Aaron Strong

Aaron Strong is a Senior Economist and Professor of Policy Analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy, RAND Corporation. His work integrates environmental and natural resource economics with policy analysis to assess economic resilience, disaster recovery, and sustainability. He applies advanced modeling techniques, including computable general equilibrium models, to evaluate the macroeconomic impacts of disasters, infrastructure policies, and systemic risks.

His research interests include:

• Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
• Disaster and Recovery Economics
• Systemic Risk in Economic Networks
• Cyber Risk and Critical Infrastructure
• Resilience and Sustainability Financing
• Public Policy Impact Analysis

His recent publications demonstrate consistent contributions to understanding economic resilience, flood mitigation, cyber risk, and pandemic policy. His work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world applications, such as supporting Puerto Rico’s recovery planning and modeling the economic toll of social distancing during the pandemic. The research trends reflect a strong focus on policy-relevant economic modeling, systemic interdependencies, and sustainable development.

Notable scientific contributions include:

• Development of the Resilience Dividend Valuation Model
• Framework for estimating future price impacts in disaster recovery
• Analysis of systemic cyber risk using input-output modeling
• Economic evaluation of public cord blood banking
• Cost-benefit analysis of oil and gas regulations

Aaron Strong has advised on macroeconomic policy impacts, including Medicaid expansion, workers’ compensation reform, and climate resilience investments. His research has been supported by federal and state agencies, with applications in homeland security, public safety, and infrastructure planning. He has developed decision support tools for policymakers, particularly in disaster and public health contexts.

He is affiliated with research teams focused on:

• Economic resilience and recovery
• Critical infrastructure security
• Environmental sustainability
• Systemic risk modeling
• Public health economics
• Climate adaptation policy