Professor Intriligator's research interests are in the areas of economic theory, econometrics, health economics, and strategy and arms control. His work has involved the development of models and analytic frameworks using economics, decision theory, control theory and other tools to analyze and better understand fundamental economic and societal problems. His most recent work has focused on health care reform, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, global security, and the transition to a market economy in Russia.

In the field of economic theory, Dr. Intriligator has addressed such issues as income redistribution, the theory of planning, the economics of corporate restructuring, and the role of institutions in the transition from a socialist to a market economy. A widely translated author and editor, his standard work Mathematical Optimization and Economic Theory is now in its 13th printing. In health economics, Professor Intriligator conducted an analysis of the major policy issues in the economics of health care in the United States, including a proposal for health care reform involving an expansion of the Medicare program. He has been widely sought as an expert witness on health economic issues for two decades.

 A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Dr. Intriligator has produced analyses of arms races, arms control, nuclear proliferation, the outbreak of war, accidental nuclear war, and the nature of global security. He has testified before the U.S. Commission on Improving the Effectiveness of the United Nations and served as a consultant to the Center for National Security Studies at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and other organizations.