RAND Center for Russia and Eurasia (CRE)
Continuing a tradition of seminal research and analysis, the RAND Center for Russia and Eurasia (CRE) provides policymakers, scholars, business leaders, and citizens with an in-depth understanding of developmental processes in Russia and the New Independent States in Eurasia.
- To fulfill its mission, CRE pursues a variety of activities under a synergistic four-track strategy of scholarly research; policy support; public education and professional training; and corporate outreach. Project findings are documented in an array of publications, including issue papers, conference proceedings, articles and reports.
- The Center staff includes analysts in a wide range of fields, including government and politics, economics, security, health, labor and population, education, science and technology, environment, energy, and natural resources.
- CRE projects also involve specialists affiliated with other RAND centers and programs, and with RAND Europe.
- The Center's funding comes from government contracts, foundation grants, and gifts from individuals and corporations.
Research
CRE conducts interdisciplinary research on the political, economic, and social changes occurring in communist successor states and their implications for national, regional, and international security. The Center's research agenda includes projects on such topics as:
- Domestic political and economic affairs
- Center-periphery and ethnic relations
- Labor, demography, and migration
- Regional affairs
- Energy, environmental, and natural resources management and policy
- Security and foreign policy
See History of CRE's research on Russia and Eurasia.
Policy Support
CRE's research agenda is designed to assist in the formulation and implementation of effective public policy. Research projects typically focus on priority issues on the agendas of national and international policymakers, and the findings of these projects are systematically and widely disseminated to relevant policymakers in the form of reports, issue papers, and written and oral briefings. Agencies with which the Center regularly interacts include the U.S. Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Energy. CRE also has provided policy support to the International Organization on Migration, the World Bank, and the European Commission.
In the case of Russia, CRE provides central and regional officials with hands-on policy support under the aegis of a September 1992 Agreement between RAND and the Russian Government. Pursuant to this Agreement, CRE has conducted on-site collaborative projects to help Russian policymakers at the national and regional level identify and assess alternative approaches to the solution of problems in such areas as defense industry conversion, the promotion of foreign trade and investment, the management of migration and refugee flows, ethno-political conflict resolution, and natural resources management.
Education and Training
CRE contributes to public understanding of current and emerging developments in the former Soviet Union and former Soviet Bloc and of the implications of these developments for U.S. interests by widely circulating its publications, by organizing and participating in conferences and colloquia for both specialists and non-specialist audiences, and by providing interviews and articles to the media.
CRE offers specialized doctoral and post-doctoral training in conjunction with the RAND Graduate School, which is dedicated to advanced training in the policy sciences. In addition, CRE conducts special seminars and workshops tailored to the needs and interests of specialists working on particular research projects. On-the-Job training in the form of active participation in CRE research projects and policy support activities is another aspect of CRE training.
CRE also hosts invited visiting fellows, including scholars and policy analysts from institutions in the US, Europe, Russia, and the NIS.
Business Leaders Forum
The Center also provides organizational and analytical support for the RAND Business Leaders Forum -- a membership organization that facilitates in-depth discussions among leading American, European, and Russian corporate executives of strategic opportunities and challenges in the development of closer economic and business relations. Read More
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