Richard W. Rahn (born January 9, 1942 in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

) is an American

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

, syndicated columnist, and entrepreneur. He is chairman of Improbable Success Productions and the Institute for Global Economic Growth. Rahn writes a syndicated weekly economic column which is published in ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

'', Real Clear Markets and elsewhere. He was the vice president and chief economist of the

United States Chamber of Commerce The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the largest lobbying group in the United States, representing over three million businesses and organizations. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urgin ...

during the

Reagan administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over ...

and remains a staunch advocate of supply-side economics,

small government Libertarian conservatism, also referred to as conservative libertarianism and conservatarianism, is a political and social philosophy that combines conservatism and libertarianism, representing the libertarian wing of conservatism and vice ver ...

, and

classical liberalism Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, econo ...

Education

Rahn received a B.A. from

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

, an M.B.A. from Florida State University, a Ph.D. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

from

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...

Career

In addition to his column in ''

'', his articles have appeared in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', ''

The American Spectator ''The American Spectator'' is a conservative American magazine covering news and politics, edited by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. and published by the non-profit American Spectator Foundation. It was founded in 1967 by Tyrrell, who remains its editor- ...

'', ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...

'', and overseas publications. He is the author of the book ''The End of Money and the Struggle for Financial Privacy'' (1999). As an economic commentator, he has appeared on such programs as ''The Today Show'', ''Good Morning America'', ''Kudlow and Co.'', ''Wall Street Week'', ''

PBS Newshour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the pro ...

'' and ''Crossfire'', and was a weekly commentator for Radio America. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on economic issues more than seventy-five times. In the 1980s, Rahn was the vice president and chief economist of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, executive vice president and board member of the National Chamber Foundation, and was the editor-in-chief of the ''

Journal of Economic Growth The ''Journal of Economic Growth'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in economic growth and dynamic macroeconomics. It was established in 1996 and is published by Springer Science+Business Media.American Council for Capital Formation. In 1990–1991, he served as the U.S. co-chairman of the Bulgarian Economic Growth and Transition Project. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Rahn as a member of the Quadrennial Social Security Advisory Council. In 1988–1989, he was an economic advisor to President George H. W. Bush. In 1990, Rahn founded the Novecon companies, which included Novecon Financial Ltd., Novecopter, and Sterling Semiconductor (now owned by Dow Corning). From 2002 to 2008, he served for two terms as the first non-Caymanian member on the Board of Directors of the

Cayman Islands Monetary Authority The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) is the primary financial services regulator of the Cayman Islands and supervises its currency board. The CIMA manages the Cayman Islands currency, regulates and supervises financial services, provide ...

. Rahn is a member of the

Mont Pelerin Society The Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) is an international organization composed of economists, philosophers, historians, intellectuals and business leaders.Michael Novak, 'The Moral Imperative of a Free Economy', in '' The 4% Solution: Unleashing the E ...

, and is a member of the board of the American Council for Capital Formation and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council and the editorial board of the ''Cayman Financial Review''. He has served as a senior fellow at the

Cato Institute The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch Ind ...

, the Hudson Institute, and the Discovery Institute; as a visiting fellow at the

Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the preside ...

; and as a National Executive Director of the

Ripon Society The Ripon Society is an American centrist Republican public policy organization and think tank based in Washington, D.C. It publishes ''The Ripon Forum'', the U.S.'s longest running Republican thought and opinion journal, as well as ''The Ripon A ...

Academic career

In 1986, Rahn argued there is an optimal level of government spending (15–25%) for maximizing economic growth, a thesis which has become known as the Rahn curve. Rahn has taught at

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, and Rutgers Universities, at the Institute of World Politics, and the Polytechnic University of New York, where he was head of the graduate Department of Management. He also was an instructor for the U.S. Air Force and the Washington economic advisor for the

New York Mercantile Exchange The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is a commodity futures exchange owned and operated by CME Group of Chicago. NYMEX is located at One North End Avenue in Brookfield Place in the Battery Park City section of Manhattan, New York City. T ...

. Rahn is chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth, an organization that assists nations in implementing supply-side or "pro-growth" reforms. According to his biography on the IGEG website, he is a member of the

, sits on the boards of numerous think-tanks and advocacy groups, and has testified on economic issues before the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

over seventy-five times. Rahn is also a former Adjunct Professor at the

Institute of World Politics The Institute of World Politics (IWP) is a private graduate school of national security, intelligence, and international affairs in Washington DC, and Reston, Virginia. Founded in 1990, it offers courses related to intelligence, national sec ...

Personal life

He was formerly married to

Peggy Noonan Margaret Ellen Noonan (born 1950), known as Peggy Noonan, is a weekly columnist for ''The Wall Street Journal'', and contributor to NBC News and ABC News. She was a primary speechwriter and Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan from 1984 t ...

. They have one son, Will, born in 1987. He was formerly married to Joy Moore. They have one daughter, Margie, born in 1963.

Books

* 1999: ''The End of Money and the Struggle for Financial Privacy'' ()

References

External links

*
Richard Rahn at the Washington Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahn, Richard W. 1942 births Living people Economists from New York (state) Florida State University alumni Cato Institute people The Washington Times people Polytechnic Institute of New York University faculty Scientists from Rochester, New York American political writers 21st-century American economists The Institute of World Politics faculty