Heidi Peltier

Senior Researcher, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University
Director of Programs, Costs of War

Heidi Peltier has been a contributing author to the Costs of War project since its inception in 2010 and joined the staff in 2019. Peltier is an economist who has written on military-related topics including the employment impacts of military and other public spending; military contracting, or what she calls the “Camo Economy;” and other areas at the intersection of militarism and public finance.  She has also written widely on the employment impacts of a transition to a low-carbon economy, and is the author of the book, Creating a Clean-Energy Economy: How Investments in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Can Create Jobs in a Sustainable Economy. Heidi has been interviewed in print, radio, and podcasts regarding her research on the employment impacts of military spending as well as on her research on the clean energy economy. She has presented her work at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, to various public officials at the state and federal levels in the U.S., and at conferences domestically and abroad. Heidi has served as a consultant with the U.S. Department of Energy, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the International Labor Organization, and various other organizations.

SEE PAPER >
We Get What We Pay For: The Cycle of Military Spending, Industry Power, and Economic Dependence (2024)
War Contract Spending in Afghanistan Since 2001 (2022)
Eight Things You Should Know About Defense Spending and Inflation (2022)
The Growth of the Camo Economy and the Commercialization of the Post-9/11 Wars (2020)
The Cost of Debt-Financed War: Public Debt and Rising Interest for Post-9/11 War Spending (2020)
Cut Military Spending, Fund Green Manufacturing (2019)
War Spending and Lost Opportunities (2019)
Job Opportunity Cost of War (2017)