The Internet of Things has the potential to fundamentally change the future, as billions of objects around us will be connected to make our lives easier. The European Commission asked RAND Europe to help it devise a policy based on the current state of play and probable developments, from a technological, economic and policy point of view.
Examining the Nutritional, Environmental Trade-Offs Among Diets — 02 Apr 2013
RAND Europe, as part of a consortium with the University of Reading and ADAS, was commissioned by Dairyco and the Dairy Council to examine the trade-offs between the nutritional and environmental impacts of dairy diets. The aim is to compare the impacts of the dairy diet with various ideal type diets such as plant-based and Eatwell Plate diets.
While some who are opioid dependent are in treatment, others are not. Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals have commissioned RAND Europe to develop a framework for estimating the cost of untreated opioid dependence. This framework should enable a robust and comprehensive approach to mapping and quantifying the range of costs — economic and social, tangible and intangible.
RAND Europe has been commissioned to create and maintain the online European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC). Reflecting the European Commission’s policy focus on children at risk, the EPIC will collect, evaluate, and disseminate practices that improve outcomes for children. RAND will apply a rigorous evaluation framework for the identification of effective, lasting, and transferable child policy practices in Europe.
Reoffending is a costly and widespread challenge for public services, communities and individuals. To help organisations that deliver mentoring and arts interventions to adult offenders, RAND Europe — in collaboration with ARCS (UK), University of Glamorgan, and Nacro — is undertaking research to develop and test intermediate outcome measures which are directly or indirectly associated with reductions in reoffending.
The European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM) is a €3 million collaborative initiative of 12 major foundations to improve integration of and outcomes for migrants in Europe through advocacy, capacity-building and policy change. EPIM has asked RAND Europe to evaluate the achievements and impacts of their work in 2012-2015, to ensure accountability and enable learning that can be acted on during the course of the programme.
To prepare decision makers for the political and economic environment facing the EU over the next 20 years, the European Commission, Parliament and Council established the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System. The Bureau of European Policy Advisers has asked RAND Europe to assess the evidence base underpinning future societal trends, ranging from the growth of a global middle class to the role of new media in democratization, and their likely impacts on the European policy landscape until 2030.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) accounts for one death every 20 minutes in England and Wales. RAND Europe and the University of Cambridge are conducting a study on "Living with Breathlessness" to improve the end-of-life care strategy for patients with advanced COPD: one which is based on a recognition of the slow relentless progression of non-malignant disease, its effect on patients and care-givers, and their stated care preferences.
America's allies have invested significantly in training the Iraqi and Afghan national police to secure their own communities. RAND Europe has partnered with its U.S. colleagues to evaluate on behalf of the Department of Defense the U.S. police capacity-building that has taken place in Iraq and now in Afghanistan. The project has led to ongoing advice to the U.S. government, and will conclude with an overview of key lessons in security sector capacity-building in conflict-affected countries.
When treating patients for Hepatitis-C, physicians may be influenced by many factors: their prior experience, the health and social care systems more broadly, or clinical, social and behavioural, or demographic factors. To better understand this decision-making process, GlaxoSmithKline commissioned RAND Europe to investigate the comparative influence and importance of specific factors and combinations of factors and their trade-offs.
Addressing terrorist threats to urban spaces is a particularly challenging task in the current security climate. As one of the 11 research institutes across Europe and Israel participating in Project TACTICS (Tactical Approach to Counter Terrorists in Cities) until August 2014, RAND Europe is contributing to building a decision making framework that (i) supports security forces in responding more efficiently and effectively to prevent terrorist attacks or (ii) limits their consequences with an emphasis on urban environments.
Conflict prevention and crisis response are two highly challenging areas for governments to succeed in. One of the key reasons for this is that they rely on cross-institutional and international collaboration. The French Ministry of Defence asked RAND Europe to develop an overview of the conflict prevention and crisis response approaches of the US, UK and Germany, as well as NATO, the UN, the OSCE and the EU. The work has been informing the French thinking on the question, as they draft their 2012 White Paper, and will be published as a report thereafter.
Countering radicalisation online is a priority area for national governments and EU institutions. Among the array of current initiatives, however, there remains little or no agreement on the actual nature of this relationship. RAND Europe is exploring the role of the internet in the radicalisation of individuals, analysing firsthand accounts and primary data to provide an empirical evidence base for policymakers.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) commissioned RAND Europe to undertake a stated preference survey to investigate how changes in alcohol pricing and the presence of multi-buy promotions affect purchasing behaviour.
GALVmed has asked RAND Europe to conduct an independent external evaluation of its impact, achievements and effectiveness during the first phase of GALVmed's Protecting Livestock, Saving Human Life programme. The evaluation will identify achievements, best practices and challenges encountered in implementation of the programme and propose areas for improvement.
Because cancer patients often receive poorly organised and fragmented care, University College Hospital Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support have established a new cancer centre. RAND Europe and the University of Cambridge Health Services Research Group are evaluating the centre's improvements in the cancer care pathway, using patient experience measurement alongside other methods, and developing a sustainable quality improvement environment across the partnership.
RAND Europe is one of five partners in the Policy Innovation Research Unit (PIRU), which brings together leading health and social care expertise to improve evidence-based policy-making and its implementation across the National Health Service, social care and public health. The Department of Health has funded PIRU with the goal of strengthening early policy development by exploiting the best routine data and by subjecting initiatives to speedy, thorough evaluation.
Considerable achievements have been made in improving women's and children's health in low- and middle- income countries, but much remains to be done. RAND Europe is developing a protocol to support rapid and systematic identification of data and decision-requirements for the implementation of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health interventions, and testing and applying the protocol in four countries in South East Asia.
Many complex issues surround the use of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy as HIV prevention, and seen in the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision to consider an ARV drug not just for HIV treatment but also to prevent HIV/AIDS. RAND Europe is partnering with several organisations on Mapping Pathways, a project exploring potential treatment regimes and conducting research, community engagement, and policy work in the U.S., India, and South Africa.
The performance of health systems is a key determinant of the inclusiveness of economic growth. Exclusionary, poor quality health care worsens impoverishment, while inclusive health care redistributes the benefits of growth toward the poor and ill. With Kenya and Tanzania as case studies, RAND Europe is exploring the extent to which unexploited potential synergies between industrial development and health systems can strengthen and contribute to faster and more inclusive growth.
Intolerance based on ethnic, national, racial and religious grounds is an area of high public concern, but there is relatively little empirical research that provides an overview of how apparently rising hate crime and growing support for some populist parties relate to wider public attitudes. The Open Society Foundation has funded RAND Europe to assess existing evidence and map reported intolerance over time and across western European countries. The study will inform questions including which countries are experiencing the most significant changes in levels of intolerance and against which groups as well as considering implications for policy.
Security technologies and related measures are implemented to mitigate likely risks from terrorist attacks and other threats, but these technologies and measures may compete with privacy and civil liberties. RAND Europe is participating in PACT, a 3-year EU-funded research project to assess existing knowledge about the relation between security and privacy; collect empirical evidence through a pan-European survey; and analyze the main factors that affect how the public perceives the security and privacy implications of security technology.
At a time of reduced public spending there is interest in funding public services on a 'payment by results' basis under which the government pays for services only if and when they achieve defined outcomes. The Department of Health has commissioned a consortium that includes RAND Europe to conduct an independent evaluation of eight drug and alcohol recovery payment by results pilots. The research is assessing whether and how the new funding approach encourages the development of more effective recovery programmes.
Copenhagen sees a lot of traffic, and congestion charging policies are currently high on the political agenda. The Danish Road Directorate has asked RAND Europe, TetraPlan and Significance to extend the city's existing traffic model to predict time-of-day choice for car drivers. Doing so will allow planners to assess the effectiveness of different charging policies aimed at reducing congestion levels at particular times of day.
To help it develop a better drug policy, the UK Drug Policy Commission asked RAND Europe to conduct a modified Delphi exercise with an international panel of drug policy experts. The Delphi method uses ranking, scoring and feedback to arrive at a consensus on a set of issues. This project will consider the actors, principles, processes and structures that may facilitate effective drug policy.
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