Reports
2011
Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health — 2011
The information in this monograph contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others.
Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health (Spanish-language version) — 2011
The information in this monograph contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others (Spanish-language version).
Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health: Executive Summary (Spanish-language version) — 2011
The information in this monograph contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others (Spanish-language version).
Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health: Executive Summary — 2011
The information in this executive summary contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others.
Hawai'i P-3 Initiative: Findings from the First Year of the Evaluation — 2011
In 2007, Hawai'i launched its P–3 initiative, which aims for every child to read at grade level by third grade. The first year of RAND's multiyear evaluation examined P–3 plans, activities, and policy in two demonstration sites and at the initiative level to determine how the system underlying P–3 monitors, incentivizes, and supports efforts to promote literacy. The evaluation team also helped develop logic models to define measures of progress.
Cost Study of the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program — 2011
In 2008, the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation created the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program, a pilot program to provide families with scholarships to cover the cost of high-quality early childhood education (ECE) programs. This report provides detailed cost and program data for a sample of 12 ECE programs participating in the scholarship program, including the per-child per-hour cost for participation of children in the programs.
2010
Research Designs for Estimating Induced Entry into the SSDI Program Resulting from a Benefit Offset — 2010
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides income replacement to individuals who are largely unable to work because of a long-lasting health condition. SSDI participants who earn above a substantial gainful activity (SGA) threshold have their benefits suspended, following a Trial Work Period. A proposed "benefit offset" would instead reduce SSDI benefits by $1 for every $2 earned above the SGA threshold. This report describes two approaches to estimating the induced entry effects of the proposed policy.
An Outcome Evaluation of the Success for Kids Program — 2010
This report presents results from a multisite, quantitative evaluation of the international Success for Kids (SFK) after-school program. A nonreligious program, SFK seeks to build resilience in children. Interestingly, the authors found that the program positively affected not just social and internal outcomes but also school-related outcomes, even though SFK is not an academic intervention.
Federal Financial and Economic Literacy Education Programs, 2009 — 2010
Financial literacy has become increasingly important as individuals and families have become more responsible for their own financial well-being. In late 2009, a survey was conducted of 21 federal agencies, who reported offering 56 financial and economic literacy education programs. Using this survey data, the authors of this report inventory these programs' purpose, content, delivery formats, target audience, and evaluation goals and method.
2009
Preschool Adequacy and Efficiency in California: Issues, Policy Options, and Recommendations — 2009
The California Preschool Study examined gaps in school readiness and achievement in the early grades among California children and the potential for high-quality preschool to close those gaps, the use of early care and education (ECE) services and their quality, and the system of publicly funded ECE programs for three- and four-year-olds. This analysis integrates the results from the prior studies and makes recommendations for preschool policy.
Estimates of Potential Eligibility for Low-Income Subsidies Under Medicare Part D — 2009
In 2003, Congress added a new prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program known as Part D, as well as the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) for Part D beneficiaries with low income and limited assets. An estimated 12 million persons, or 29 percent of Medicare beneficiaries, were potentially eligible for the LIS in 2006. There is considerable uncertainty around this estimate, however, due to differences in the two main data sources employed.
Consumer Use of Banks and Credit Unions: Findings from a Survey for the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues — 2009
Reports the results of an Internet survey conducted with the American Life Panel to address issues related to consumers' perceptions of credit unions and financial institutions and to help credit unions understand consumer behavior. Consumer selection of financial service providers is based primarily on convenience of branches, convenience of ATMs, and bank fees. Bank users are more focused on convenience; credit union users are more interested in fees.
2008
Facing Human Capital Challenges of the 21st Century: Education and Labor Market Initiatives in Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates: Executive Summary — 2008
Summarizes the education and labor market initiatives implemented or under way in four countries in the Arab region — Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — to address the human resource issues they each face as they prepare their countries for a place in the 21st century global economy. Together, these countries highlight the variety of challenges faced by countries in the region and responses to those challenges.
Valuing Benefits in Benefit-Cost Studies of Social Programs — 2008
Assesses the state of the art of measurement and use of estimated economic value — “shadow prices” — in benefit-cost analysis (BCA) of social programs. Many benefits from social programs are not monetized, nor do shadow prices capture the full range of benefits or costs. Use of shadow prices is not consistent, and uncertainty about costs and benefits must be recognized. Future methodological work should advance the use of BCA for social programs.
Facing Human Capital Challenges of the 21st Century: Education and Labor Market Initiatives in Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — 2008
Describes the education and labor market initiatives implemented or under way in four countries in the Arab region — Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — to address the human resource issues they each face as they prepare their countries for a place in the 21st century global economy. Together, these countries highlight the variety of challenges faced by countries in the region and responses to those challenges.
Prepared to Learn: The Nature and Quality of Early Care and Education for Preschool-Age Children in California — 2008
This third report from a study to assess the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education in California examines the use and quality of early care and education programs. Use of center-based programs is the norm in California, but these programs fall short on key quality benchmarks. There is room for improvement in quality for all children and for raising participation rates for groups of children with the largest gaps in school readiness.
Sanctions in the CalWORKs Program — 2008
The California Department of Social Services asked RAND to study the state’s policy for sanctioning welfare program participants who do not comply with statutory requirements of the welfare-to-work program. Researchers found that sanctions were weak in practice and that caseworkers were reluctant to sanction clients. Making sanction swifter, stronger, and safer are possible directions for reforming sanction policy and practice.
2007
Who Is Ahead and Who Is Behind? Gaps in School Readiness and Student Achievement in the Early Grades for California's Children — 2007
RAND has undertaken a study to assess the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education in California. This volume describes which groups of students are falling short of proficiency in the early elementary grades and evaluates the potential for well-designed preschool programs to close those achievement gaps.
Early Care and Education in the Golden State: Publicly Funded Programs Serving California's Preschool-Age Children — 2007
RAND has undertaken a study to assess the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education in California. This volume provides a comprehensive assessment of publicly subsidized early care and education programs available to preschool-age children — for California as a whole, and for four case-study counties: Los Angles, Merced, San Diego, and San Mateo.
Adolescent Romantic Relationships as Precursors of Healthy Adult Marriages: A Review of Theory, Research, and Programs — 2007
Drawing on a thorough review of the existing theoretical and empirical literature in the area of adolescent romantic relationships, as well as interviews with practitioners directly involved with developing or administering relationship education to adolescents, the authors bring together relevant research and theory from a wide range of disciplines that have examined these issues, and suggest future directions for research and interventions to promote healthy marriages in adulthood.
The Utilization of Women-Owned Small Businesses in Federal Contracting — 2007
Computations of disparity ratios measuring the underrepresentation of women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) in federal contracting, relative to the prevalence of similar firms in certain industries. Depending on the measure used, underrepresentation of WOSBs in federal contracting occurs in from 0 to 87 percent of industries. The report highlights industries where disparities occur and discusses how their identification varies depending on the methodology used and on data limitations.
2006
Qatar Supreme Council for Family Affairs Database of Social Indicators: Final Report — 2006
The Qatar Supreme Council for Family Affairs is developing a social indicators database system that will provide essential information for assessing the well-being of families in Qatar. This report, which presents the final results of an analysis by the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute, addresses questions related to the implementation, use, and maintenance of the database, as well as its potential short- and long-term benefits.
Meeting Funder Compliance: A Case Study of Challenges, Time Spent, and Dollars Invested — 2006
Funders financially support nonprofit organizations to further mutual goals of implementing programs and providing services; as such, nonprofits must meet certain compliance requirements. This case study, the first of its kind, examines the management processes of one nonprofit as it strives to meet funder compliance requirements, and presents recommendations and survey instruments to assess and improve the quality and efficiency of these processes.
The Repopulation of New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina — 2006
In November 2005, New Orleans city leaders asked RAND to estimate the repopulation of the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Bring New Orleans Back Commission needed estimates of the city’s population in the immediate and near-term future to guide the redevelopment planning process. An assessment of flood damage to housing based on the depth of floodwater and the likely pace of reconstruction of damaged housing guided the estimates.
2005
County-Level Estimates of the Effects of a Universal Preschool Program in California — 2005
Estimates of the potential benefits from a high-quality, one-year, universal preschool program in the 13 largest counties in California and five groups of counties. The analysis focuses on nine outcomes specific to educational processes and attainment, child maltreatment, and juvenile crime. The effect of a universal preschool program for each annual cohort of 4-year-olds served by such a program is estimated for each outcome and geographic unit. Where possible, the baseline level of outcomes in the absence of a universal preschool program is also estimated, enabling measurement of absolute changes.
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