I’m deeply saddened to learn that Alan Krueger has died. Many will recall his vast contributions to labor economics in the coming days. I had the honor of working for Alan on the Council of Economic Advisers, and he and I spoke about his work on the economics of terrorism. Alan focused his brilliant, analytic mind on society’s most pressing concerns.
Though dated, the two volume Handbook of Defense Economics (edited by Todd Sandler and Keith Hartley) is a good primer that covers a wide range of post-Cold War defense topics. The first volume was published in 1995 and the second is now 10 years old. Perhaps we'll see a third volume soon. I would like to see research on the principal-agent issues inherent in the Defense Iron Triangle, the implementation of contract theory in procurement, and use of market design in personnel policy.
What would you like to see?