AEI Economics

Developing economic policies rooted in free enterprise that provide a better life for all.

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

Want to stay up to date with thoughtful economic research, policy analysis, and commentary from leading scholars in the marketplace of ideas?

Sign up for The Ledger from @AEIecon for weekly discussions and analysis on the key economic questions shaping our market and society.

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

"While significant healthcare policymaking in Congress has become sporadic and uneven, the executive branch, led by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has filled the void by driving near constant change to key programs," writes AEI's James C. Capretta. Read more about how the executive's role in healthcare policymaking has grown, and what Congress could do to rein in the expansive healthcare administrative state.

https://t.co/KkUK3pk7QG

[American Enterprise Institute @AEI]

AEI senior fellow @ScottGottliebMD joined MS NOW to discuss the growing Cyclospora outbreak, the FDA’s investigation into contaminated lettuce, and what consumers should know.

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

The Highway Trust Fund has run deficits since 2008, and official projections estimate it will be fully depleted by 2028. A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to generate revenue for the HTF by taxing electric vehicles. AEI's @kpomerleau cautions that this tax would not be enough to fully cover the funding shortfall.

Read more: https://t.co/XthtnbDeZ0

[NBER @nberpubs]

Investigating how spousal health shocks impact retirement transitions, from Hyeran Chung, Haena Lee, and @sita.slavov https://t.co/iW35kc6YaX

[Stan Veuger @stanveuger]

My paper on DC’s long recovery from 1968 riots, joint work with Leah Brooks and @thejonrose, is now live at @restatjournal.

We study the aftermath of the 1968 Washington, D.C. civil disturbance to illuminate the mechanisms that drive urban redevelopment in the presence of low demand and racial tension.

Using a within-block identification strategy, we show that destruction caused lots to remain vacant for the next thirty years. Destroyed lots only recently converged with non-destroyed lots in terms of structure value.

The city acted to preclude for-profit land owners from leaving land vacant until demand conditions improved by purchasing nearly half of all properties, and almost all destroyed properties, in damaged neighborhoods.

Despite this and other steps, the city had limited success in speeding up redevelopment.

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

.@JimPethokoukis went on @CNBCMorningCall today to discuss how the Iran War, President Trump’s new tariffs on Canada, and uncertainty around AI regulation are affecting the American economy.

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

AEI senior fellow @ScottGottliebMD joined CNBC to discuss the Cyclospora outbreak linked to bagged lettuce, the FDA’s response, and steps consumers can take to reduce their risk.

Watch the full clip: https://t.co/F7idk83OEC

[Scott Gottlieb, MD 🇺🇸 @ScottGottliebMD]

My segment on @SquawkCNBC on cyclospora in bagged lettuce and FDA’s effort to trace cases to a grower in Mexico and isolate the root cause of the outbreak. Discussed steps consumers can take. FDA’s ongoing oversight should mitigate risks. @AEI

https://t.co/g14J5W93QO

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

.@MichaelRStrain on what consumer behavior amid high gas prices says about economic resilience in the 2020s

Watch the full interview conversation from @wealthion: https://t.co/Mm2uTVR09q

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

Official projections clearly show that the federal government's fiscal trajectory is unsustainable, but they assume many variables that affect spending. In a new working paper, Mark J. Warshawsky presents a model that better reflects how these variables affect federal healthcare spending, one of the largest budget functions. His model forecasts a darker, but more realistic budget outlook than official estimates. 

Read more:

https://t.co/mDphkdkCch

[Michael R. Strain @MichaelRStrain]

Trust in official economic statistics has become an increasingly salient policy issue. In the US, this debate intensified after the August 2025 dismissal of BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer and accompanying public allegations that agency data had been manipulated. This @voxeu @cepr_org article — by @I_Am_NickBloom, @EricaGroshen, Duncan Hobbs, and me — reports our finding that the sudden erosion in confidence in US federal statistics may have reduced US GDP by roughly $20 billion. The comparison with agency budgets is striking. The FY2025 appropriation for the BLS was approximately $704 million.

Link: https://t.co/8N65o1efUJ

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

Over the past decade, a growing number of U.S. states have adopted Automatic-Enrollment IRA policies. How have these policies impacted participants' retirement savings and household balance sheets? To answer this question, Sita Nataraj Slavov and her coauthors assess the impacts of Oregon's auto-IRA program in a new working paper.

Read the full working paper:

https://t.co/TFL0epF2Wk

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

U.S. population growth is at a historic low. In @thedispatch, @StanVeuger explains what that means for the American economy and what policymakers can do to address the consequences: https://t.co/lkuDQbJFGe

[Stan Veuger @stanveuger]

I have a new piece out in @thedispatch on the macro consequences of slower population growth. Read it here:
https://t.co/KR2xSkXL6P

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

Health insurers use formulary tools to determine when they will cover expensive prescription drugs. These tools help insurers control their costs, but they frustrate patients. How often do formulary tools actually prevent patients from accessing medication? In @JAMAnetwork, @ben_ippolito and his coauthors analyzed more than 2 million fill attempts from six payer types to answer this question.

Read more:

https://t.co/aYQx56i6bN

[James Pethokoukis ⏩️⤴️ @JimPethokoukis]

My podcast interview with Sebastian Mallaby, author of 'The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence' @scmallaby
https://t.co/PMwibmHIU3

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

Why should we be optimistic about AI? At the @RonaldReagan Foundation’s 2026 National Economic Forum, @MichaelRStrain shared how the technology might benefit people without a college degree.

[AEI Economics @AEIecon]

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will make his first appearance before Congress tomorrow morning. On @CNBCMorningCall, @JimPethokoukis shares what members of Congress will be most interested in discussing during the highly anticipated hearings.

[Michael R. Strain @MichaelRStrain]

"Donald Trump ups the pressure on US companies in drive to lower prices: Critics fear shift to ‘hyper-populist playbook’ as inflation lingers"

By @mylesmccormick_: https://t.co/8IbtMod3Fm