Conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs) are seen as particularly effective in low- and middle-income countries, but relatively little is known about the interface between the supply of services and program administration and specific human development outcomes. RAND Europe assessed the effectiveness of CCTs through a two-year grant from UK Economic Social Research Council and Department for International Development.
Preparing for natural disasters is a long, multi-faceted process that requires years of planning, coordination, and direct action. RAND has developed a new approach for assessing hurricane flood risk in New Orleans under uncertainty and evaluating city-wide approaches for reducing this risk.
Established in December 2005 to support hurricane recovery and long-term economic development, the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute is dedicated to developing informed public policy in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and a better future for the people who live there.
In an effort to improve public education, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama have each examined the potential of charter schools. For nearly two decades, RAND has conducted objective, evidence-based research on choice-based education reforms to help education policymakers make the right decisions for their communities.
HIV/AIDS can rightly be called an epidemic in the Gulf States. RAND has examined attitudes and beliefs about HIV and AIDS, the roles of faith-based and community organizations, and issues regarding AIDS treatment; this research can help Congressional, state, and local policymakers understand how to approach the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS in the region.
RAND is working with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to explore the use of Robust Decision Making in the Bureau's long-term planning for the Colorado River.
Health outcomes may be related to financial status, including home ownership. A comparative analysis of housing price risk during economic downturns in different countries can help researchers better understand this relationship.
The New Orleans Police Department launched a new crime-fighting plan in late January, with the title "SOS: Save Our Sons." The plan was developed using policing research similar to the findings of RAND's Center on Quality Policing.
California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducts a higher percentage of accident investigations than the federal agency does. Should Cal-OSHA allocate inspection resources differently among different types of inspections and among different types of workplaces?
At its annual meeting in April, Division L of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) will give the first "Outstanding Policy Report (Short Report)" award to "A Big Apple for Educators"—an evaluation of New York City's Schoolwide Teacher Bonus Program. RAND Education research on teacher quality also will be presented in a panel discussion.
Alabama's anti-illegal immigration law is regarded as the strictest in the United States and raises several enforcement challenges for police, schools, and other public service providers such as hospitals. RAND research on the costs and benefits of immigration may prove instructive.
Understanding how criminal gangs and other non-state actors compete with the state to provide public services, gain popular support, and jeopardize security can help policymakers counter these groups' activities.
The Forest Allowance Program (Programa Bolsa Floresta) is an avoided deforestation initiative in Brazil that pays the local population a monthly allowance for environmental services and increases deforestation monitoring and enforcement. RAND is studying this and similar initiatives to determine their success in reducing deforestation.
The Center for Latin American Social Policy conducts research throughout Latin America and the Latin American population in the United States in the areas of aging, social determinants and consequences of health, saving for retirement, social security coverage, labor market dynamics, and migration.
Given the worldwide trend of aging populations, it is important to learn about the long- and short-term effects of non-contributory social security programs. With the State of Yucatan, CLASP designed such a program for towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants. The project team is now evaluating its impact on the welfare of residents ages 70 and older.
Results from the National Financial Capability Survey show the majority of Americans lack basic numeracy and knowledge of fundamental economic principles. The Financial Literacy Center is analyzing the raw survey data to construct an atlas of financial literacy among U.S. states and among some demographic groups.
The PHRESH project examines how neighborhood characteristics—like access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats—could make residents more or less healthy.
The 2010 Integrated Resource Plan Update developed by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District (MWD) includes a preferred resource mix as well as an adaptive management approach to monitor key trends and modify the resource mix as necessary. RAND helped the MWD determine which trends are most useful to monitor.
The Southern California Metropolitan Water District sought advice determining which trends are most useful to monitor to implement its adaptive management strategy. RAND supported Metropolitan's Blue Ribbon Commission to develop recommendations for a new business model to help the agency meet its goals over the next fifty years.
RAND Texas is a subscription-based service that provides access to more than 110 databases of statistics on industry and occupational wages, prison and parolee populations, teacher demographics, greenhouse gas emissions, and more. Much of the data is available at the national, state, county, and city levels.
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