Featured Research

Assessment Framework Can Help Security Planners Decide Which Hypothetical Threats To Worry About — Jun. 3, 2009

Concerns about the panpoply of possible terrorist attacks are central to the design of security efforts to protect both individual targets and the nation overall. Two questions can be posed to assess the novelty and ease of execution of emerging threats, allowing security planners to both learn from new threats and prioritize.

Full Document Terrorism and Homeland Security Research Area

Transportation Challenges for the New Administration: Perspectives of Past Transportation Secretaries — May 1, 2009

Shortly after the inauguration of President Barack Obama, RAND hosted a panel discussion with three former U.S. secretaries of transportation. These conference proceedings summarize their comments on which issues should be among the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) top priorities, DOT funding and appropriation, earmarking and transparency in the transportation funding process, and the federal role in transportation policy.

Full Document Transportation and Infrastructure Research Area

What the Policy Community Should Know About Corporate Compliance, Ethics, and Misdeeds — Apr. 28, 2009

Improving corporate compliance, ethics, and oversight has been a significant policy goal for the U.S. government for decades, and made more salient by the collapse of financial markets in late 2008. On March 5, 2009, RAND convened a conference in Washington, D.C., on the role and perspectives of corporate chief ethics and compliance officers in the detection and prevention of corporate misdeeds.

Full Document Workforce and Workplace Research Area

U.S.-Mexico Strategic Partnership Needed to Help Mexico Improve Its Security Institutions — Apr. 28, 2009

The United States should forge a strategic partnership with Mexico that emphasizes reform and long-term institution building as a way to battle the ongoing drug war and other security challenges that face Mexico.

Full Document News Release Research Brief Public Safety Research Area

Evaluating Options for U.S. Greenhouse-Gas Mitigation Using Multiple Criteria — Apr. 14, 2009

Devising policies to mitigate greenhouse gases responsible for climate change is one of the great challenges facing the U.S. Options that are effective and politically feasible must not just be cost-effective but also consider the realities of passing major federal legislation with widespread impacts on U.S. producers and consumers.

Full Document Energy and Environment Research Area

Mumbai Terrorist Attacks Show Rise of Strategic Terrorist Culture — Jan. 16, 2009

The Mumbai terrorist attacks in India suggest the possibility of an escalating terrorist campaign in South Asia and the rise of a strategic terrorist culture. This report identifies the operational and tactical features of the attack, evaluates the response of Indian security forces, and analyzes the implications for the region and the U.S.

Full Document News Release Terrorism and Homeland Security Research Area

How the U.S. Government Can Strategically Reach Policy Goals, Using the Example of Counterterrorism — Jan. 12, 2009

While the United States government has historically undertaken strategic reviews and produced numerous strategy documents, these have provided only very general directions for U.S. policymakers. This paper defines an approach to strategic planning and illustrates its application using the example of the critical national security topic of counterterrorism.

Full Document Terrorism and Homeland Security Research Area

Balancing Prevention and Mitigation Approaches to an Uncertain Terrorist Threat — Dec. 12, 2008

While traditional terrorism-prevention measures seek to prevent all damage by stopping attacks completely, the author recommends also adopting measures that seek to prevent only some of the damage from attacks, but that do so predictably across the many different ways in which they might occur, drawing examples from aviation security policy.

Full Document Research Brief Occasional Paper Occasional Paper Terrorism and Homeland Security Research Area

A History of Chinese Corporate Governance Sheds Light on Economic Growth and Reform — Dec. 3, 2008

As China has moved toward a stronger role for private enterprise and capitalism it has also sought to adopt more Western-style oversight mechanisms and legal standards for corporate governance - a history of which is found here with an examination of attendant problems and their policy implications.

Full Document Civil Justice Research Area Research Brief

The Problem of Measuring Emergency Preparedness: How Reliable Should Our Response Systems Be? — Dec. 1, 2008

Decisionmakers today largely assess emergency preparedness and homeland security "in the rear view mirror," looking at performance in actual events and responding to perceived failures. While real-world experience is important, better ways to assess preparedness prospectively will lead to better choices as to how and where to strengthen it.

Full Document Research Brief Occasional Paper Occasional Paper Terrorism and Homeland Security Research Area

Four Countries in the Middle East Face the Human Capital Challenges of the 21st Century — Oct. 31, 2008

Education and labor market initiatives are under way in four Arab nations -- Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates -- to address the challenges of developing the human capital of their populations for the 21st century global economy, though better evaluation of the implemented reforms will be needed to determine their efficacy.

Full Document Executive Summary Research Brief: English Version Research Brief: Arabic Version Workforce and Workplace Research Area

New Book Provides Unique View Into Mind of Fanatical Jihadists — Oct. 15, 2008

David Aaron, a veteran U.S. diplomat and director of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy, has compiled a wide range of writings by Islamic terrorists that offer an unusual window into their mentality. The book, "In Their Own Words: Voices of Jihad," is a virtual encyclopedia of jihadist rhetoric written by the terrorists themselves.

Full Document News Release Voices of Jihad Database Terrorism and Homeland Security Research Area Book Review

Political Reform in the Arab World is a Mixed Bag in Confronting Terrorism — Sep. 24, 2008

Democratic political reforms can marginalize extremists and undermine support for political violence, but cosmetic reforms and backtracking on democratization can exacerbate the risk of terrorism.

Full Document News Release International Affairs Research Area

U.S. Should Rethink "War On Terrorism" Strategy to Deal with Resurgent Al Qaida — Jul. 29, 2008

Current U.S. strategy against terrorist organization al Qaida has not been successful at limiting the group's capabilities. Since Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaida has been involved in more terrorist attacks than ever before, spanning an increasingly broader range of targets.

Full Document News Release Research Brief Congressional Briefing National Security Research Area Book Review

Health of Chinese and Indian Citizens Improves but Still Lags Behind Rest of World — Jul. 1, 2008

China and India's health systems have shown advances in boosting life expectancy and disease prevention in the past fifty years. However, those living in the two nations are still exposed to a high degree of financial risk, geographical inequities in health care access, and overall poorer health than in other countries.

Full Document Related Report Health and Health Care Research Area

Comparing Alternative U.S. Counterterrorism Strategies — Apr. 19, 2008

The U.S. faces the challenge of countering the terrorism threat. Frequently, both expert decisionmakers and lay citizens have trouble assessing alternative strategies to address such issues because of the emotions and uncertainty involved. An assumption-based planning approach might help.

Full Document International Affairs Research Area

Understanding the Challenge of Extremist and Radicalized Prisoners — Apr. 15, 2008

A preliminary overview of the challenges posed by radicalized and extremist prisoners helps to explore the potential for the radicalization of young European Muslims in the prison environment.

Full Document

Developing U.S. Civilian Personnel Capabilities in State-Building Operations — Mar. 19, 2008

Recent U.S. experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq have shown that engaging in stability and reconstruction operations is a difficult and lengthy process that requires appropriate resources. A framework for improving U.S. civilian personnel and staffing programs for state-building efforts could help.