Ethan Kapstein
Professor, Princeton University
Ethan B. Kapstein is the Executive Director of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project at Princeton University and an Adjunct Fellow of the RAND Corporation. In addition to his academic career, Prof. Kapstein is a retired U.S. naval officer and has served as a Principal Administrator at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Kapstein’s research focuses at the intersection of economics and national security, and his most recent book is “Exporting Capitalism: Private Enterprise and U.S. Foreign Policy” (Harvard University Press). His current book project concerns economic relations among military allies. Kapstein is in Paris for the Fall 2025 as a Visiting Scholar at Sciences Po and at the Institute for Higher Defense Studies.
Featured work
Defence innovation and procurement reform: an empirical evaluation of the US Defense Innovation Unit
Reforming European defence procurement to boost military innovation and startups
European defence procurement practices must evolve to embrace innovative startups and small firms, in order to meet modern battlefield needs
All work
Working paper
28 May 2026
Policy Brief
05 March 2026
Reforming European defence procurement to boost military innovation and startups
European defence procurement practices must evolve to embrace innovative startups and small firms, in order to meet modern battlefield needs
Event
12 November 2025
Europe’s dependence on the US defence industrial base: source of transatlantic strength or geopolitical vulnerability?
The future of European defence and dependence on others