

Gilbert Metcalf will research and write a book on whether a carbon tax can be designed both to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to make the U.S. tax code more supportive of economic growth.

Ilan Goldenberg will explore whether Israel’s military strikes against Iranian targets in Syria offer any lessons for U.S. strategy against Iran. He will undertake research, conduct field work in Israel, and host a workshop with defense policy practitioners in Washington. The project’s findings will appear in a report.

Ben Judah and Nate Sibley will lead an effort to develop a strategy for countering the actions of kleptocrats in authoritarian countries who engage in financial crime and corruption, exploit vulnerabilities in the global financial system, and corrupt actors in the West. They will map the authorities of various U.S. government departments and agencies, collect information on U.S. efforts to date to fight kleptocracy, explore and document the illicit and quasi-licit financial activities of major authoritarian regimes, and reexamine the obligations and burdens U.S. banks and other intermediary agents face in combating kleptocracy. The project’s findings will appear in a monograph and a series of briefings and articles.