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The RAND Research Approach

A Premium on Quality

RAND has built its reputation for excellence on six decades of close attention to quality and accountability. We are committed to ensuring that every product meets exacting standards.

A set of rigorous guidelines drives all RAND analysis:

• Accurate facts
• Clear logic
• Sound methodology

• Attention to previous work
• Objectivity and independence
• Relevance to client needs

All RAND publications undergo a thorough peer-review process before being released to clients or the public.

Our clients have high expectations — and so do we.

RAND's approach is built on six enduring principles that we apply to every project we take on. In this way, we can meet our discriminating standards and bring our clients multiple benefits.

Quality. A commitment to quality at every level ensures that RAND's clients get

• accurate, reliable information
• recommendations and implementation plans developed by experts with real-world experience
• communications that are easy to understand and tailored to clients’ needs

Objectivity. Dedication to objectivity enables RAND to deliver

• nonpartisan, unbiased, and realistic assessments
• facts, not assumptions
• multiple options, with likely outcomes clearly explained

Multidisciplinary collaboration. A tradition of building project teams with analysts trained in different disciplines assures clients that

• problems will be considered from multiple points of view
• teams can formulate responses that address various aspects of a policy issue

Innovation. By applying new methods and searching for unexpected connections, RAND teams can provide clients with

• fresh ways of thinking about problems and solutions
• policies that succeed where others have failed
• an ability to anticipate emerging issues

Flexible time frames. With the ability to analyze problems both from the perspective of immediate needs and in a broad historical context, RAND can deliver

• project plans responsive to clients' goals, timelines, and practical concerns
• both short- and long-term solutions
• sustainable policies that utilize clients' own resources

Lasting relationships. A commitment to developing close partnerships with clients -- where regular face-to-face interaction is key -- ensures that

• input from clients is an important factor in analyses and solutions
• cultural values and needs are respected and incorporated
• clients can depend on RAND to be in the region in the years to come