The independent resource on global security
Dr Nan Tian
Acting Programme Director
Dr Nan Tian
Nan Tian is a Senior Researcher and Acting Programme Director with the Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme at SIPRI. He joined SIPRI in October 2016 and has been responsible for monitoring and managing the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. His research work at SIPRI includes issues related to the trends if global military expenditure, the demand and consequences of military spending and the transparency and budgeting on military-related matters. Nan’s work also involves assessing and analysing trends in the global arms industry. His other research interests include the causes and impact of civil conflict and the inter-links between conflict and military spending. His doctoral thesis is titled 'Military Spending, Conflict and Development' and explores the relationship between military spending, civil conflict and economic development.
Subject expertise
Military expenditure, civil war, economic growth, climate change
Regional expertise
Africa
CONTACT Dr Nan Tian
Languages
English, Mandarin
Education
PhD in Economics, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Citizenship
South Africa
SIPRI COMMENTARY
- Military spending and development aid after the invasion of Ukraine (Topical backgrounder, )
- Is it time to reassess national security spending? (Blog, )
- The proposed hike in Japan’s military expenditure (Topical backgrounder, )
- Improving transparency in military spending through disaggregated information (Topical backgrounder, )
- 20 years of US military aid to Afghanistan (Topical backgrounder, )
SIPRI AND PARTNER PUBLICATIONS
- Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2022 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2023)
- The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2022 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2023)
- Using Taxation to Fund Military Spending (SIPRI, Stockholm: January 2023)
- Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2021 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2022)
- The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2021 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2022)
- Pathways for Reducing Military Spending in Post-civil Conflict Settings (SIPRI, Stockholm: January 2022)
- A Practical Guide to State Participation in the UN Report on Military Expenditures (SIPRI, Stockholm: September 2022)
- Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2020 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2021)
- The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2020 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2021)
- A New Estimate of China’s Military Expenditure (SIPRI, Stockholm: January 2021)
- Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2020)
- Military Spending and Official Development Assistance in Recipient States: Is there a Relationship? (SIPRI, Stockholm: August 2020)
- Mapping the International Presence of the World’s Largest Arms Companies (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2020)
- Estimating the Arms Sales of Chinese Companies (SIPRI, Stockholm: January 2020)
- Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2019(Stockholm: (March 2020)
- Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2018 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2019)
- The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2018 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2019)
- Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2018 (March 2019)
- The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2017 (December 2018)
- Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2017 (SIPRI, Stockholm: March 2018)
- Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2017 (SIPRI, Stockholm: May 2018)
- Military Expenditure Transparency in Sub-Saharan Africa (November 2018)
- Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2016 (April 2017)
- The SIPRI Top 100 Arms‑producing and Military Services Companies, 2016 (December 2017)
- Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2016 (February 2017)
External publications
- Tian, N., Lopes da Silva, D. and Kuimova, A., Military Spending and the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in UNODA Occasional Papers no. 35, Rethinking Unconstrained Military Spending, pp. 21-37, United Nations, New York (2020)
- Dunne, J. P. and Tian, N. (2019). Costs of Civil War and Fragile States in Africa. Review of Development Economics, 23(3), pp. 1220-1237
- Dunne, J. P. and Tian, N. (2019), Conflict Determinants in Africa, The Economics of Peace and Security Journal, 14(2), pp. 21-31
- Brauer, J., Dunne, J. P. and Tian, N. (2019), Towards Demilitarisation? The Military Expenditure-Development Nexus Revisited, in Matthews, R. (Eds.), The Political Economy of Defence, pp. 90-119, Cambridge University Press.
- Fleurant, A. and Tian, N. (2018), SIPRI's Arms Producing and Military Services Companies Database, The Economics of Peace and Security Journal, 13(2), pp. 5-10.
- Dunne J. P. and Tian, N. (2017), Conflict and Fragile States in Africa, Working Paper Series N° 274, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2016) Military Expenditure and Economic Growth, 1960-2014, The Economics of Peace a Security Journal, 11(2)
- Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2015) Military Expenditure and Economic Growth: A Panel Analysis 1988-2010, Defence and Peace Economics, 26(1) 15-31
- Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2015) Conflict, Economic Growth and Spillover Effects in Africa. Working Paper 561, Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA)
- Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2014) Conflict Spillovers and Growth in Africa, Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 20(4) 539-549
- Bhorat, H. and Tian, N. (2014) Growth, Employment and Skills: The New Growth Path Revisited, LMIP 3 Report
- Bhorat, H., Tian, N. and Ellyne, M. (2014) The Real Exchange Rate and Sectoral Employment in South Africa, DPRU Working Paper and Forthcoming in Africa Growth Initiative Working Paper Series, Brookings
- Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2013) Military Spending and Economic Growth: A Survey, Economics of Peace and Security, 8(1) 5-11