Tim Kane

Director, Center for International Trade and Economics

Dr. Kane is one of the Heritage Foundation’s leading scholars on economic policy issues. Recognizing the unique impact of the war against terrorism on the U.S. economy, through his research, he has illuminated the underlying strength of the current economic expansion despite the shock to labor markets. His 2004 papers on the false signals of job losses in Labor Department data changed the course of the "jobless recovery" debate. Dr. Kane has also aggressively challenged the anti-globalization movement, dispelling myths about outsourcing and American decline, and has published groundbreaking research on the deployment of U.S. forces globally.

As an expert on economics, he has provided commentary for CBN, CBS, CNN, CNNfn, C-SPAN, Fox News, National Public Radio, Bloomberg TV and radio, and many other media outlets. His editorials have appeared in newspapers nationwide including USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and the San Diego Union-Tribune.

In 2002, Kane ran for the 53rd Congressional District seat in California, earning endorsements from former Senator Robert Dole, economist Arthur Laffer, Admiral James Stockdale, and Sybil Stockdale.

An accomplished scholar, Dr. Kane was a senior economist at the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress and a professor of economics at Occidental College and San Diego State University. He taught courses in economic growth and development, macroeconomics, entrepreneurial economics, and public finance.

Dr. Kane is also a successful entrepreneur in his own right, having founded multiple software firms in San Diego. His first company was acquired in 1998. The second firm, venture-financed in 1998, was recognized as software startup of the year for San Diego in 1999. Dr. Kane led the financial negotiations for both companies and also managed marketing and Internet technology teams.

Before that, Kane served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, serving two tours of duty in Asia before finishing his career at Andrews Air Force Base. He specialized in human intelligence and combat interrogation, working on classified projects with the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and the Pentagon.

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Kane earned his Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in economics and political science. He was awarded a Ph.D. in economics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), in 2001 after completing thesis research on how technology diffusion affects economic growth in poor countries and the need for a regional technology leader to help foster growth in neighboring nations.

Dr. Kane lives in Virginia with his wife Hiromi and three children.