A European Cybercrime Centre (ECC) hosted by Europol would bring together input from several different entities and drive a common approach to tackling cybercrime. To gather background evidence for this initiative, RAND Europe researchers visited a number of EU Member States' high tech crime units to better understand their capabilities, conducted interviews with EU-level stakeholders, and held a scenario-based workshop where organisations could discuss the work and impact of an ECC.
Because improving health and social care interventions through integrated care may be one way of addressing the changing needs of the English population, the Department of Health commissioned an evaluation of 16 integrated care pilots. The evaluation revealed that greater integration of care has led to improved care processes, more satisfied staff and reduced use of hospitals. However, some aspects of patient experience were less positive following the pilots and the intended reduction in emergency admissions was not seen.
Hosting the 2012 Olympic Games this summer will place London and the UK at the centre of the world's attention — something that carries with it a wide range of potential security risks. Organizers must learn from the successes and problems of past games in the areas of transportation, infrastructure and security. RAND Europe offers policymakers a methodology that will help foster evidence-based decisions as they finalise security planning for the Games.
Successful delivery of high-quality health research requires not only an effective research base, but also a system of leadership supporting it. However, research leaders are rarely able to attend formal leadership or management training programmes. RAND Europe evaluated the NIHR Leadership Programme and found it is well received by participants and fills an important gap in academic and clinical researchers’ professional development. The evaluation also recommends areas for further improvement.
As our ability to identify potential violent extremists and terrorists improves, the key question becomes how to disengage them such that they can safely be reintegrated into society. The Home Office commissioned RAND Europe to look at the evidence for disengaging Al Qaida-inspired violent extremists. It also asked RAND Europe to identify any lessons from the gang and cult disengagement literatures, and explore their transferability. The report contributed to the revision of the UK’s Prevent strategy.
To understand the factors affecting the wider adoption of electric vehicles, RAND Europe has sponsored a project to evaluate the barriers, as well as relevant government and public-private interventions that have been used in other countries to facilitate adoption. The project team will also conduct a survey to determine the potential uptake of electric vehicles within a municipality, using Cambridge, UK, as a case study.
Considering the challenges associated with continued growth and demographic changes, the government of Qatar is interested in updating its school transportation system (STS). RAND Europe helped to assess the perspectives of parents and school administrators, identify a vision for the STS, and discuss strategies to achieve it. The four elements of the vision: providing safe, efficient, and high-quality transportation; enabling mobility and access; supporting Qatari values and culture; and minimizing the impact on traffic congestion and the environment.
In 2010, RAND Europe provided a preliminary overview of the challenges posed by radicalised prisoners, and to explore the potential for radicalisation of young European Muslims in the prison environment. The research, which remains relevant today, draws on the body of existing prison theory literature, historical case examples and contemporary sources. It focuses on the potential in prison for extremist activity, including radicalisation, and highlights a number of areas where further research and action may be desirable.
To understand the factors affecting the wider adoption of electric vehicles, RAND Europe has sponsored a project to evaluate the barriers, as well as relevant government and public-private interventions that have been used in other countries to facilitate adoption. The project team will also conduct a survey to determine the potential uptake of electric vehicles within a municipality, using Cambridge, UK, as a case study.
The EU is faced with two significant challenges: an ageing population that is on the rise, and increasing levels of unemployment in certain countries. RAND Europe examined age management policies and practices in nine EU Member States in relation to the retention of workers aged 50+, overall trends in the employment of these workers, the policy direction before the economic crisis of 2008, and developments after the crisis and their implications for the labour market.
The European Commission asked RAND Europe to conduct a comparative analysis of the legal and non-legal means to counter identity theft in the EU27 as well as five other non-EU countries. The research covered both the actual laws dealing with this form of crime, data protection, fraud, as well as the effectiveness of these laws when applied, such as sanctions and successful prosecutions. The study also explored different non-legal measures to address the problem.
A survey of 172 leaders of the National Health Service (NHS) in England found that there is strong support for delivering a high quality, environmentally sustainable NHS; a firm belief that sustainability is part of delivering corporate goals; and a more general awareness of current NHS policies and practices on sustainability. However, 55% of leaders see organisational culture as a barrier to improving sustainability, with 83% of leaders agreeing that incentives and local diversity are necessary to progress more rapidly towards a sustainable NHS.
Between 15 and 20 percent of hospital emergency readmissions may be avoidable, according to research by RAND Europe and the University of Cambridge. The work, which aimed to inform the NHS Outcomes Framework, however warns that setting a rigid benchmark may be problematic. If rates are to be used for comparison, it will be important to risk-adjust for differences in case-mix between hospitals or departments.
RAND Europe's annual review,
Spotlight 2011, focuses on selected present and past RAND Europe signature research. With 2012 being our 20th anniversary year, the report features some of our most recent work while reflecting on how RAND Europe has developed and remained relevant over the last two decades. It also highlights selected research and corporate activity in 2011.
To understand the implications for French defence policy of the most recent American Quadrennial Defense Review, RAND Europe considered the review in economic, political and historical contexts. Key findings provided an overview of future scenarios and challenges for American strategic planners, offering insight into implications for ongoing defence policy developments in Europe.
Recent snapshots of fertility indicators across Europe look less depressing than they did a decade ago: The fertility rate for the European Union (EU) as a whole has stabilised, and it has increased in a number of member states. An article in the Fall 2011 issue of
RAND Review summarises the findings from RAND Europe's report,
Low Fertility in Europe: Is There Still Reason to Worry?"
The UK Migration Advisory Committee commissioned RAND Europe to collate evidence on how migration is likely to impact transport networks. Our analysis finds that migrants tend to live in metropolitan areas and make transport choices strongly in favour of public transport, walking, cycling, and car-sharing when they first arrive in the UK; over time, however, their behaviour becomes more similar to the native population. The report also provides monetised estimates of migrants’ transport impacts.
Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) work like digital fire brigades, responding to and mitigating cyber security incidents. The European Network and Information Security Agency asked RAND Europe and partner time.lex to explore the legal, regulatory, and operational aspects of information exchange between CERTS in Europe. Their study found that uncertainty over data protection regimes, amongst others, are an important factor influencing cross-border information exchange.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) help to empower citizens and transform economic life. An important policy challenge is to identify and harness the benefits while mitigating the risks created by the new technologies. At the World Bank's request, RAND Europe helped develop a framework for thinking about ICT use in MENA. The report builds on an earlier research which benchmarked indicators for the knowledge economy in the region, analysing associations between indicators of ICT diffusion and development.
UK higher education institutions have developed collaborative relationships with organisations outside the education sector for many years. These cover diverse activities including research, teaching, and project work, and their scale and range has changed significantly over time. RAND Europe and the LFHE analysed recent collaborations to provide recommendations on structuring leadership, management, and governance in order to effectively set up and implement emerging innovative relationships.
A major shift to low emission vehicles in the private fleet is likely to be essential to any aspirations for Transport for London (TfL) to deliver significant reductions to its carbon footprint and meet desired environmental outcomes. RAND Europe, working in partnership with MVA Consultancy, developed a model to enable TfL to examine the market for low emission vehicles in order to forecast the CO
2 emissions produced by the private car fleet in London.
Almost 1 percent of the British population has a gambling problem that can affect their families, communities, and themselves. The Responsible Gambling Fund commissioned RAND Europe to 'map the gap' between the available evidence base on gambling-related harm and information needed to inform policy and practice in this area.
RAND Europe has published an evaluation of the Greek research and development (R&D) system which identifies opportunities to improve economic growth and social outcomes. The Greek government commissioned the work to inform its plans to create a sustainable platform for research and development in Greece. The report concludes that a reform programme can succeed. Solutions would involve reducing fragmentation, developing critical mass, and addressing issues of enduring concern and comparative advantage.
Among high-income nations, the United States ranks last in preventable deaths, according to research by the On-Call Facility for International Healthcare Comparisons (IHC). The study, authored by Ellen Nolte and Martin McKee, was supported by the Commonwealth Fund and appears in the October issue of
Health Policy; the article was posted online on 12 September.
In the context of increasing defence industry consolidation at a European level, the European Defence Agency (EDA) commissioned RAND Europe to investigate whether the European defence equipment market is a level playing field. The study established a set of indicators enabling the EDA to use publically available data to assess annual progress towards a level playing field. The team also provided a baseline assessment against which future evaluations will be measured.
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