Latest Publications from RAND
Helping Hospitals Deliver Better Care: A New Toolkit for Quality Improvement — May 25, 2012
A team from RAND and the University HealthSystem Consortium developed a toolkit to help hospitals enhance their quality improvement efforts using quality indicators from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Selected RAND Abstracts: A Guide to RAND Publications, Volume 49, January - December 2011 — May 24, 2012
Selected RAND Abstracts (SRA) is a complete guide to all unclassified RAND publications for a given calendar year. Each volume contains author, subject, and title indexes covering all the material abstracted in that volume. The abstracts are arranged by type of publication and publication number. In addition, the SRA contains information about ordering RAND documents and obtaining annual subscriptions to RAND unclassified publications.
A New Look at Gender and Minority Differences in Officer Career Progression in the Military — May 24, 2012
RAND research conducted in the late 1990s documented differences in rates of promotion and retention among male, female, white, and minority officers in the U.S. military. This volume updates the earlier RAND study, using data from January 1988 through September 2010. It also examines the career progression of women serving in military occupations that are partially closed to them.
CANES Contracting Strategies for Full Deployment — May 24, 2012
Examines contracting alternatives for the full deployment phase of the U.S. Navy's Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) system, which is intended to give the Navy a common set of key command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence networks across the fleet. Recommends a multiple-contract model that assigns the technical, production, and installation functions to the organizations that can provide the best value.
Methodology for Constructing a Modernization Roadmap for Air Force Automatic Test Systems — May 24, 2012
Nearly all Air Force electronics are tested and repaired using automatic test systems, most of which were designed and built for specific aging weapon systems and are beset by increasing hardware and software obsolescence. The Air Force is planning to modernize these capabilities by rehosting the testing on modern, common families of test equipment. This report focuses on the economic aspect of the rehosting decision.
Supplier Relationship Management at Army Life Cycle Management Commands: Gap Analysis of Best Practices — May 23, 2012
This document examines current supplier relationship management (SRM) practices in the Army, identifies SRM best practices the Army may wish to consider, and focuses on how the Army can gain better performance and reduce total costs by improving its management of and partnering with large defense suppliers.
The Extent of Restrictions on the Service of Active-Component Military Women — May 21, 2012
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 mandated a review of gender-based assignment restrictions. To support this effort, RAND researchers analyzed service data to describe and quantify the military occupations that are closed to women, as well as occupations that are open with some positions that are closed.
Military Veterans' Experiences in For-Profit Higher Education — May 17, 2012
Testimony submitted before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on May 16, 2012.
Non-Traditional Threats and Maritime Domain Awareness in the Tri-Border Area of Southeast Asia: The Coast Watch System of the Philippines — May 17, 2012
The tri-border area (TBA) between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia is a key hub of terrorist and related criminal activity in Southeast Asia. The authors analyze the security environment in the region, examine the Philippines' Coast Watch System, and consider the prospects for forming an integrated system of maritime security that would tie together the three states that converge in the TBA.
A Prototype Knowledge-Sharing Service for Clinical Decision Support Artifacts — May 17, 2012
This report, by researchers from Partners HealthCare and the RAND Corporation, primarily describes the work associated with Task 4.8 of the Advancing Clinical Decision Support effort, a project intended to accelerate the effective use of computer-based clinical decision support (CDS) interventions to facilitate evidence-based clinical practice. Twenty-two CDS artifacts and 16 value sets were developed that cover the five CDS intervention types.
A Shot in the Arm for Adult Vaccination — May 16, 2012
Vaccine-preventable diseases take a heavy toll on U.S. adults despite the widespread availability of vaccines. Office-based providers can do more to promote adult vaccinations but need clearer guidance and a better business case to offer them.
RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 1, Spring 2012 — May 11, 2012
Stories discuss Iran's nuclear threat, social security for Mexico's aging population, programs to help veterans and their families, the costs of crime and the value of police officers, psychological operations in Afghanistan, the U.S. health insurance mandate, legal representation in murder cases, marijuana legalization, U.S. competitiveness in educational achievement, and Louisiana's plan for a sustainable coast.
Postmenopausal osteoporosis management: A review of the evidence to inform the development of quality indicators — May 9, 2012
The report work aims to inform the development of quality indicators for postmenopausal osteoporosis management in Europe.
Allowances for Spinal Hardware under California’s Official Medical Fee Schedule: Issues and Options — May 9, 2012
Testimony presented before the California State Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee on May 9, 2012.
Resolving Kirkuk: Lessons Learned from Settlements of Earlier Ethno-Territorial Conflicts — May 9, 2012
Past efforts to resolve ethno-territorial conflicts in Brčko, Mostar, Northern Ireland, and Jerusalem provide insights that could facilitate a negotiated settlement regarding the disputed Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The case studies show that Arabs, Kurds, and Turkomen must emphasize governance over symbols of sovereignty, develop adaptable power-sharing mechanisms, marginalize spoilers, empower local leaders, and create multi-ethnic security forces.
Funding Ammunition Ports — May 9, 2012
The U.S. Army's two ammunition ports — Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) and Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) — have different funding approaches; a central question in this research is what the most appropriate financial structure should be. To help answer this question, the authors develop two variations of an ammunition port funding policy, both featuring customers paying marginal costs for port services.
New Findings on the Unbanked in America: Results from the 2011 American Life Panel Survey — May 8, 2012
The fraction of American households that have no bank accounts has long been a concern for policymakers. Estimates from a nationally representative sample, RAND's American Life Panel, suggest that in 2011: 15.5 percent of the population is unbanked; socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals are more likely to be unbanked; unbanked respondents cite financial barriers and personal preference as reasons for not having a bank account.
Toward Affordable Systems III: Portfolio Management for Army Engineering and Manufacturing Development Programs — May 8, 2012
Together this and two companion monographs demonstrate a method, model, and simulation that the U.S. Army can use to analyze and manage portfolios at any stage of the research and development process. This monograph expands and applies RAND's portfolio analysis and management (PortMan) method to address the problem of selecting Army engineering and manufacturing development projects in order to develop affordable systems.
Workforce Development for Big-City Law Enforcement Agencies — May 7, 2012
The individual talent within any police workforce must be managed in such a way that the skills and knowledge needed to provide effective law enforcement are recognized, appropriately utilized, and fostered. This occasional paper provides an overview of a RAND methodology for creating an effective workforce development system to better align personnel with current and future force requirements.
Selected International Best Practices in Police Performance Measurement — May 7, 2012
Historically, police agencies have measured their performance against a restricted set of crime-focused indicators, but modern police officers must be prepared to take on a wide variety of roles. Performance measures should be multidimensional to capture this complexity. This report describes some key considerations in designing measures to evaluate law enforcement agencies and includes a detailed review of some international best practices.
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