Name Richard Rahn | Role Economist | |
![]() | ||
Books The End of Money and the Struggle for Financial Privacy Profiles |
Richard w rahn the government s role in a capitalist society ashbrook center march 12 1991
Richard W. Rahn (born January 9, 1942 in Rochester, New York) is an American economist who frequently writes for The Washington Times. He was the Vice President and Chief Economist of the United States Chamber of Commerce during the Reagan Administration and remains a staunch advocate of supply-side economics, small government, and classical liberalism.
Contents
- Richard w rahn the government s role in a capitalist society ashbrook center march 12 1991
- Richard W Rahn receiving the Hayek Lifetime Achievement Award 2018
- Education
- Writing career
- Academic career
- Personal life
- Books
- References

Richard W. Rahn receiving the Hayek Lifetime Achievement Award 2018
Education

A senior fellow of the Cato Institute and the Discovery Institute, Rahn received his M.B.A. from Florida State University, his Ph.D. from Columbia University, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Pepperdine University.
Writing career

In addition to his column in The Washington Times, his articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, National Review, and various international publications. From 2002 to 2008, he served on the Board of Directors of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.
Academic career
In 1996 Rahn proposed the inverted-U-shaped Rahn curve, which indicates an optimal level of government spending (15%–25%) for maximizing economic growth.
Rahn has taught at Florida State, George Mason, George Washington, 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.
Rahn is currently chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth, an organization that assists nations in implementing supply-side or "pro-growth" reforms. According to his profile on the IGEG website he is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, sits on the boards of numerous think-tanks and advocacy groups, and has testified on economic issues before the U.S. Congress over seventy-five times. Rahn is also an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of World Politics.
Personal life
He was formerly married to Peggy Noonan. They divorced in 1990. They have one son, Will, born in 1987.